There’s a big difference between empathy and sympathy in Dan Parker’s world. 

Parker, in 2012, was one of the iconic outlaw Pro Modified doorslammer racers tearing up the tracks around the Georgia and Alabama region when on March 31 of that year, he lost control of his nitrous-injected Corvette and took a tumble in the Alabama International Raceway shutdown area.

By nature, Clark Smiley’s GTO isn’t the kind of car, at first glance, you would expect to see in Competition Eliminator. 

But, on the contrary, the nature of Competition Eliminator is to provide refuge for the dozens of oddball combinations one can concoct in one's mind. Thanks to the Rooftec Division 4 Competition Eliminator bonus spearheaded by Rodger Brogdon, cars like Smiley’s gas-burning, 406 cubic inch Pontiac, topped with a 14.71 supercharger and others, are making their way regularly to NHRA divisional and national events. 

While it could also be written off as a novelty, Smiley’s blown entry has qualified No. 1 at two NHRA Division 4 events and, most recently, back-to-back final round appearances at the Tulsa double-header race. 

The day Kalitta Motorsports revealed it had brought in iconic nitro tuner Alan Johnson to take over Doug Kalitta's Mac Tools-sponsored dragster, the unspoken expectations might as well have been to win 15 races in the first season and the series championship every year after that. 

Kalitta, the soft-spoken fan and racer favorite, wasn't given an adjustment period to gel with the new combination. He was expected to win and win often. After all, Kalitta remains one of the greatest drivers to have never won a title, and Johnson, well, he's won so many titles there's not enough fingers for all the rings. 

Kayla Mozeris had an eventful weekend full of firsts in the Comp Eliminator category, leaving her with much to process. Over three days, Mozeris experienced her first final round, runner-up finish, race against her father, and victory. These accomplishments propelled her into the Top Ten in the Rooftec Division 4 Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund (CEBF), initiated by Rodger Brogdon, which offers over $350,000 in additional prizes for the top finishers.

Mozeris encountered tough competition at the final double-header Division 4 event in Tulsa, Okla. This year, Division 4 attracted full 32-car fields largely in part to the Rooftec Competition Eliminator Bonus Fund. It was also Mozeris’ first year driving for Clint Neff in his K/AA machine.

“I’m still gaining experience when it comes to chasing competitors or being chased by them,” said Mozeris. “I’m trying not to take too much stripe, but I’m still learning how to handle it.”

The JCM Racing team has signed the Leatherwood Distillery as an associate sponsor ahead of this weekend's NHRA Midwest Nationals outside St. Louis, Mo. Leatherwood Distillery branding will appear on both  Tony Schumacher's SCAG Power Equipment Top Fuel dragster and Tim Wilkerson's SCAG Power Equipment/Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford Funny Car for the duration of the event.

It took Doug Kalitta more than three years to finally earn his 50th career victory when he crossed the finish line first last Monday at Maple Grove Raceway.

It took him just six days to earn career win No. 51.

Kalitta earned back-to-back wins to kickoff the 2023 Countdown to the Championship with a statement victory Sunday. In doing so, he topped the weekend’s most talked-about driver, Mike Salinas. The win was Kalitta’s second of the season and, most importantly, propelled him into first place in the Top Fuel standings at the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Minutes before pulling into the water box to face No. 1 qualifier Robert Hight in the finals of the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, Bob Tasca didn’t have an engine in his 11,000-horsepower nitro-burning machine.

Discovering a problem as the team was assembling the motor, the pit area of the Ford Motorcraft team became a hotbed of activity as the entire team pitched in to swap engines and prep the car for a gargantuan duel of championship contenders in the second of six races in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

Moments later, Tasca powered to his third win of the season and, most importantly, moved up to second in the championship standings just 25 points behind Hight.