Features
Capps, Torrence, Anderson and Kraweic Win at NHRA Atlanta
Ron Capps (Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
Ron Capps raced to his first victory of the season May 6, at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, ending John Force Racing’s season-long stronghold on the winner’s circle in Funny Car. Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Eddie Kraweic (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event. Continue Reading »
Hight, Schumacher, Line and Arana are Top Qualifiers in Atlanta
Robert Hight (Photo by Ron Lewis, courtesy of JFR; Click to enlarge)
Robert Hight will lead John Force Racing’s quest to earn its seventh consecutive victory to open the season in Sunday’s final eliminations at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Sr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also will lead their categories into tomorrow’s eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event. Continue Reading »
Bernstein, Childress and Force Inducted to International Motorsports Hall of Fame
L-R: Kenny Bernstein, Richard Childress and John Force (Photo courtesy JFR; Click to enlarge)
NHRA legends Kenny Bernstein and John Force were formally inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame Thursday evening (May 3), during a black-tie gala event at the Speed Channel Dome adjacent to Talladega Motor Speedway. Bernstein and Force joined famed NASCAR team owner Richard Childress as the only members of the heavyweight class of 2012.
The NHRA icons were the 10th and 11th NHRA inductees into the prestigious Hall, which features among its members a distinguished roster of deserving drivers from all segments of motorsports, including Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty and A.J. Foyt. The other NHRA inductees are Mickey Thompson (1990), Wally Parks (1992), Don Garlits (1997), Don Prudhomme (2000), Shirley Muldowney (2004), Joe Amato (2005), Bob Glidden (2005), Warren Johnson (2007) and Bill Jenkins (2008). Continue Reading »
FORCE, BERNSTEIN ENJOY HALL OF FAME OPENING RECEPTION
L-R: Kenny Bernstein, Richard Childress and John Force pose with their respective Hall of Fame induction portraits. (Photos courtesy JFR; Click to enlarge)
On the eve of their induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, 15-time Funny Car champion John Force and six-time Top Fuel and Funny Car champion Kenny Bernstein enjoyed an evening at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama.
The NHRA duo were joined May 2, by NASCAR team owner and fellow inductee Richard Childress along with more than 80 Hall of Fame dignitaries for a reception and dinner to recognize their lifetime of motorsports achievement. Continue Reading »
Rowe Wins NHRA Pro Mod in Houston
With the way the Sterling Bridge Pro Modified ’67 Camaro has been performing in 2012, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before veteran driver Danny Rowe took it to the winner’s circle. After four rounds of eliminations at the 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston’s Royal Purple Raceway, that’s exactly what happened.
After claiming the No. 3 qualifying position with a 5.940-second, 245.14mph pass, Rowe mowed through a string of contenders before facing off with Kenny Lang in the final round. Rowe left first with a blistering .018-second reaction time and never looked back, streaking to the win with a 5.969-second, 244.43mph pass. Continue Reading »
Despite Heavy Workload, Anderson Likes Atlanta
Greg Anderson (Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
For the second time in 2012, teams in the NHRA’s Full Throttle Drag Racing Series will be competing on consecutive weekends, heading directly from Houston, Tex. to Commerce, Ga. for the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals.
Although the timeframe may be compressed, the workload remains the same, and unlike their brethren in other racing series who simply exchange race cars from the fleet at their disposal, the straight-liners must work with the single chassis that they use for the entire season, performing between-race maintenance as well as any necessary repairs or modifications.
In the case of Greg Anderson and the Summit Racing team, the past four days have included nearly 3,000 miles of travel by the team’s twin transporters and Sunday night flights by the remainder of the crew to maximize their time at the shop. However, the current Pro Stock championship points leader believes the stress of this very hectic week is balanced by the ability to quickly return to competition, whether to extend a run of strong performances or make up for a less than stellar showing. Continue Reading »
Top 10 in Top Fuel Still a Toss-Up
Morgan Lucas (Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
As the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series heads south to Atlanta Dragway May 4-6, for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, the competition in Top Fuel is so tight predicting the race winner is nearly impossible.
Morgan Lucas has finished in 10th place in the championship points battle the last two years, but this season the outcome could be a lot different. The GEICO/Lucas Oil driver is coming off his second win and fourth No. 1 qualifying position of the season in Houston, which puts him in third place in the championship standings as the NHRA heads to Atlanta, site of his first career victory in 2009. Continue Reading »
Jeg Jr. Hopes Turnaround Happened at Houston
Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Photos courtesy JEGS; Click to enlarge)
Despite suffering some growing pains during the NHRA tour’s visit to Texas last weekend, the Lone Star State could very well be the place where Pro Stock veteran Jeg Coughlin Jr. turned his season around.
The four-time Pro Stock champion, a winner of 52 national events in the class, isn’t used to dealing with this much adversity, but a pair of DNQs on his early-season ledger has Coughlin and crew searching for answers as the series turns to Atlanta Dragway. Continue Reading »
Special JFR Car Headed to Hall of Fame
(Photo courtesy JFR; Click to enlarge)
John Force has raced dozens of Funny Cars over the course his Hall-of-Fame career and this week the 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion will display a one-of-a-kind Castrol GTX HIGH MILEAGE Hall of Fame special edition Ford Mustang Funny Car at Talladega Motor Speedway.
In advance of Force’s induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame the Funny Car will list Force’s most notable accomplishments along with having the International Motorsports Hall of Fame logo on it. The Funny Car will arrive May 1, at the Hall of Fame. Continue Reading »
Lucas Lands 2nd TF Win this Year
(Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster; Click to enlarge)
Morgan Lucas dominated the 25th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals from the start of qualifying Friday (Apr. 27) to the winner’s circle celebration Sunday night.
After claiming top-qualifier honors for the fourth time this year with a pass of 3.772 seconds at a track-record top speed of 327.74 mph, Lucas simply trounced the race-day field, running low elapsed time of every round en route to his sixth career Top Fuel victory. Continue Reading »
