Race Weekend Central

Carolina Nationals Qualifying Is In The Books

Nhra 2018 Charlotte Fall Brittany Force Top Qualifier Credit Toni Montgomery

Qualifying is complete for the NHRA Carolina Nationals from zMAX Dragway outside Charlotte, North Carolina. After two rounds on Friday (Oct. 12) and two more on Saturday (Oct. 13), the field has been set for all four Mello Yello Series classes, as well as the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series. Steve Torrence looked to …

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Nitro Shots: 5 Races to Go

Nhra 2018 Reading Steve Torrence Jr Todd Vincent Nobile Hector Arana Jr Winners Courtesy Nhra Media

It seems like the 2018 season just started, and now there are just five more races to go before it’s all over — five races left for drivers to make their championship dreams come true this year. Four capitalized on that opportunity by winning the first event of the Countdown at Maple Grove. Steve Torrence …

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Pace Laps: Martin Truex Jr. Punches Back Against Kevin Harvick

2018 Cup Auto Club Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Fusion Wurth Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing, Toyota Camry Bass Pro Shops/5 Hour Energy

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series: Truex Back On Top Kevin Harvick? Who’s that? The second his bid for four straight wins ended, slamming into the outside wall on lap 39, Sunday’s MENCS race was all about Martin Truex Jr. The No. 78 car took control the second the No. 4 took a back seat, outdueling Kyle …

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Nitro Shots: Leah Pritchett Chasing History

Leah Pritchett Phoenix

(Photo: Pete McCole)

By Pete McCole PRITCHETT CHASING HISTORY Leah Pritchett is on pace to do something no one in the history of the Top Fuel division has been able to accomplish: win three straight races to start off a season. After besting Doug Kalitta at the season-opener in Pomona and Brittany Force two weeks ago at Phoenix, …

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Nitro Shots: The Annual Pro Mod Edition

Nhra 2016 Pro Mod Rickie Smith Courtesy Nhra Media

The Mello Yello Series Pro classes of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle may be the primary focus of Nitro Shots, but there’s always room to share some love with some of the other racers you might see at an event. Pro Mod is also a professional class that runs a 10 race schedule …

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Pace Laps: The Buzz Behind NASCAR’s Weekend Fight

Nhra 2016 Ron Capps Car Courtesy Nhra Media

(Photo: NHRA Media)

Sprint Cup Series: Tony Stewart’s Triumphant Return to Victory Lane – Coming off a solid race at Michigan International Speedway two weeks ago, Tony Stewart snapped an 84-race winless streak on Sunday, leading the final 22 laps in wine country at Sonoma Raceway. It was a caution on lap 86 that turned Stewart’s race around. The …

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Nitro Shots: The Good Old Days

Nhra Chi Town Hustler Historic Funny Car Courtesy Nhra

(Photo: NHRA)

In case you missed it, NHRA is having a season-long celebration around Funny Car, celebrating 50 years of that particular class. As part of the celebration, historic cars are making appearances at events, television coverage is featuring the drivers and cars of the past, and perhaps as a centerpiece, a season-long vote is ranking fans’ favorite …

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Torrence, DeJoria, Anderson and Krawiec Top Charts for 4-Wide Nationals

Nhra 2016 Charlotte Eddie Krawiec Top Qualifier Credit Toni Montgomery

Top Fuel driver Steve Torrence got his 4-Wide weekend off to a strong start, topping the one and only qualifying session on a rainy Friday and holding on through two rounds on a sunny and warm Saturday to take home No. 1 qualifier honors for the NHRA’s most unique event of the season. Torrence posted a …

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Nitro Shots: Halfway Home For Future NHRA Champions

Nhra 2015 Reading Antron Brown Car Courtesy Nhra Media

(Photo courtesy NHRA Media)

Here we are, already halfway through the Countdown to the Championship, with three races in the books and three more left to complete the 2015 season. Where do things stand and who looks like they might be tough to beat with just a few events remaining? In Top Fuel, that’s a pretty easy question, as …

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Carolina Nationals Day 2 Roundup

Nhra 2015 Charlotte Clay Millican Credit Toni Montgomery

(Photo: Toni Montgomery, Frontstretch)

After two qualifying sessions in the heat of the day on Saturday, the field has been set for eliminations on Sunday for the Carolina Nationals. The high track temperatures made for a lot of sliding around and not a lot of improvement on the times set on a much cooler track on Friday night during the …

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Nitro Shots: Playoffs & Championships

2015 Nhra Indianapolis Us Nationals Crowd Shot Courtesy Nhra Media

Photo Credit: NHRA Media

The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals marked the end of the “regular season” while the upcoming Carolina Nationals kick off the start of the “playoffs,” if you want to look at it in stick-and-ball terms. This is a topic that always inspires debate. Many purists find formats like the Countdown to be contrived, gimmicks created to manufacture …

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