Race Weekend Central

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: One Last Hurrah

Nhra 2016 Las Vegas Antron Brown Champion Courtesy Nhra

One championship in the NHRA has already been decided but that doesn’t mean that there is nothing left to sort out in Pomona. Matter of fact, it’s the two-wheeled contingent that goes into the final race with a big battle underway. Harley Davidson teammates Andrew Hines, the defending champion, and Eddie Krawiec are tied with …

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Nitro Shots: Big Go Wrap Up

Nhra 2016 Indy Tony Schumacher Car Courtesy Nhra

Lots of storylines going in, lots of storylines coming out which means it’s time to digest some of what happened over a very busy long holiday weekend in Indianapolis at the Big Go. For starters, there was the Traxxas Nitro Shootout. Interesting observation: the ladies did quite well as Leah Pritchett faced off against teammate …

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Nitro Shots: NHRA Big Go Grab Bag

Nhra 2016 Indy Testing Car Leah Pritchett Courtesy Nhra

It’s the biggest weekend of the year coming up for the NHRA, the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, and there are a number of storylines to follow. First, this weekend is the final race of the regular season. After the U.S. Nationals, the Countdown fields for the four professional classes will be locked in and point …

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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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Pace Laps: Stewart’s Comeback, Gaughan’s Milestone and Le Mans Fever

2016 Michigan I Cup Tony Stewart Pack Racing John Harrelson Nkp

(Photo: John Harrelson / NKP)

Sprint Cup: Tony Stewart’s Well-Needed Michigan boost – After a rough string of races entering Sunday’s FireKeepers 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Tony Stewart put one together. Qualifying third, Stewart instituted a story for the afternoon: What can Smoke do from here? Would he fall outside the top 20 fast or burst into the race …

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Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Greg Anderson Win Rain-Delayed New England Nationals

Nhra 2016 Epping Antron Brown Greg Anderson Ron Capps Winners Courtesy Nhra

Persistent rains washed out the NHRA New England Nationals from New England Dragway in Epping, N.H. yesterday, forcing postponement of the Mello Yello Series eliminations to Monday. Everything went off without a hitch though on the makeup day, with Antron Brown, Ron Capps and Greg Anderson taking home the wins. Brown faced off against Steve Torrence …

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Nitro Shots: Short Tracks & Superspeedways?

Nhra 2015 Charlotte Pro Stock Staging Credit Toni Montgomery

(Photo: Toni Montgomery, Frontstretch)

Blogger Mike Mayer published an interesting post the other day titled Is 1320 Really the Magic Number. The gist of his post was a series of ideas about how NHRA could vary the racing at different venues as NASCAR does with an assortment of short tracks, intermediates and superspeedways. On the surface, one might think, …

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Nitro Shots: What Makes a Fan?

Nhra 2015 Las Vegas Force With Trophy And Car Credit Gary Nastase

(Credit: Gary Nastase)

The NHRA has been running a “Baptism By Nitro” campaign all season, encouraging fans to bring along family and friends who have never been to a race. The thinking is that once they see, hear and feel NHRA action in person they will become fans too, and it’s not a bad plan for the NHRA. …

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Nitro Shots: NHRA Deserves Better from TV Partner

Nhra 2015 Topeka Richie Crampton Car Courtesy Geiger Media

Photo Courtesy: Geiger Media

Each year, the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend is the Greatest Day in Racing. Every fan knows it. You can start your day with Formula 1 and the Monaco Grand Prix, then follow that with the Indy 500 for INDYCAR and the Coca-Cola 600 for NASCAR. For the really devoted there’s a fourth event, the …

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Nitro Shots: Drag Racing, Home of the True Gearheads

Nhra 2015 Spencer Massey Car Shot Courtesy Nhra Media

(Photo courtesy NHRA Media)

You can make a pretty good argument for the idea that drag racing fans are the true gearheads of the motorsports world. NASCAR fans absolutely feel manufacturer loyalty; some will even switch long-standing driver loyalties because their guy went from Chevy to Ford. But it’s something different for drag racing fans. Something more than just …

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