Race Weekend Central

NASCAR Drivers Experience NHRA Horsepower at zMax Dragway

Zmax Fourwide Gragson

(Photo: Mike Mercurio)

It was straight-line-meets-circle-track Thursday morning (April 27) at Charlotte Motor Speedway and zMax Dragway in Concord, N.C., as the star drivers of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series got a chance to swap seats with some of the ace pilots from the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and get themselves a taste of nitromethane. Truck …

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Nitro Shots: What’s a Champion Have to Do?

Nhra 2015 Shawn Langdon Joins Kalitta Courtesy Kalitta Motorsports

Last week I passed along the news that Shawn Langdon was moving to Kalitta Motorsports to drive a third Top Fuel entry effective immediately. The move from Don Schumacher Racing to Kalitta was prompted by a lack of sponsor support for his DSR effort. Langdon had yet to make a start in 2017. This is …

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Nitro Shots: Banner Year?

Nhra 2016 Pro Mod Champion Rickie Smith Courtesy Nhra

NHRA hosted sell-out crowds on Saturday at Las Vegas, the fifth time it has done so this year. The house was also filled to capacity during Four-Wide weekend in Charlotte, Atlanta and  Epping on Saturday, while Sunday sold out in Sonoma. It’s definitely a positive sign to see a good turnout in markets all across the …

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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: Another Update For Your Scorecard

Nhra 2015 Charlotte Don Schumacher Shawn Langdon Credit Toni Montgomery

(Photo: Toni Montgomery, Frontstretch)

Here’s how it shakes out in case you’ve missed it: Just prior to the U.S. Nationals, Don Schumacher Racing parted ways with driver Spencer Massey. Last week, sponsorless Alan Johnson Racing announced they would not run the remaining races in 2015. The next day, a deal was announced that put AJR driver Shawn Langdon in …

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Nitro Shots: Good Fortune From Bad?

Zmax Dragway Carolina Nationals Spencer Massey 2014 Mike Neff 084

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

A few weeks ago, Don Schumacher Racing parted ways with driver Spencer Massey. Massey had run in the top 10 in Top Fuel points all season, but his departure meant that his team would not be able to reap the reward and contend for a title in the Countdown for the Championship. Yesterday, Alan Johnson …

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NHRA Top Fuel Championship-Contending Team Ceases Operation

Zmax Dragway Carolina Nationals Shawn Langdon 2014 Mike Neff 125

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Alan Johnson Racing and driver Shawn Langdon, the sixth seed in Top Fuel in the 2015 NHRA Countdown to the Championship, will not make the trip to Charlotte this week to kick off the playoffs. The team announced it is suspending operations immediately until adequate sponsorship funding can be found. AJR unexpectedly lost its funding …

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Nitro Shots: Report Card Time

Zmax Dragway Carolina Nationals Clay Millican 2014 Mike Neff 076

Photo Credit: Mike Neff, Frontstretch

Back in the first column of the season, after some disappointing starts to the year for a handful of drivers, we declared that one bad race does not a bad season make. That’s true. One of the drivers who got out of the blocks slow was Jack Beckman, and it’s worked out all right for …

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Pace Laps: Dangerous Packs, Being Prepared & the Art of Racing in the Rain

16c 2194 2

(Photo: Chris Owens)

IndyCar: IndyCar Narrowly Avoids Tragedy at Auto Club Speedway – Saturday’s MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway was considered one of the best races in Verizon IndyCar Series history by many fans and critics. Despite being held in front of only a few thousand spectators, the stars of the series put on an incredible pack …

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Nitro Shots: The Junior Road to the Championship

Nhra J.r. Todd Junior Dragster Photo Courtesy J.r. Todd And Kalitta Motorsports

(Photo courtesy of JR Todd)

Stock car racers have quarter midgets, open-wheelers have go-karts and aspiring young drag racers have Junior Dragsters. The cars are scaled down versions of a Top Fuel dragster, and competitors as young as 5 race them in the NHRA’s Jr. Drag Racing League, a league that has 3,000 participants according to the NHRA. It’s family …

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Nitro Shots: There’s Something You Don’t See Every Day

Nhra 2015 Charlotte Jack Beckman Winner Credit Toni Montgomery

Photo Credit: Toni Montgomery, Frontstretch

Coming out of the 4-Wide Nationals, you can’t help but take note of all the really odd things you can only see at that race. There were a number of them last weekend, continuing to make Charlotte unique. Pro Stock came out of the box with a twin serving of odd, with a double holeshot …

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