DI DRIVER BLOG PRESENTED BY WELD RACING: Megan Meyer
By Drag Illustrated | July 31, 2019

“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for,” -Oprah Winfrey

After a month off of racing, and getting engaged by the way, we parked our NGK Spark Plugs dragster in the winner’s circle again, for my fourth win this year. As a team, we’ve collected nine Wally’s between all five of our drivers and I hope to get No. 10 this upcoming weekend in Tulsa. Rachel and I are still very close in regional points, but I am ahead by one round, so even though I hope she does really good in Tulsa, I don’t want her to pass me up. 🙂 May the best driver win! Continue reading DI DRIVER BLOG PRESENTED BY WELD RACING: Megan Meyer →

NHRA® Team Report
NHRA® Northwest Nationals – Seattle
Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon and team made a couple of notable stops on the way to Seattle and are refreshed and ready for the Northwest Nationals. “It’s good for the team as a whole and for me as a driver to take a deep breath, do something fun off the track and prepare for the important races ahead,” Cruz says. “We’re so close to the Countdown Top 10, and these fun side trips got us even more revved to push the car and qualify better this weekend.”

Before heading to Washington, Cruz took time to watch the first full-pads practice of Cruz’s favorite football team, the Oakland Raiders. This is the last season they’ll play as Oakland’s team before relocating to Las Vegas, so Cruz’s team members took full advantage of their proximity to the Napa practice location, getting autographs and interacting with some of the players.

Crew chief Glen Huszar and assistant crew chief Nick Casertano stayed behind to focus on tuning for the race ahead. Huszar says, “The plan is to tune the car to the good air in Seattle. Look for a lot of power out of the Snap-on Dodge this weekend.”

“Seattle is known for some really fast, record-setting elapsed times, and we plan to be among the teams with good numbers this weekend,” Cruz says. “It’s the middle of the season, and we are just as pumped as we were at the start of the season. I’m focused on getting to that Top 10 spot and so is the team.”

On the side of Cruz’s car –
Check out Cruz’s car this week and you’ll see the name of area Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Eric Garside. Eric has had his franchise for four-and-a-half years now after working in sales support for an athletic supply company. He says he has a lot of common interests with his customers and loves equipping them with the tools they need to be successful. One of the success stories along his Snap-on route is a high-end custom hot rod shop. This will be Eric’s inaugural NHRA race, and he’ll be bringing some customers and another Snap-on franchisee with him this weekend to meet Cruz for the first time.

Follow Cruz

GENDER-BLIND RACETRACK DRAMA TO UNFOLD AT FIA FINALS

FIA/FIM European Finals

Santa Pod Raceway

Thu.5 – Sun.8 September 2019

Santa Pod Raceway’s European Finals meeting fast approaches, promising a dramatic finish to 2019’s FIA/FIM European Drag Racing Championships. Owing to a quirk in the calendar, the first half of the six-race season takes place in monthly instalments, completed last month, but the second half takes place in a flurry, with three races crammed into four weeks – at Hockenheim (Germany) and Tierp (Sweden) on the last two weekends of August, then at Santa Pod a fortnight later. Thus championship outcomes are hard to predict. Continue reading GENDER-BLIND RACETRACK DRAMA TO UNFOLD AT FIA FINALS →

JOHN FORCE OPTIMISTIC
AS MELLO YELLO TOUR MOVES TO SEATTLE
KENT, Wash. (July 31, 2019) — John Force resumes his pursuit of an unprecedented 150th Mello Yello tour victory this week when he drives his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS after the Funny Car championship in the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

After posting the quickest time during eliminations at the Sonoma Nationals, Force was left to ponder what might have been after a mechanical failure locked his PEAK Camaro in reverse as he prepared for a semifinal match with Matt Hagan. Unable to rectify the issue and compelled to abort the run, the 16-time champion could do nothing but watch while his rival made a solo into the final.
Continue reading JOHN FORCE OPTIMISTIC AS MELLO YELLO TOUR MOVES TO SEATTLE →

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK
AUGUST 4, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
CHEVROLET LEADS THE WAY:
Chevrolet has 18 wins in 36 Monster Energy NASCR Cup Series races on the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International road course – more than any other manufacturer. Chevrolet drivers have been successful on the two road courses currently on the MENCS schedule with a combined 29 wins at Watkins Glen International and Sonoma Raceway.

DRIVE THROUGH HISTORY:
Chevrolet earned the victory at the inaugural NASCAR Grand National Series-sanctioned race at Watkins Glen International when Buck Baker drove his ’57 Chevy – nicknamed the “Black Widow” — to Victory Lane from the pole in the 100-miler on August 4, 1957. Baker went on to win the championship with 10 wins and six poles in 40 races. His season race earnings totaled $30,763.

REMEMBERING BIG WIN A YEAR AGO:
Chase Elliott notched his first career MENCS win on August 5, 2018, at The Glen after starting third. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” said Elliott, who delivered the 250th win for Hendrick Motorsports. It was a long time coming for Elliott, who won in his 99th start after recording eight runner-up finishes. At 22 years, 8 months, 8 days old, Elliott is the youngest MENCS winner at the track. His father, Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, also earned his first Cup win on a road course (Riverside in 1983).

NEARING ANOTHER MILESTONE:
This weekend, Chevrolet is aiming to surpass 4,000 top-five finishes dating to 1949. The Bowtie brand has 3,997 top fives heading to Watkins Glen. It added two to the total at Pocono Raceway.

TUNE-IN:
NBCSN will telecast the 90-lap/221-mile Go Bowling at The Glen live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, August 4. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Watkins Glen Advance →

Brother/sister duo of Troy Jr. and Paige Coughlin anxious for Atco weekend
ATCO, N.J. (July 31) — The midway point of the NHRA’s Northeast Division seven-race schedule arrives this weekend with the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series points meet at Atco Dragway and Team JEGS racers Troy Coughlin Jr. and his sister Paige Coughlin will be doing all they can to leave a yellow-and-black mark on the event. Continue reading Brother/sister duo of Troy Jr. and Paige Coughlin anxious for Atco weekend →

CHEVROLET AT SEATTLE

What: Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Nationals
When: Friday, Aug. 2-Sunday, Aug. 4
Where: Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington
TV: FOX will telecast eliminations and finals live at 4 p.m. ET August 4

Chevrolet drivers look to finish strong on Western Swing
Greg Anderson seeks to complete Pro Stock sweep; John Force aims for 150

DETROIT (July 31, 2019) – Four-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson waited a year until visiting the winner’s circle July 21 for the 92nd time in his career.

He backed up the victory in Denver with a win at sea level July 28 at Sonoma, California, and now the KB Racing driver of the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS is aiming to complete an uncommon sweep of the Western Swing.

That history marker could be engraved this weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, the site of the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Nationals. In 2004, Anderson became the first, and only, Pro Stock driver to accomplish the feat.

“I’m eager to race there and see if the cards fall the right way again,” said Anderson, who has three wins and a pair of runner-up finishes at the track. “I had a lot of luck in Sonoma, we didn’t make any big mistakes, and I found my way to the winner’s circle. Hopefully, we can do that again this week for the sweep.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Seattle Preview →

ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB NOT LETTING UP AS THEY ENTER NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
KENT, Wash. (July 31, 2019) — Robert Hight and the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team have already marked several items off of their 2019 to-do list as they enter the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways. Already qualified for the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoffs, Hight earned his 50th NHRA career victory at the most recent event on the NHRA Mello Drag Racing Series at Sonoma Raceway. Continue reading ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB NOT LETTING UP AS THEY ENTER NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS →

BRITTANY FORCE AND CARQUEST BRAKES EAGER TO LEAD TOP FUEL CLASS AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
KENT, Wash. (July 31, 2019) — Brittany Force, driver of the Carquest Brakes Top Fuel dragster, is making her way to the 16th event on the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Season schedule, the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals, ready to build on her team’s consistency as she competes for her second win of the season. Continue reading BRITTANY FORCE AND CARQUEST BRAKES EAGER TO LEAD TOP FUEL CLASS AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS →

AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST EAGER FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS
KENT, Wash. (July 31, 2019) — Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster team are gearing up for the last event of the famed Western Swing, the Magic Dry Organic Absorbent NHRA Northwest Nationals, motivated by their recent performance. Continue reading AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND / ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST EAGER FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE AT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS →

Road Race Showcase
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI
2:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, August 4, 2019
6 p.m. Same-Day NBC Sports Network
Live Coverage on NBCSports.com, Radio Le Mans and IMSA.TV.com

ACURA, HPD AT ROAD AMERICA
• Acura Motorsports and HPD have recorded seven victories at Road America, dating to 1993, when Parker Johnstone and Dan Marvin drove their Comptech Racing Acura Spice SE92P to the Camel Lights class victory.

• In 2008, David Brabham and Scott Sharp took their Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b to the LMP2 victory at Road America. After Acura had stepped up to the LMP1 class in 2009, the company scored a double victory in 2009, with Brabham and Sharp claiming the overall win in their new Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-02a. Owner/driver Adrian Fernandez and Luiz Diaz won LMP2 and finished third overall in their Acura ARX-01b.

• Level 5 Motorsports drivers Christophe Bouchut, Diaz and Scott Tucker combined to win the LMP2 category in 2011, piloting a Level 5 Motorsports Lola-HPD B11/40 Spyder.

• HPD posted another double triumph at Road America in 2013. In a wet/dry contest, the Muscle Milk/Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03c, driven by Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr, claimed the overall and LMP1 victory. In LMP2, it was Level 5 Motorsports again taking the class win, with Simon Pagenaud and Scott Tucker driving an HPD ARX-03b. Continue reading Road America Preview →

Dominic Scelzi Captures KWS-NARC Victory With Late-Race Pass

Inside Line Promotions – SANTA MARIA, Calif. (July 30, 2019) – Dominic Scelzi tied his record for most feature victories in a season last Saturday when he scored his sixth triumph of the year.

The Roth Motorsports driver hustled from fifth to capture the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series event at Santa Maria Raceway. It marked his series-leading third victory of the season and moved him within a dozen points of the points leader at the midpoint of the 19-race campaign.

“I’ve quit worrying about the championship,” he said. “I’m not looking at the points. My focus is going out and winning. If we do that than the points will fall where they may.” Continue reading Dominic Scelzi Captures KWS-NARC Victory With Late-Race Pass →

Richard Childress Racing at “The Glen” … In 73 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Watkins Glen International, RCR boasts two wins (Robby Gordon 2003 and Kevin Harvick 2006), eight top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. Dale Earnhardt won three poles (1990, ’92, ’96) at the high-speed, seven-turn, upstate New York facility. Continue reading RCR Event Preview – Watkins Glen International →

CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Back to the Holy Grail
Program seeks eighth victory at favorite stop for many drivers

• Garcia, Magnussen seek to regain ground in GTLM points chase
• Milner returns to lineup in No. 4 Corvette C7.R alongside Gavin
• Garcia, Milner set to make 100th start with Corvette Racing
• 2020 Corvette Stingray on-site at Chevrolet Racing Display

DETROIT (July 30, 2019) – Across the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship schedule, no track may be as revered as Road America. That is especially true for everyone at Corvette Racing, which will attempt for another victory this weekend at “America’s National Park of Speed”. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: Back to the Holy Grail →

Giovanni Scelzi Becomes Youngest 410 Winner in Knoxville History After Dominating All Star Event

Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (July 29, 2019) – Giovanni Scelzi enjoyed the type of night most drivers dream of last Saturday at Knoxville Raceway.

Scelzi guided the Bernie Stuebgen owned sprint car to an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions victory and he charged from 18 th to third place in the 360ci winged sprint car main event. Continue reading Giovanni Scelzi Becomes Youngest 410 Winner in Knoxville History After Dominating All Star Event →

NMRA Race Wrap: 14th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing presented by FST Carburetors | Coverage by Edelbrock

(July 29, 2019 Santa Ana CA) Arguably the most exciting event of the year, the NMRA vs NMCA race held at historic Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, always adds an extra element of excitement as the two series battle head-to-head to capture coveted, exclusive Nitto Tire Diamond Tree Rings. The 14th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street legal Drag Racing presented by FST Carburetors kicked off with a perfect forecast and conditions ideal for record-setting runs, new personal bests, and well-deserved wins. As the action on track heated up, so did the car show and QA1 True Street cruise which took participants onto the NASCAR oval at Route 66 Raceway/Chicagoland Speedway for a truly unique experience. After several days of truly memorable action, it all came down to the Bob Curran Memorial Super Bowl Shootouts where the winners from each series’ class faced off against one another. It came down to the final matchup, but team NMRA came out on top once again (for the tenth time in history) and everyone involved celebrated in the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle. Continue reading NMRA Race Wrap: 14th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing →

BRISCOE WINS HIS FIRST RACE OF THE 2019 SEASON WITH STEWART-HAAS RACING WITH FRED BIAGI

NEWTON, IA – July 29, 2019 – Chase Briscoe won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race this season, winning the U.S. Cellular 250 at the Iowa Speedway in the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing with Fred Biagi Ford Mustang. Continue reading BRISCOE WINS HIS FIRST RACE OF THE 2019 SEASON WITH STEWART-HAAS RACING WITH FRED BIAGI →

Top Fuel — Billy Torrence, 3.804 seconds, 320.20 mph def. Clay Millican, 3.842 seconds, 321.65 mph. Both ARP Cars

Funny Car — Robert Hight, Chevy Camaro, 3.973, 325.45 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.030, 316.60. Both ARP Cars

Pro Stock — Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.602, 208.71 ARP car def. Alex Laughlin, Camaro, 7.203, 175.68.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.790, 198.00 def. Matt Smith, EBR, 6.822, 197.36. ARP Bike

Super Stock — Kyle Rizzoli, Chevy Camaro, 9.592, 134.47 def. Jon Irving, Plymouth Duster, 10.416, 123.44.

Stock Eliminator — Mark Kirby, Plymouth Duster, 10.971, 118.96 def. Jeff Jerome, Plymouth Savoy, Foul – Red Light.

Super Comp — Justin Morgan, Dragster, 8.918, 173.56 def. Kevin Motter, Dragster, 8.898, 174.03.

Super Gas — Bo Butner, Chevy Corvette, 9.949, 160.50 def. Linzi Meserve, Plymouth Barracuda, 9.963, 158.76.

Super Street — Ryan Herem, Chevy Camaro, 10.909, 142.37 def. Mark Simonian, Pontiac Firebird, 10.882, 143.12.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Steve Galileo, Chevy Corvette, 6.959, 189.50 def. Richard Okerman, Chevy Beretta, 7.126, 192.38.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — George Prather, Dragster, 6.567, 204.23 def. Phil Unruh, Dragster, 7.590, 123.27.

ROBERT HIGHT AND AUTO CLUB ACHIEVE MILESTONE 50TH WIN AT THE NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS

SONOMA, Calif. (July 28, 2019) — Racing on a Sonoma Raceway track that as a youngster nurtured his passion for drag racing, Robert Hight became just the 13th driver to win 50 times on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series pro tour, repeating as Funny Car Champion by driving his Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS past Matt Hagan in the final round at the 31st annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
Continue reading Dodge//SRT Mopar Driver Hagan Powers to Runner-up Finish in NHRA Sonoma Nationals →

Dodge//SRT Mopar Driver Hagan Powers to Runner-up Finish in NHRA Sonoma Nationals

· Dodge//SRT Mopar racer Matt Hagan stormed to his fourth 2019 final at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California

· Tommy Johnson, Jr. maintains No. 2 spot in Funny Car standings, leads three Mopar-powered Dodge//SRT drivers in top five

· Jack Beckman qualifies third, advances to second round driving Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

· Leah Pritchett exits in first round; remains seventh in Top Fuel championship standings

· Mike Kirby wins first NHRA event in Stock Eliminator and John Irving reached the final in Super Stock to score Dodge Top Finisher honors at Sonoma

· Dodge Garage, a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts, offers exclusive photo journals with behind-the-scenes action
· @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel features Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers in NHRA action

July 28, 2019, Auburn Hills, Mich. – For the second time in the last three NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events, two-time world champion Matt Hagan reached the Funny Car final racing his Mopar-powered Dodge SRT Charger Hellcat to a runner-up finish at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals on July 28, 2019, at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Continue reading Dodge//SRT Mopar Driver Hagan Powers to Runner-up Finish in NHRA Sonoma Nationals →