Williford sets bike record of 224.21 mph

Three-time MIRock Pro Street champion Rodney Williford set low elapsed time of 6.726 and record-shattering mph of 224.21 at NHDRO’s May Bike Fest at Indianapolis, the second race of 2017 for America’s fastest growing motorcycle drag racing series.

 

We’ll have the complete race report tomorrow.

 

The NHDRO will be back in action June 9-11 for Motorcycle Madness at Gateway Motorsports Park, just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis.

 

And this weekend the IDBL will be racing at Maryland International Raceway while the Man Cup racers will be at Memphis, TN. (Tim Hailey photo) [05/17/17]

Beckman hoping Topeka will be the ‘won’

In 2012, Topeka was the first race Jack Beckman won that year and he went on to win the Funny Car championship.

 

Beckman and Terry Chandler's Infinite Hero Foundation 2017 Dodge Funny Car team has yet to win an event this season. The team hopes that changes this weekend as the they travel this weekend to Topeka. Beckman, who advanced to the final round a year ago at Topeka, ranks sixth in NHRA Mello Yello Series championship points.

 

"Weather is a factor in Topeka and that's what makes winning there so special," said Beckman, who was runner-up last year to his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Matt Hagan. "It's a very tough track to tame because the weather changes continually there. We don't know what it has in store for us this weekend."

 

The team, led by crew chiefs Neal Strausbaugh, Dean Antonelli and John Medlen, has worked hard to get into the winner’s circle this season.

 

"This year our results haven't quite met our expectations," Beckman said. "I do think we've been doing all the things I think we need to do. In other words, we've been making changes to the car, we've been listening to the car and we've been making it a more consistent car. We're still dealing with new parts in the bellhousing.

 

"We got good data on it in Atlanta two weeks ago and made it to the second round. We're still not where we need to be but we're getting a lot closer.” [05/17/17]

VOLUME XIX,  NUMBER 5 - May  2017

Points system changes for 2018 JEGS Allstar program

​(Michael Fischbeck photo)The NHRA announced a change to the structure in which racers earn points toward a berth in the popular JEGS Allstar program. Beginning with the 2018 JEGS Allstar event, racers will now count their best five in-division events toward their JEGS Allstar points total.

 

Previously a racer would count all in-division events toward their points total but by moving to a racer’s best five events, it will open the program up to more JEGS Allstar hopefuls. The point structure will continue to be a 12-month point battle in that events in the second part of 2017, along with events at the beginning of 2018 will count towards a racer’s 2018 points total.

 

The annual event is hosted at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway outside Chicago with a weekend of activities.

 

The 2017 JEGS Allstar Points are final in divisions 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7. Division 3 will set their team after the Lucas Oil Series event in Norwalk, Ohio, this weekend, and the Division 5 team will be set the weekend of June 2-4, at SRCA Dragstrip in Great Bend, Kan. The Top Alcohol Regional Teams are set for the East, Central and West Regions with the North Central Region finalizing their team this weekend.

 

The 2018 JEGS Allstar points will begin at the following events:

 

Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pa., May 26-28, 2017

Atlanta Dragway, Atlanta, Ga., May 19-21, 2017

Route 66 Raceway, Chicago, Ill., June 2-4, 2017

Texas Motorplex Dallas, Texas, April 28-30, 2017

Bandimere Speedway, Denver, Colo., June 16-17, 2017

Mission Raceway Park, Mission, BC, June 2-4, 2017

Auto Club Dragway, Fontana, Calif., May 19-21, 2017  [05/17/17]

Milan to host Detroit Dragway Reunion

Milan Dragway in Michigan will host the 8th Annual Detroit Dragway Reunion on Saturday, June 10.

 

Della Woods will be Grand Marshal for the event that features a match race between Troy Martin’s “Chi-Town Hustler” and Shawn Bowen’s “Violator” AA Funny Cars. In addition, six Alcohol Funny Cars will be running down the track, along with a Run What Ya Brung Doorslammer Invitational, the Great Lakes Gassers, and a Top Fuel Cacklefest.

 

Classes include Super Pro, Pro, Sportsman, Nostalgia Comp, along with a non-competition Fun Run.  (DRO file photo)  [05/17/17]

Ground broken on new racing facility in Iowa

After several years of complications, ground was recently broken for what will become the Onawa Racing and Events Center in Onawa, Iowa. The multi-purpose facility will consist of a drag strip, mini golf, sand volleyball, and a concert venue.

 

The drag strip will be put on a runway already on the property. Racing is hoped to begin on Labor Day weekend, with the events center not opening until next spring.

 

The project is headed by Onawa Racing Incorporated, a group formed to bring business to the area. Onawa is located off Interstate 29 about half-way between Sioux City, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska. [05/17/17]

New Product of the Day

 

Mr. Gasket Header Gaskets

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​(Michael Fischbeck photo)The NHRA announced a change to the structure in which racers earn points toward a berth in the popular JEGS Allstar program. Beginning with the 2018 JEGS Allstar event, racers will now count their best five in-division events toward their JEGS Allstar points total.

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