United Nitro Funny Cars held their second Northwest Invitational over the weekend at Seattle with nitro funny car rookie Bobby Cottrell taking the trophy and handing the winner’s purse over to “Northwest Hitter” Camaro owners Bucky Austin and Mike O’Brien.

After a huge top-end fire in the first qualifier, Cottrell and the team pulled out a fresh engine to qualify second at 5.694 at 257.38 mph, behind “Mr. Explosive” Mark Sanders’ 5.677 at 224.81 mph. The all 5-second field was rounded out by Chris Davis in the “Old School Nitro” Arrow with a stout 5.875 ET at 238.85 mph.

On the way to the late Saturday night final, Cottrell twice reset the Pacific Raceways’ track record (5.658 and 5.641), then lined up against former 7.0 Pro rival Mike Peck driving Don Nelson’s “California Hustler” Firebird, tuned by Ronnie Swearingen.

At the green, Cottrell left first with fellow funny car rookie Peck right behind. Both cars shook the tires before mid–track and both drivers pedaled on and off the throttle while Cottrell crossed the finish line first, running a 6.350 ET at 235.89 mph to Peck’s trailing 8.018/124.82.

Four weeks ago in Spokane, Danny Gerber’s “Wasn’t Easy” Firebird took the UNFC cash in a tough eight-car field.  After the success of these two Invitationals, the United Nitro Funny Cars is expecting to expand their schedule for the 2018 season farther into the Southwest and possibly Texas.  (Dyan Lover photo) [07/11/17]

For the first time in the Professional Drag Racers Association’s three-season history, the all-eighth-mile series will race at the historic Lucas Oil Raceway this weekend. The inaugural PDRA Mid-America Indy Showdown, July 13-15, is the fifth stop on the PDRA’s eight-race 2017 tour, bringing the stars of eighth-mile doorslammer racing to Indianapolis.

One match-up that fans can see only at the PDRA Mid-America Indy Showdown is a Friday-night grudge race between 2015 Pro Extreme world champion Jason Scruggs and NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster star Dave Hirata. It’s a one-of-a-kind pairing that will see Scruggs’ screw-blown “Mississippi Missile” ’69 Camaro line up alongside the nitromethane-injected A/Fuel dragster of Hirata.

Joining Scruggs and his Pro Extreme competitors at the PDRA Mid-America Indy Showdown will be the stars of Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, Extreme Pro Stock and Pro Extreme Motorcycle. The PDRA’s sportsman standouts in Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Pro Junior Dragster, Top Junior Dragster and Bracket Bash will also take to the Lucas Oil Raceway eighth mile for the first time.  (DRO file photo)  [07/11/17]