Steve Johnson will run in his 400th race this weekend at the Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Joliet, IL. Since the Pro Stock Motorcycles don’t run in every NHRA national event, that has taken the Alabama rider 30 years to accomplish.

And though he has only six event wins, he’s never lost the competitive spirit that the next race might be his.

“As any and every racer will tell you, there’s something about drag racing that grabs ahold of your soul and doesn’t let go until you take your last breath,” Johnson said. “There may be a lot of negatives to being a drag racer, but let me assure you, in the strongest terms possible, that the positives outweigh the negatives by tons.”  (Ron Lewis photo)  [07/06/17]

The Texas Outlaw Pro Mod Association will headline the show Saturday, July 8, at the Texas Motorplex. Two rounds of qualifying begin at 5 p.m. with elimination rounds following at about 7:10 p.m.

In addition, Index classes of 5.50, 6.0, and 7.0 will runs as well as Jr. Dragsters.  [07/06/17]

Nitro Up North is famous for bringing Top Fuel dragsters to Darwin, but they won’t be the only nitro-fueled machines making their impression on Hidden Valley Drag Strip come July 21-22.

Queensland’s Chris Matheson choses to pour the infamous explosive race fuel into a motorcycle – and it’s Australia’s quickest vehicle on two wheels, capable of covering a quarter mile (402m) drag strip in just 6.04 seconds.

Riders in the Top Bike class where Matheson competes are among the bravest in motorsport. Matheson himself has ridden the highs and the lows of extreme drag racing, including a fall at over 350kmh (217mph) in Sydney and a bizarre electrocution last time he was in Darwin.

“We have raced at Hidden Valley in the past, however, it didn’t end well,” he explained. “During the first round of racing we blew a spark plug (and lead) out of the cylinder head, which hit me in the chest, pumping 45,000 volts (44 amps) through my body. The shock blew my hands off the handle bars, which nearly resulted in me being blown off the bike. Eventually, I got the bike stopped and was taken to Darwin Base Hospital, where I spent some time in the ICU.”

The multi-time national champion has not let such incidents stop him from continuing to chase records and there is one target he would love to achieve – being the first drag racer in the Southern Hemisphere to run a five second pass on a motorcycle.

Matheson’s Nitro Voodoo team will be taking on a talented field of nitro bikes that also includes the world’s fastest amputee, Benny Stevens, who recently returned from racing in the USA, former champions Mark Drew, Chris Porter, Ian Ashelford and more.

The nitro bikes will be joined by Top Fuel Dragsters and Pro Slammers in the 400 Thunder Professional Drag Racing Series, plus the opening round of the Summit Sportsman Series’ national 2017/18 season.  (Jon Van Daal photo)   [07/06/17]