Even before the U.S. Army Top Fuel driver trio of Tony “The Sarge” Schumacher, Antron Brown and Leah Pritchett will take to the track at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway for this weekend’s 18th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, they will already have two reasons to celebrate as they’ll help recognize the U.S. Army’s 243rd birthday during trackside ceremonies Saturday, then commemorate the great American tradition of Father’s Day on Sunday.

“I’ve said it before many times, but I feel like I’m living the dream,” Schumacher said of his time with the Army sponsorship. “I get to drive the baddest car there is and do it with an incredible group of guys and represent the Army Soldiers who protect our country. The strength of our Nation is our Army, and the strength of the Soldiers is our families. This is what makes drives us to achieve every day of the year. We’ve had such a great relationship with the Army, and being able to celebrate another birthday carrying their colors is always huge. Yes, winning this weekend would be a great way to cap what should be another great American weekend.”  (Ron Lewis photo)  [06/13/18]

Bowen at last fall’s California Hot Rod Reunion.  (Tim Marshall photo)

Since teaming up with Michael Bartone, Shawn Bowen has done just about everything but win a race in Bartone’s Camaro Nostalgia Funny Car. The longtime standout hopes that changes at this weekend’s 16th annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion® presented by AAA Insurance at Kentucky’s Beech Bend Raceway Park.

Driving for Bartone, Bowen has posted two runner-up finishes in 2018 and hopes he is closing in on his first Nostalgia Funny Car win since joining forces with Bartone a season ago. To do it at the Hot Rod Reunion would make for a memorable first victory, especially with his family alongside at the famed event.

“This is a really cool race and we definitely want to put on a show,” Bowen said. “This would be a really big win, one of the biggest we’ve had if we could do it. There’s a lot of fans at this race and to win in front of them and get a win for Michael would be cool. The key is just to make the car run a little quicker. Hopefully I can continue to drive well and just find that little edge we’re missing. But we’re getting really close.”

The Bowen family, starting with Shawn’s father, Mike, had significant success in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster before eventually finding their way onto the nostalgia scene. Shawn Bowen debuted in Nostalgia Funny Car a decade ago, building up a strong track record in the process including three years as champion of the DragRacingOnline.com AA/FC Challenge. Bartone, who has excelled as driver and owner in the alcohol and nostalgia ranks, asked Bowen to drive his Camaro a year ago.

Bartone debuted the new Camaro Nostalgia Funny Car a year ago, but things seem to be rounding into form with Bowen behind the wheel. He was the runner-up to Jeff Arend in Boise, and lost in the final round to points leader Bobby Cottrell in Salt Lake, but Bowen knows he has a team capable of winning.   [06/13/18]

Ian Tocher has some warm memories of Tom “Mongoose” McEwen that he would like to share with you at here. He was a good racer and a great man.     [06/13/18]

As part of its ongoing commitment to customer service, Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, will offer a special permit parking area for pregnant or senior visitors ages 65 and older at the 12th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals and the 41st Annual Kelly Services Night Under Fire.

The 12th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, which will feature everything from Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars to fireworks, will be June 21-24, and the 41st Annual Kelly Services Night Under Fire, which will feature more than fifty performers, fireworks and special effects, will be Aug. 11. Capacity or near-capacity crowds are expected for both.

The special permit parking area, which is in addition to the handicapped parking area already available, is limited to the first 15 pregnant visitors and the first 35 senior visitors ages 65 and older who call Summit Motorsports Park at 419-668-5555 to request a permit. Permits will be issued on a first come, first served basis.

After parking, the pregnant or senior visitors ages 65 and older will have the option to board a shuttle to be dropped off near their preferred location within the park, and there’s no charge for the service. The Agent speaks for the aging drag racing fans: Thank you.    [06/13/18]

Despite numerous attempts to race, persistent rain caused the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Summit Sportsman Spectacular event at Dragway 42 to be called after just a few rounds of racing.

Only one full round of racing in the Moser Engineering $10,000 race was completed on Saturday, June 9, between storms. After massive track cleaning efforts continued on Sunday morning, the race resumed Sunday afternoon but track time was limited before another storm hit, forcing the cancellation. Twenty-seven drivers including the final two No Box entries of split the main event purse while four cars split the Junior dragster payout. The scheduled $5,000-to-win race for Sunday was cancelled and all those who had paid entry fees were refunded.

“What was great to see was the caliber of competitors who showed up to support our new sportsman program,” said IHRA Division Director Jon O’Neal. “We had multiple former IHRA National and Divisional class racing champions in the field including Marco Abruzzi, Jacob Elrod, Michael Beard, Travis Colangelo and Junior champion Paige Montgomery along with 2014 Summit SuperSeries Top World Champion Cody Bayus and defending Mod Summit SuperSeries World Champion Chris ‘Bubba’ Black. When you put those racers in the mix with several of the track champions from the surrounding area who came to the event you’ve got a pretty incredible field of competitors.”

The IHRA Summit Sportsman Spectacular returns to action June 22-24 at Keystone Raceway Park in New Alexandria, PA. This is a rescheduled race after weather forced postponement of the event in May.    [06/13/18]

The only place where Pro Mod and Fuel Altered outlaws collide in a head to head, no holds barred battle is the Pro Mod -vs- Fuel Altered Showdown June 29-30 at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas.

This is a completely outlaw, no rules contest and is open to any PM or AA/FA who thinks they've got what it takes to fight through the fastest outlaws of the south. The payout has more than doubled as $5,000 is up to grabs for the winner in this 24-car qualified field. This is the sixth annual running of this headline event of the summer in Texas, presented by Lone Star Forklift, Best of Texas BBQ Sauce, Red Line Shirt Club and Max Cackle Photos. The official record is Fuel Altereds 4, Pro Mods 1. The pre-entry list looks impressive; we'll see how it shakes out! (Steve Scott photo)   [06/13/18]

The Top Qualifiers of all brackets across the 2018/19 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series will once again receive a special award thanks to TileCo-TheShowerPeople and KC Tools.

Both companies have renewed their support of the popular Top Qualifier Medallion accolade, with racers who set the fastest time in their qualifying sessions for their bracket to receive a Medallion, a 25 percent off RRP voucher for any KC Tools outlet, and a Summit Racing Equipment pack.

TileCo-TheShowerPeople is the company of long-time ANDRA supporters Eddy and Maria Carranza. The Carranzas are also involved in ANDRA championship drag racing directly as the parents of Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster competitor Daniel, whose racing program seeks to raise awareness for children with autism.

The 2018/2019 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series will kick off at the Hidden Valley Drag Strip’s Nitro Up North event on July 13-14.   [06/13/18]