Jason Scruggs (near lane) and Terry Leggett will move to the Pro Boost class.  (file photo)

The PDRA has seen waning participation in the Pro Extreme class over the last few seasons and has now decided to drop the class from competition.

“The competition is not there,” explained PDRA’s Bob Harris. “While the racers appreciated the PDRA paying the full payout for races for only a few Pro Extreme cars, they expressed they would rather enjoy strong competition than just show up for easy money. Our Pro Extreme racers have begun looking at other options. Terry Leggett and Jason Scruggs both plan to move to a roots style blower and run Pro Boost.

“A few weeks ago we stated we would support the class all year,” Harris continued. “Since then we have talked to the racers that have been involved in the class this year and racers that we thought may come on board and we realize that continuing the class would have little benefit for the series or our racers.”

The next PDRA event is June 28-30 at Virginia Motorsports Park.   [06/14/18]

The first day of summer isn't until June 21, but Scott Palmer the CatSpot Organic Cat Litter Top Fuel dragster team are already trying to beat the heat.

After a warm weekend in the return of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series to Richmond, Va., Palmer will compete on what will likely be another hot race track in the Fitzgerald USA NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals this weekend at Bristol Dragway. New CatSpot driver Dom Lagana will also be trying for the win.

"We didn't have the race day we wanted in Richmond, but we got down the track and got some good information for the hot weather," Palmer said. "That's important this time of year, because we've got some tracks coming up: Bristol, Norwalk and all the others this summer. We're still learning the track prep and how the hot weather affects it, but we're definitely learning and improving. Bristol will be another good test for us.”

Racing on a hot race track can sometimes be about consistency instead of sheer speed, as simply getting down the track is better than a car that smokes the tires from overpowering the surface. Palmer and co-crew chiefs Jason McCulloch and Benny Patterson have worked to get their CatSpot car consistent throughout the weekend, starting with qualifying.

Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 80s and low 90s in Bristol this weekend.

"We've learned a lot in Richmond," Palmer said. "We know we need to qualify a little bit better. Nothing is easy in Top Fuel, not with the level of competition we have these days. But if we are a little higher up the order in qualifying, that makes things a little easier on race day."

Sixteen Top Fuel dragsters are entered for Bristol, with 16 Pro Stocks and 17 Funny Cars.  (Ron Lewis photo)   [06/14/18]

If the racing isn’t enough to grab your attention, Krispy Kreme will be providing free donuts in the staging lane beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday. Happy Fathers Day!

Appearances by NHRA Top Fuel legend Shirley Muldowney and skydives on Saturday and Sunday by the world-famous U.S. Army Golden Knights will make it a weekend to remember at Bristol Dragway during the 18th annual Fitzgerald USA NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.

Ms. Muldowney will be making appearances throughout the weekend and signing autographs. The three-time NHRA world champ who earned 18 victories during her storied career will be joined by 2012 NHRA Pro Stock champ Allen Johnson and his father, Roy, as part of NHRA’s 2018 Legends program.

Qualifying won Friday will take place under the lights, meaning that header flames will light up the night sky, followed by an impressive fireworks display.     [06/14/18]

Joey Haas  (Mark Margis photo)

The GLNFCC was in the house with four cars set to make two rounds on Saturday afternoon, June 9 at Gateway Motorsports Park’s Nostalgia Rendezvous.

The first pair came out with Joey Haas and the Nimrod Mustang taking on Bill Walls in the Nitro flier II Omni. It seems that the long winter had these to chomping at the bit as they both came out with great burnouts. The Mustang moved first and seem to be holding off the Omni and about half-track the blower belt on the Omni let go giving the Mustang the win.

Gateway was the last appearance of Chris Schneider driving John Troxel’s “Mopar Crazy.” Troxel has bought a new car for the “Flying Butcher” to drive. (Jeff Burk file photo)

Next pair was the old “Mopar Crazy” Challenger driven by Chris Schneider going up against the “Chasin’ My Childhood II” Duster driven by Mike Kurz. This pair looks just like a flash back to the seventies, classic Challenger versus Duster. Schneider’s cat-like reflexes did not take a nap over the winter as he treed the Duster with a .086. This was one exciting race as Schneider took the win with a 7.784 to a losing 7.780.

After the cars where in the pits it was found out that the Nitro Flier II had bent some push rods and the “Mopar Crazy had broken a connecting rod. This would turn out to be the last event for the “Mopar Crazy” Challenger as John decided not to rebuild the 417 Donovan and go a different direction.

So, the last round this pitted the “Chasin’ My Childhood” Duster against the “Nimrod” Mustang. Both cars sounded hopped up and did two long smoky burnouts. As they staged, a chute came out of the pack on the Duster and he was shut off with the Mustang taking a single. Haas had the Mustang flying as he clicked off the timer with a 7.43.   [06/14/18]

You wait all year for the Detroit Dragway Reunion at the Milan, MI, track. But Mother Nature, amid days of rain-free reign, said, "Nope" to the ninth annual event.

Late Saturday, June 9, when haulers were pulling out and the pits were draining, a few hardcore racers got a lick at the track. Here are images by Richard Gebhart from a heartbreak day at Milan.   [06/14/18]