Midwest Nostalgia Top Fuel star Jimmy Young is at Bakersfield this weekend to vie for yet another Top Fuel title at the most important race of the year for nostalgia Top Fuel racers.

The Agent hears that Young is trying to put together a circuit for Nostalgia Top Fuel race teams. The Agent believes there at least half dozen Top Fuel teams in the Midwest so a circuit is a possibility if enough tracks and teams make the commitment.  (Scott Bessee photo)   [10/17/18]

Some Funny Car Chaos teams recently called to see if the Agent knew anything about some policy changes with the fledgling "Funny Car Chaos" circuit. They told the agent they were told that for next year there will be just 16 cars qualified with an 8-car A Field and an 8-car B field and that the total purse for the events would be cut from about $25,000 to $20,000.

The Agent made a quick check of the "Chaos" Face book page and there was no mention of any purse cut but it did confirm that the Funny Car Chaos series will hold an event at the fabled U.S. 131 Dragway in Martin, MI. The Agent wonders if that race will be quarter-mile or eighth-mile?    [10/17/18]

The Agent heard today that Snap On Tools executive and part-time Nostalgia Funny Car racer Bazz Young is abandoning the colonies and moving to the Antipodes (He is relocating from Wisconsin back to Australia). The Agent would make a large bet that the DRO series veteran will be part of the Graham Cowin Nostalgia Funny Car tour Down Under.

The only question the Agent has is will Young be flying in his tuner, Gerald Newman, to Australia to tune the “Down Under Thunder” car?    (Ron Lewis photo)  [10/17/18]

John DeFlorian was one of the Mountain Motor Pro Stock drivers that was asked by NHRA to take part in an exhibition at the U.S. Nationals.  (Ron Lewis photo)

One of the Agent’s Pro Stock operatives reports that the NHRA has evidently decided to NOT allow Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars to run with the 500 inch-powered cars in 2019 as was previously reported.

In light of the fact that the soon to be NHRA Pro Stock World Champion Tanner Gray has made it known he is leaving NHRA motorsports for a NASCAR truck team and defending 2017 NHRA Pro Stock World Champ Bo Butner has announced his retirement (as have several other current 500inch Pro Stock racers) the only conclusion the Agent can reach is that NHRA really wants the class to go AWAY! Thankfully, nothing official about this issue has been released by the National Hot Rod Association. (Just a reminder that there were only 14 Pro Stock entrants at Charlotte 2.)    (Ron Lewis photo)  [10/17/18]

During the season ending 27th California Hot Rod Reunion at Auto Club Famoso Raceway north of Bakersfield, CA, Kevin Stith from Stith Printing will award the Inaugural Rookie of the Year presented by Legends of Nitro Apparel.

The Rookie of the Year program was started for rookie drivers who compete in the nitro classes of the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series, the United Nitro Funny Car Championship Series presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports, Funny Car Chaos, and select independent events in the United States.

There are three finalists for 2018 Rookie of the Year, all driving nitro funny cars.

Nancy Matter, driver of the “Guardian for Heroes” Trans Am tuned by Dale Pulde.  (Scott Bessee photo)

Billy Morris, driver of the Eddie Knox Racing “Problem Child” Camaro.  (Darr Hawthorne photo)

New Mexico’s Lyle Greenberg in his “Cone Hunter” Corvette.

Legends of Nitro owner Kevin Stith said of the award, “As a fan of all the nitro classes, we are proud to see new entries and performance in the funny car class. After filling out the 260 MPH Club for Nitro Funny Cars, we’ve noticed a surge in drivers moving over to drive these classic, fan favorite racecars. These three drivers have shown unique talents in their ability to promote the class, both on and off the dragstrip.”

The balloting, by a select group of racers and media, has picked this year’s winner and Stith will award the Winner’s Jacket and $250 check on Saturday morning, Oct. 20, at the Reunion.   [10/17/18]

During the PDRA Fall Nationals at Darlington Dragway on Oct. 6, relative newcomer Danny Sauro (shown) scored the first win of his career in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by MoTeC, using Pat Musi power to work his way through eliminations before meeting fellow Musi customer and two-time defending champion Tommy Franklin in the final round. Sauro defeated Franklin with a record-setting elapsed time of 3.652 seconds.

As we reported earlier, Musi also guided his daughter, Lizzy, to the No.1 qualifying position in Pro Nitrous with a 3.677 ET at a record speed of 207.28 MPH in the new “King Kong 7” 2018 Dodge Dart, which is owned by Frank Brandao and backed by Lucas Oil and Edelbrock.   (Tara Bowker photo)   [10/17/18]