Mike Janis holds a 24-point lead over three-time world champion Rickie Smith heading into the final race of the season for the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.

“Our mindset is just try to go out and do what we’ve been doing all year,” said Janis, who has five career wins in the class. “We’re going to stick to the game plan and go out there and try to win the race. In 2015 we tested out there the week before and got kind of lost, and that put us behind the eight-ball. This time, we’re going to stick to what we’ve been doing and go in there guns blazing.”

Janis estimates upwards of 40 friends and family members near his hometown of Lancaster, NY, are making the trip to Vegas.

“We’ve been doing this a long time, so there’s no tricks that are going to throw us off at this point. We feel like we have a really good car and a really good combination for Vegas. It’s exciting, it’s nerve-wracking, but we’ve got a lot of people supporting us and that’s pretty cool to see.”  (Chris Haverly photo)   [10/26/18]

The VP Racing Lubricants Mid-American SuperCar Showdown scheduled for Friday, Oct. 26, at Gateway Motorsports Park has been postponed to Sunday, Nov. 4.

This will be the last official drag racing event of the 2018 season for the drag strip. The final Midnight Madness will be held Friday, Nov. 2.  [10/26/18]

Teammates Jerry Savoie (near lane) and LE Tonglet. (Ron Lewis photo)

The last three races have been a breath of fresh air for Jerry Savoie, who had battled issues on his Pro Stock Motorcycle for most of the year. He had back-to-back first-round losses at Indy and then the playoff opener in Reading, but the White Alligator Racing team owner has made a significant turn at the right time. He’s posted two semifinal appearances and a runner-up the last three events to stay lurking in the championship conversation, and Savoie is excited to see his bike come around at the right time.

“It’s mainly (crew chief) Tim (Kulungian) and the crew working really hard,” said Savoie, who has nine career wins. “The bike had some serious mechanical issues throughout the year and was struggling. Hopefully we’ve been able to get a grip on it. Tim’s smart and we finally figured it out in Charlotte. I think this is where we should be. Tim has been working on something during the week off and that gives us some hope for these next two races.”

Savoie sits 100 points back of PSM points leader Matt Smith and his WAR teammate LE Tonglet is just 56 points behind Smith.    [10/26/18]

Joe Schubeck will fire up his vintage ’65 supercharged nitro engine dragster (shown) along with three additional vintage dragsters from that era at the conclusion of the SEMA Show, Friday evening, Nov. 2, at SEMA Ignited, the official SEMA Show after-party.

Schubeck, a SEMA Hall of Fame member named “Gentleman Joe” by the racing press, has resided in the Las Vegas area since 1994, and is one of the professional Top Fuel drag-race drivers from the ’60s. He will display and start the original dragster that he drove in competition more than 53 years ago.

The three additional dragsters from California include Tony Nancy’s Sizzler, owned and restored by John Neas, the Chrisman and Cannon AA Fuel Dragster restored and owned by Don Prieto, and the Soapy Sales AA Fuel Dragster restored and owned by Tommy Allen, all champions in their day. (photo courtesy SEMA)   [10/26/18]

Arcimoto, Inc. makers of the Fun Utility Vehicle® (FUV) -- an affordable pure electric vehicle for everyday drivers and fleets -- announced that the grand opening of Arcimoto’s first ever customer experience and rental location will take place on Saturday, Oct. 27. The facility, located at 543 Blair Boulevard in the historic Whiteaker neighborhood, will serve as showroom, service center, and a rental center for FUVs in Arcimoto’s hometown of Eugene, OR.

“The opening of our first rental experience center is a significant milestone for Arcimoto,” said Mark Frohnmayer, Arcimoto President and Founder (shown above). “Providing an efficient and friendly means for people to try out new products is a key challenge for every next-generation vehicle developer. We believe our FUV hubs will afford prospective Arcimoto customers the opportunity to experience the joy of this entirely new kind of vehicle, without the pressures typical of the traditional sales process. We plan to let customers rent by the hour, half day, or full day, to experience an Arcimoto as if it were their own. We believe this will be a real advantage for our existing preorder customers and folks new to the brand alike.”

Arcimoto has accumulated 3,102 preorder deposits for its retail series Fun Utility Vehicle.   [10/26/18]