Justin Lamb, Devin Isenhower, Brian McClanahan, Paul Nero and Ronnie Proctor all clinched NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series World Championships this weekend at the NHRA Pacific Division Lucas Oil Series event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Justin Lamb successfully defended his NHRA Lucas Oil World Championship from a year ago as he raced to the Super Stock 2018 Championship with a runner-up finish in Las Vegas. Lamb, Henderson, Nev., came into the weekend leading the points but with a number of racers still in the hunt for the championship.

Lamb worked his way through eliminations while the other contenders dropped out one by one securing Lamb’s fifth NHRA Lucas Oil World Championship. Lamb won his first back in 2013 in Stock, Super Stock in 2015 and both Stock and Super Stock in 2017. Lamb collected six wins in seven final rounds in Super Stock this year and was also contending for the Stock championship as well until this weekend.  (Bob Johnson photo)

Isenhower held a 10-point lead over Aaron Kinard in Super Gas coming into the weekend but was out of events to claim towards his points championship so elected not to compete in the event. Kinard lost early, leaving only Michael Miller with a shot at catching Isenhower. Miller lost in round three and Isenhower began the celebration from Lebanon, Ind.

Isenhower had a pair of wins this year at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis including the Chevrolet Performance NHRA U.S. Nationals (shown), and a final round finish at the Lucas Oil divisional in Norwalk, Ohio. (Chris Haverly photo)

McClanahan, Alta Loma, Calif., entered the weekend with a one-point lead in Stock Eliminator over 2017 Champion Lamb as both drivers looked to add to their points totals. With a round one victory, and a loss by Lamb, McClanahan clinched the 2018 NHRA Lucas Oil Stock Eliminator World Championship.

McClanahan now joins his dad Jerry and his son Ryan for three generations of NHRA Lucas Oil World Champions. Jerry won the NHRA Stock Championship in ’73, ’74 and ’78 and Ryan took the honors in 2010 in Super Stock.

Racing to five final rounds this season, McClanahan grabbed an early win at the Pacific division event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park to go along with a final round finish the week before at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. He then grabbed another runner up finish in Fontana, Calif., and a win in Sonoma, Calif., in the middle of the season, followed by a win at the AAA NHRA Texas Fall Nationals outside Dallas.

Eugene, Ore., racer Nero, came into the weekend leading the points in Top Dragster presented by Racing RVs over Mark Jones who needed to win the event to overtake Nero. Jones lost in round two and the celebration began for Nero and his team.

Nero started the season strong with national and divisional event wins in Phoenix at Wild Horse Pass. He then added a win at the NHRA Northwest divisional at Mission Raceway Park in Mission, B.C., in June and a final round finish at Woodburn Dragstrip in July on his way to the Top Dragster Championship.

In Top Sportsman Proctor was being chased by JR Lobner and Douglas Crumlich as the three were separated by just 18 points. Proctor won both his round one and two match ups, with Lobner falling in round one and Crumlich in round two for Proctor to claim the 2018 Top Sportsman presented by Racing RVs World Championship.

Proctor raced to three wins in four final rounds on the season starting off with a national event win at Gainesville Raceway. He then won the Virginia Motorsports Park NHRA Northeast divisional in April and advanced to the final at Cecil County Dragway in August before taking the win at the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX in Charlotte, N.C.

Frank Aragona leads the Comp Eliminator chase by 19 points over Clint Neff going into the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway, Nov. 8-11, and in Super Comp Steve Williams made a big jump to the top of the points with Don Nichols and Mark Grame still in contention.   [11/05/18]

Huntsville Dragway is a Mecca of bracket racing and grandstand-packing heads-up events that could be profoundly impacted by this upcoming amendment vote.

With the United States midterm elections coming up tomorrow, Nov. 6, drag racers and fans in Alabama actually have a big reason to go to the polls regarding their sport. The Madison County local amendment Number 1 on their ballot is reported to “target noise levels in counties across Alabama.”

This amendment most pointedly concerns Huntsville Dragway along with possibly other tracks from the Yellowhammer State. Sheriff’s department spokespersons are quoted by area news agencies "to have no authority to address noise complaints by neighbors." Law enforcement is politicking for Amendment 1 to give them more written definition into law that will allow them to enforce noise complaints. This Amendment also spells out the ability to authorize penalties and even class C misdemeanor charges.

The general "grandfather act" laws protect entities such as dragstrips from noise complaints because they were in operation before complainants such as a local housing subdivision were in existence. Huntsville Dragway was initially built in 1958.

An operative poured through scores of articles concerning the amendment wondering if this amendment becomes law, will it override any existing Alabama grandfather act laws. Alabama racers and fans who head to the polls on November 6th to stop Amendment 1 may be the only way not to find out.   [11/05/18]

Former Pro Mod standout Travis Harvey of Burlington used his considerable starting line skill to claim Sunday’s $5,000 top prize in the Twin Fives Fall ET Bracket Showdown at Rockingham Dragway. The driver known familiarly as the “Carolina Kid” used reaction times of .003, .006 and .004 in the final three rounds Sunday and beat Robert Rayfield’s Jefferson, SC-based 1964 Chevy Nova Footbrake entry to the finish in the final round. Harvey had a .004 RT and ran 5.520 on a 5.470 dial to Rayfield’s .047 RT and 5.882 on a 5.80 dial.

Harvey, who raced a Pro Mod series in both the Top Sportsman and Pro Nitrous classes, missed out on double when he was beaten in the Saturday quarterfinals by Footbrake standout Jim Wood of Laurens, SC.

The first $5,000 share went to Raleigh’s Gary Ingold on Saturday. Ingold’s .012 RT and 4.629 on a 4.620 dial beat Jason Guthrie of Vanceboro (.019 RT, 5.679 ET on a 5.640 dial) in the Showdown final. Guthrie had sent Wood and his 1978 Chevy Malibu to the sidelines in the semifinals.

The unique format separated drivers in the Footbrake and Top Eliminator divisions until the final rounds.   [11/05/18]