Matt Hagan set both the Funny Car ET record (3.802 seconds) and Speed record (338.25 mph) back in 2017, and he’s hoping the Topeka track will be special for him again this weekend as he looks for a win in his 250th Funny Car event.

In addition, at the track in 2016 Hagan became the first Funny Car driver to break the 335-mph barrier with a 335.57.

“Topeka has always been good to us,” Hagan said. “I’ve set some records there and won that race before. We’ve even seen a tornado come through – sirens, hail, a lot going on, so you never know what you’re going to get in Topeka, Kansas but that race track is known to be good, it’s known to be fast. We have a great history there, and we’re ready to pull down another win real soon."  (Ron Lewis photo)   [06/06/19]

Scott McClay of Tehachapi, CA, got his second Comp win of the year at the Divisional event at Auto Club Raceway in Fontana, CA. The builder of TH200 transmissions started the year with a win at the Winternationals.

We’ll have the complete race results coming soon.  (Bob Johnson photo)   [06/06/19]

Five decades ago, the Chevrolet COPO Camaro was introduced to an enthusiastic audience that had been waiting for a new race-ready muscle car.

Through Chevrolet’s in-house special-order system (Central Office Production Order), the COPO Camaro, featuring an all-aluminum 427 ZL1 engine, was an instant success with customers seeking horsepower to compete in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Stock Eliminator, which was rooted in production-based vehicles.

Through the years, the COPO Camaro has upheld that legacy in Stock Eliminator, Super Stock and more recently the SAM Tech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown categories.

At this weekend’s Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals presented by Minties in Topeka, KS, drivers of the supercharged COPO Camaro will seek national event wins in all three classes. Ten drivers are entered in the fourth round of the Factory Stock Showdown, which has quickly emerged as a spectator favorite with 8-second passes at 175 mph on 9-inch-wide tires.

Through the COPO program, after 69 (a nod to the first production year) customers each year receive their cars from the factories, they are allowed to make modifications within the rules to help them achieve well over 1,100 horsepower.

“These Factory Showdown cars are what people are driving today,” said David Barton, an engine builder from Robesonia, PA, who will compete this weekend in the class in a COPO Camaro.

Barton (shown) was the 2017 Factory Showdown series champion. Also seeking a spot in the 16-car field for eliminations in their COPO Camaros will be Gainesville runner-up Stephen Bell of Shreveport, Louisiana; Arthur Kohn of Richmond, Texas; Randy Taylor of Artesia, New Mexico; Leonard Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois; L. Scott Libersher of Wilmington, Illinois; Doug Hamp of York, Pennsylvania; Waldemar Rodriguez of Cidra, Puerto Rico; Jesse Alexandra of West Bend, Wisconsin; and Bruno Massel Jr. of Elmhurst, Illinois.

Entered in Stock Eliminator in their Chevrolet COPO Camaros are 2017 class champion Justin Lamb of Henderson, Nevada; James Reed of Lincoln, IL; Daria Kramer of Sterling, CO; and Scott Libersher of Wilmington, IL. Todd Patterson of Augusta, KS; Tyler Cassil of Belton, MO; Lane Goldstein of Calabasas, CA; and Richard Bierie of Acworth, GA, will drive their COPO Camaros in Super Stock competition.   [06/06/19]

Day one of the Australian Gulf Western Oil Winternationals not only hosted plenty of on-track action and off-track preparation for around 500 race teams, but also an enthusiastic group of students from Horizons College.

The 20 students from the non-state Special Assistance School based in Caboolture are all studying an Auto Certificate Course and were hosted by Top Fuel team PremiAir Hire Racing today at what is the largest championship drag racing event held outside of the US.

As part of their Winternationals experience, the students were able to witness driver Peter Xiberras and his crew completing their final preparations ahead of Peter’s highly anticipated comeback to racing. They also took in some great qualifying action from the popular Sportsman racing categories and spent a large amount of time with PremiAir Hire Racing Crew Chief, Tim Adams, who taught them all about what it takes to get a 10,000hp Top Fuel dragster down the drag strip.   [06/06/19]

Ted Jones, a longtime drag racing executive, past manager of Bristol Dragway and president of Masters Entertainment Group, was introduced today as the 2019 Legend of Thunder Valley honoree.

Jones, who worked at Bristol Dragway for more than two decades and spent time at the iconic track over the years in many different official professional capacities, will be inducted as the newest Legend of Thunder Valley during pre-race ceremonies for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on Sunday, June 16.

Jones owned several drag strips in his native Ohio and Indiana before then Bristol Dragway owner Larry Carrier convinced Jones to move to Tennessee to work at his track and help manage his new drag racing sanctioning body, IHRA.

After leaving IHRA and Bristol Dragway, Jones was hired by ESPN to produce drag racing television content and he started a company called Masters Entertainment Group that was based in Bristol, TN. He is currently semi-retired.  [06/06/19]

Moroso introduces U-Weld Aluminum Valve Cover Breather Kits. Part No. 68852 has a 1” breather with a chrome finish and Part No. 68853 has a 1” breather with a black finish. They provide an easy way of adding a breather to an aluminum valve cover with a minimum amount of cutting and welding. Feature a billet aluminum baffled screw-in adapter, weld-in bung, a cleanable and re-usable 1” breather with either a chrome or black finish.  [06/06/19]