Author: Mike Haag

Courtesy of John Force Racing CHICAGO – A pair of world champions come together when 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force throws out the ceremonial first pitch before a World Series champion Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field on July 5. John Force Racing President Robert Hight, who won the 2009 Funny Car championship, will also be at the game and will sign autographs before with Force. Hight’s daughter, Autumn, will deliver the lineup card. The Cubs ended the longest drought in American sports history by beating the Cleveland Indians in a thrilling Game 7 last November to win…

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service SONOMA, Calif. – Kevin Harvick won Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event at Sonoma Raceway. That was like taking candy from babies. But Harvick mixed it up with the big boys in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350, and the outcome was the same. Executing an ideal strategy for the long green-flag run that consumed the second half of the race—minus roughly 200 yards—Harvick won a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event for the first time this season, the first time at Sonoma and the first time in a Ford, after Stewart-Haas Racing made an…

Courtesy of the NHRA NORWALK, Ohio – Shane Molinari raced to his first career NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series victory Sunday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. This weekend’s Pro Mod racing, presented by the Real Pro Mod Association, was the eighth of 12 events on the 2017 schedule. The finals were a re-match from the race in Bristol where Molinari faced off against Troy Coughlin who took that event win. In Norwalk, Molinari was able to reverse the outcome for the victory. Coughlin had an early advantage off the…

Courtesy of the NHRA NORWALK, Ohio — Steve Torrence powered his Top Fuel dragster to victory Sunday at the 11th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. Jack Beckman (Top Fuel), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and LE Tonglet (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners in their respective categories at the 12th of 24 events on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. Torrence secured his career-best fourth victory of the season with a 3.743-second pass at 331.45 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to defeat Doug Kalitta on a holeshot after he ran…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin – One outstanding prize eluding Scott Dixon in his illustrious Indy car career was a win at Road America’s picturesque and lightning-fast permanent road course. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver checked that box today, winning the KOHLER Grand Prix. Dixon crossed the finish line 0.5779 of a second ahead of Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden to earn the 41st win of his impressive career. It moved the four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion within one victory of tying Michael Andretti for third on the all-time list. It’s also the 13th straight season Dixon…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 1 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet, 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series champion): “It’s a little disappointing that a Team Penske car didn’t win today, but no complaints about the No. 1 Menards Chevy. Congratulations to the (Scott) Dixon team. They did a great job. We did all that we could do. There were a lot of different tire strategies in play. We were one of the few teams that started on blacks and it worked for us. We just never had the opportunity to get around some cars and make more noise. In…

Courtesy of the NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. – Ron Capps’ 2016 Funny Car world championship season and hot start to the 2017 season has earned him a nomination for an ESPY award in the Best Driver category, it was announced this week. This is the first time he has been nominated for the prestigious honor in his 23-year NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series career. Capps is nominated alongside Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud and NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. The ESPY Awards, for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly, was created by ESPN in…

Courtesy of Team Chevrolet Racing DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Sonoma Raceway and discussed making his final start at Sonoma as a full-time Cup Series driver, his potential future in the broadcast booth, his thoughts about competing at Daytona next weekend and many other topics. Full Transcript: Note: Prior to the start of his formal media availability, Sonoma Raceway presented Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with three puppies named Amy, Dale and Junior who will all grow up to be service dogs helping children in the Bay Area. The track is sponsoring…

Courtesy of NASCAR Wire Service NEWTON, Iowa — Last week, a blink-of-an-eye moment weighed heavily on William Byron. Saturday, the driver of the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet lifted his head and shouted out a pent-up yelp that formed the suitable soundtrack the rookie’s first career NASCAR XFINITY Series victory. “I feel it all kind of comes around in racing and last week we were so close,” said Byron, who finished a mere .012 seconds behind Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin last Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. “You’ve got to have a little bit off luck to win every…

Courtesy of FOX Sports Sonoma, Calif. – After a successful test Friday during a televised practice session at Sonoma Raceway, FOX Sports announces it will feature a driver helmet visor camera in a live MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES race telecast for the first time in NASCAR’s modern history during Sunday’s race coverage from Sonoma (3:00 PM ET on FS1). The “FOX Sports Visor Cam,” several years in development, was tested on Danica Patrick’s helmet Friday afternoon and will remain for its race debut as the Stewart-Haas Racing driver pilots the No. 10 Code 3 Associates Ford Fusion on Sunday. To…