Courtesy of John Force Racing and the NHRA DALLAS – Funny Car championship contender Jack Beckman, who has been driving the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS on behalf of drag racing legend John Force, will not compete today in the 39th NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex after awakening this morning with vertigo-like symptoms. The 58-year-old two-time NHRA World Champion, currently second in the Mission Foods driver standings behind teammate Austin Prock, had qualified the PEAK Camaro in the No. 3 position and was to have raced Texas native Chad Green, the No. 14 qualifier, in…
Author: Mike Haag
Mike Haag
Mike Haag has covered motorsports in San Antonio and South Texas for more than 39 years. In addition to covering motorsports for the San Antonio Express-News for nearly 28 years, Mike also has co-hosted TrackSmack with Dawn Murphy for 19 race seasons. In addition to being a writer, Mike taught high school English and Journalism for 30 years before retiring in May, 2020.
By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS – Five-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson recorded his 130th career No. 1 on Saturday at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex. Anderson, who has won six times at the Texas Motorplex, heads into Sunday’s elimination rounds with his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro, a hot rod that is running better than it has all season. On Friday night during the Stampede of Speed qualifying time trials, Anderson made a pass at 6.524 seconds at 208.99 mph to earn the top spot and stay in the hunt for the title. It was…
By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas – The battle for the championship in the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series Pro Stock class could get a little interesting this weekend at the 39th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex. With three races left to go in the Countdown to the Championship, defending and six-time world champion Erica Enders is sitting third in the point standings and is 90 points behind leader Dallas Glenn and Aaron Stanfield. Enders, who won the last two races at the Texas Motorplex, could close the gap in the standings with a victory…
By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas – Can any of the NHRA Funny Car drivers stop Austin Prock and the “Prock Rocket” on the dragstrip? That is the question everyone is asking heading into this weekend’s Stampede of Speed and 39th annual NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex. Prock, who took over for John Force Racing’s Nitro Funny Car driver Robert Hight at the start of the season while Hight dealt with a medical issue, has been dominant in the Cornwell Tools/AAA Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS this season while driving for his…
By Mike Haag, Raceday San Antonio ENNIS, Texas – All eyes will be on the NHRA Top Fuel class when the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series rolls into town for the Stampede of Speed Texas NHRA FallNationals this weekend at the Texas Motorplex. Competition in the NHRA’s premier Nitro class is expected to intensify as the second half of the six-race postseason begins Friday during qualifying time trials. The Countdown to the Championship in Top Fuel is going down to the wire for a second straight season. Last year, drag racing fans witness a winner-take-all final round with Doug Kalitta…
NHRA Top Fuel driver Josh Hart, along with his wife Brittanie, are helping with the relief efforts for many of the residents in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and the panhandle of Florida that continue to suffer the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene. The Harts are committed to raise donations for the affected communities of the panhandle of Florida from now until October 23rd, the day of their annual After Dark Car Show and Trunk or Treat event at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Florida. “We wanted to do something for all the people affected by Hurricane Helene here in Florida…
ENNIS – The Stampede of Speed begins this weekend with the Stars of Texas Music Festival on October 4-6 at the Texas Motorplex. This year’s headliners for the country music concert series will include Wade Bowen, Tracy Lawrence, and Lady A, along with a long list of opening bands. “We have been building the Stars of Texas Music Festival every year and now we are thrilled with the three-day line-up of acts that we think is one of the best in the state of Texas,” said Christie Meyer Johnson, Texas Motorplex co-owner. “We announced Saturday night’s headliner Tracy Lawrence at the…
By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Only two months after competing in the Indianapolis 500, Kyle Larson returned to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon to claim the trophy in one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ crown jewel events, the 30th Anniversary Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG – holding off the field in a dramatic double overtime finish. Larson led only eight of the race’s 167 laps in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet – seven of them coming in the overtime periods when he needed them most – ultimately holding off the race polesitter,…
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service SPEEDWAY, Ind.—Indianapolis Grand Prix Course or traditional oval—when it comes to speed, it’s all the same to Tyler Reddick. Fastest in both rounds of NASCAR Cup Series qualifying on Saturday, Reddick will lead the field to green in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 presented by PPG (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Sunday’s race marks both the 30th anniversary of the inaugural Brickyard 400 and the first time the Cup Series will race on the 2.5-mile “big track” since 2020. In the intervening three years, NASCAR raced on the Grand Prix…
Photos of the 2024 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. All photos provided courtesy of Michael C. Johnson. Click on the photo below and then click the arrows to see all of the pictures.