Author: Mike Haag

LAS VEGAS – Antron Brown secured his third NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship Sunday at the NHRA Toyota Nationals. After defeating Wayne Newby in the quarterfinals, Antron outlasted his two closest chasers, Doug Kalitta, who lost in the quarterfinal round to Steve Torrence, and Shawn Langdon, who fell in the first round to J.R. Todd, to secure the season crown. In other drag racing, John Force (Funny Car), Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were event winners in their respective categories at the 23rd race on…

LAS VEGAS  – Clay Millican piloted his dragster to the Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at the 16th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 23rd race of 24 on the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The NHRA Toyota Nationals is the fifth event of the of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. Millican raced to a track elapsed time record pass of 3.689-secods at 327.87 mph in his Parts Plus…

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – With a finish that was the diametric opposite of his last run at Martinsville Speedway, Johnny Sauter punched his ticket to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship race with a victory in Saturday’s Texas Roadhouse 200 at the .526-mile short track. After a restart with 18 laps left, Sauter, who finished last at Martinsville in April, held off pole winner Chase Elliott, beating the No. 71 Chevrolet driver to the finish line by .316 seconds. On Lap 176, Sauter took the lead from John Hunter Nemechek, who had gained…

Matt Hagan powered to the Funny Car provisional No. 1 qualifier Friday at the 16th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals. Leah Pritchett (Top Fuel), Drew Skillman (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were the qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the 23rd race of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The NHRA Toyota Nationals is the fifth race of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. Hagan ran a track elapsed time record 3.872-second pass at 329.18 mph in his Mopar Express Lane / Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T for the…

LAS VEGAS – With only two races remaining in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season there is a sense of urgency for drivers, especially for those seeking their first win of 2016; and a win is at the top of the list for Pro Stock’s Shane Gray. Gray has posted a solid season in the new era of Pro Stock, currently sitting fourth in points with nine semifinal finishes. But the class veteran is hopeful for a win and is eying  this weekend’s 16th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as…

LAS VEGAS – Del Worsham’s chances for a second straight Funny Car world title took a hit with a pair of close losses at St. Louis and Maple Grove Raceway during the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. But Worsham, who trails points leader Ron Capps by 145 points, still has plenty left to accomplish this season in his 10,000-horsepower DHL Toyota Camry. On that immediate list is picking up a second win in three years at this weekend’s 16th annual NHRA Toyota Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “I think our…

FORT WORTH, TX. – International film and television star Chuck Norris, known universally for his ageless machoism, will introduce the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers still vying for the series championship when they arrive Sunday, Nov. 6, for the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Norris will introduce the eight drivers still in contention for the championship – Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch – that will include a special twist during pre-race activities leading up to the AAA Texas 500 (1 p.m. CT, TV: NBC,…

FORT WORTH, TX. – Texas Motor Speedway has become an international destination over the past five years with NASCAR and Verizon IndyCar Series race fans visiting the world-renowned motorsports venue from 41 countries and territories. They have arrived from literally all ends of the earth, with six of the world’s seven continents represented including North America, South America, Asia, Australia, Africa and Europe. Not surprising, the lone one missing is Antarctica, the southernmost continent and site of the South Pole that is a virtually uninhabited, ice-covered landmass. But that isn’t going to deter Texas Motor Speedway for striving for perfection…

LAS VEGAS – The last time Shawn Langdon was at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he was mired in a frustrating early-season slump that included five straight first-round losses to open the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Much has changed since that March race and Langdon is now in the midst of an impressive finish to his year. The 2013 Top Fuel world champion has posted three victories, including one in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, and sits in third place in his 10,000-horsepower Red Fuel/Sandvik dragster heading back to Las Vegas…

By Reid Spencer TALLADEGA, Ala. – If Joey Logano’s victory in Sunday’s Hellman’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was decisive—in relative terms—the race between Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon for the final spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup’s Round of 8 was anything but. In an overtime race that went four laps past its scheduled distance, Logano surged ahead after a restart on Lap 191 at the 2.66-mile track and beat runner-up Brian Scott to the finish line by .124 seconds. Hamlin’s margin over Dillon for the eighth spot in the Round of 8 was much smaller. At…