Author: Mike Haag

MADISON, Ill. – Richie Crampton powered to the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel Saturday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park just outside of St. Louis. Robert Hight (Funny Car), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 20th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals is the second race of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Crampton used his Friday night performance of 3.733-seconds at…

By Chris Knight NASCAR Wire Service SPARTA, KY – A huge push from Daniel Suárez on a restart with four laps to go in Saturday night’s eventful VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 sent Elliott Sadler ahead of Ryan Blaney to win the opening race of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase at Kentucky Speedway. Sadler’s third win of the season and 13th of his XFINITY Series career was about more than just stamping his way into Round 2 of the Chase. The Emporia, Virginia, native fought for the win while thinking of his mother, Bell, who was released from the hospital Saturday, after a…

MADISON, Ill. – Robert Hight sprinted to the provisional No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car Friday at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Chip Ellis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at the 20th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals is the second race of the six-race NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Hight pushed his Auto Club Chevy Camaro SS to a 3.893-second pass at 328.38…

MADISON, Ill. — Hector Arana Sr. would gladly take a repeat of what happened a year ago at Gateway Motorsports Park, even if the outcome remains the same at this weekend’s fifth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. Arana fell to his son, Hector Arana Jr., in a thrilling Pro Stock Motorcycle final in 2015 in St. Louis and an all-Arana final round this season would be the ideal playoff boost for both riders. Arana Sr. lost to his son in the first round of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship opener last weekend in…

MADISON, Ill. — After winning in Charlotte to open the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, Antron Brown’s quest for a second straight Top Fuel world championship is already starting to look similar to 2015. Considering his previous dominance at Gateway Motorsports Park, that is definitely a good thing heading to this weekend’s fifth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. Brown has posted an impressive four consecutive victories at the pivotal race in his 10,000-horsepower Matco Tools/U.S. Army dragster. A fifth straight win at the second of six races in the Countdown to the Championship is…

MADISON, Ill. —Matt Hagan, a two-time Funny Car world champion, had never won the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals before breaking through this season. After conquering that first, Hagan hopes to repeat that trend at another race – this weekend’s fifth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. Hagan dropped to fifth in points following a second-round loss at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship opener last weekend in Charlotte, N.C. He knows he needs a big performance this weekend in his 10,000-horsepower Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger R/T to remain in…

SONOMA, Calif.  – Simon Pagenaud put the exclamation point on a sensational breakthrough season, winning today’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma to clinch his first Verizon IndyCar Series championship in impressive fashion. Pagenaud, driving the No. 22 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Chevrolet for Team Penske, won the 85-lap race at Sonoma Raceway by 3.2523 seconds over Graham Rahal. The dominating performance saw Pagenaud lead all but nine laps and clinch the series crown by 127 points over teammate Will Power. “I tried to take my future in my destiny by being aggressive and going as fast as I could,” Pagenaud said.…

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service JOLIET, Ill. – You could see it coming from a mile-and-a-half away. On new tires, Martin Truex Jr. rocketed around the outside lane after a restart in overtime at Chicagoland Speedway and pulled away to win Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400, the opening race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With the victory—his first at the 1.5-mile track, his third of the season and the sixth of his career—Truex also rocketed into the Chase’s Round of 12. But Truex wasn’t satisfied with a ticket into the next round and the prospect…

CONCORD, N.C. – Antron Brown piloted his Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster to victory on Sunday at the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. John Force (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Chip Ellis (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners in their respective categories at the 19th event of 24 on the 2016 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The NHRA Carolina Nationals is the first race of the six race Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Brown claimed his 59th career victory, and fifth of the season, with a 3.763-second pass at 319.29 mph…

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service JOLIET, Ill. – Kyle Busch opened the door, and that was all the invitation Erik Jones needed. When Busch, the polesitter for Saturday’s The Drive for Safety 300 at Chicagoland Speedway, spun with a tire down while leading on Lap 182 of 200, Jones took full advantage of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate’s misfortune. The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota restarted sixth on Lap 187 after Busch brought out the eighth caution of the afternoon and quickly closed the gap on Elliott Sadler, who restarted second and grabbed the lead from JR…