Author: Mike Haag

FORT WORTH – This weekend marks the return of racing to the Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track for the U.S. National Dirt Track Championship. The two-day event, set for Friday and Saturday, is a weekend circled on the calendar of racers across the region, especially for Rockwall’s Kevin Rowland. Rowland went wire to wire in the 40-lap Limited Modified feature during May’s Texas World Dirt Track Championship for the win, but it was the final 10 feet that everyone remembers. Rowland held off a hard-charging Nick Clinkenbeard to win by 0.001 of a second for his first victory at the…

BOERNE, Texas  — You may not know the name Austin Philpot yet, but with a little help from one of the greatest competitors in the history of NHRA drag racing, you soon will be familiar with the Pro Stock protégé. Philpot, a former Jr. Dragster champion and Top Dragster competitor, and his family plan to debut the Philpot Family Racing Pro Stock team in the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The 18-year-old native of Boerne, Texas, knows he and his family have an uphill climb ahead of them, but his enthusiasm and optimism leave no room for doubt that their lofty goals…

FORT WORTH – Motorsports and major college football will unite this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway, a Speedway Motorsports, Inc. sister track to Texas Motor Speedway, for Saturday night’s rivalry match-up between No. 17 Tennessee and Virginia Tech “The Battle at Bristol” (7 p.m. CT, TV: ABC) is expecting a record crowd in excess of 150,000 at the motorsports facility in Bristol, Tenn., for a game that has been almost three years in the making. The expected attendance will easily surpass the number of fans ever to witness an American football game, eclipsing the 115,109 that watched Michigan play host to Notre…

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – It didn’t take long for Robert Hight to shift his focus to the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. In fact, the 2009 Funny Car world champion was already in playoff mode the moment he learned he would be starting from the sixth position in the NHRA’s six-race playoffs. That means Hight is locked in already for the Countdown to the Championship opener, the ninth annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 16-18, at zMAX Dragway. Hight may have an off weekend following the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, but the Funny Car standout is…

MADISON, Ill. — Starting from the ninth position in the star-studded Funny Car class, Tim Wilkerson knows he needs impressive showings right off the bat in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship. That includes what he hopes is a victory at the fifth annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, which takes place at Gateway Motorsports Park Sept. 23-25. It is the second of six races in the NHRA’s playoffs and also takes place close to home for the Springfield, Ill. native. To get to the winner’s circle in the Countdown to the Championship for the…

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Tony Schumacher sprinted to victory on Labor Day at the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Chris McGaha (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were winners in their respective categories at the 18th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals was the final race of the regular season. Schumacher claimed his 82nd career win when he powered his U.S. Army dragster to a 3.806-second pass at 317.64 mph to beat Steve Torrence’s 3.803 at 325.06…

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C. – Martin Truex Jr.’s luck changed. Kevin Harvick’s didn’t. And that was the difference in Truex’s unexpected victory in Sunday night’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Truex led 28 laps, all after passing Ryan Newman for the top spot on Lap 339 of 367. Harvick led a race-high 214 laps, bringing his career total to 10,068. But where Truex’s much-maligned pit crew performed its finest stop when it counted most—under caution on Lap 351—Harvick’s crew experienced the sorts of problems that have become chronic this season. Where Truex’s over-the-wall gang got…

By Lee Bailie NASCAR Wire Service Bowmanville, Ontario, CANADA – In what has quickly become tradition for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when it races north of the border, the Chevrolet Silverado 250 produced yet another wild and memorable finish. This time around at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, John Hunter Nemechek and Cole Custer made contact on the last corner of the last lap and crossed the start-finish line in the grass in a virtual tie. Following a few moments of deliberations, NASCAR officials determined Nemechek won the race by 0.034 seconds. Daniel Hemric – who was briefly shown…

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.  – Scott Dixon capped a perfect weekend with a perfect Sunday drive to win the INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen presented by Hitachi in the Verizon IndyCar Series’ return to Watkins Glen International. The No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver led 50 of 60 laps to collect his fourth triumph on the 3.37-mile permanent road course steeped in open-wheel racing history. It was also the 40th victory of the 36-year-old’s Indy car career, breaking a tie with legendary Al Unser for fourth on the all-time list. CLICK HERE: INDYCAR Grand Prix at The Glen presented…

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Courtney Force won the lucrative Funny Car portion of the NHRA Traxxas Nitro Shootout and Matt Hagan secured the No. 1 qualifier Sunday at the 62nd annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. Clay Millican (Top Fuel), Bo Butner (Pro Stock) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were No. 1 qualifiers in their respective categories at the 18th event of 24 on the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule. The Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the final race of the regular season. Force sprinted to a $100,000 payday in her…