Author: Mike Haag

INDIANAPOLIS  – Drama, redemption, heartbreak, exuberance. Armed Forces Pole Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway had it all as starting positions were set for the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. James Hinchcliffe, who nearly lost his life at the same track a year ago in a crash during Indianapolis 500 practice, put together a scintillating four-lap run of 230.760 mph as the final driver of the day in the Fast Nine Shootout. It allowed the Canadian fan favorite to claim the Verizon P1 Award and $100,000 prize for earning the pole position and the…

TOPEKA, Kan. – Doug Kalitta raced to his third consecutive Top Fuel victory of the season Sunday and had to navigate Heartland Park Topeka’s dragstrip in an ill-handling racecar to turn on the win light in the final round at the NHRA Kansas Nationals. Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) joined Kalitta in the winner’s circle at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event. Kalitta’s Mac Tools dragster lost traction at the hit of the throttle and got sideways two times as he worked the steering wheel to cross the finish line in front of fellow…

INDIANAPOLIS – The bedlam at the close of first-day qualifying for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil was exemplified by Mikhail Aleshin, who left pit lane for his third attempt of the day precisely one second before the end of the session. Aleshin made the last of his nail-biting four laps around Indianapolis Motor Speedway today count, bumping his No. 7 SMP Racing Schmidt Peterson Honda back into the top nine a third time. Aleshin’s run climaxed a frenetic and exciting final 75 minutes of qualifying that saw the fast nine list change eight…

By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service CONCORD, N.C. – At the end of a wild and crazy Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Joey Logano got the upper hand in an intense battle with last-chance qualifier Kyle Larson and took home the million-dollar prize as the winner of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Trying to block the stronger car of Logano in the closing 13-lap final segment of the race, Larson buried his car into Turn 1 as Logano edged ahead. Larson’s No. 42 Chevrolet got loose and sailed up the track into the outside wall with less than two…

TOPEKA, Kan. – Brittany Force claimed her first No. 1 qualifying position of the season Saturday at the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka, continuing the theme of “the year of the women” in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Jason Line (Pro Stock) also will lead their classes into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations as No. 1 qualifiers in their categories at the spacious multipurpose motorsports park in Kansas’ capital city. No one improved on Force’s national record time of 3.676 seconds from Friday and she is in position to earn her third…

TOPEKA, Kan. – Matt Hagan and Brittany Force took advantage of cool weather conditions and a fast race track to produce national record performances Friday at the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. Hagan set Funny Car national records for time and speed with his leading performance of 3.862 seconds at 335.57 mph in his Mopar Express Lane/Rocky Boots Dodge Charger. Force closed out the record-setting qualifying session where many teams in both Top Fuel and Funny Car posted career-best performances, with a national record time of 3.676 seconds in her Monster Energy dragster. “The fans got their money’s…

INDIANAPOLIS – Today Chevrolet and 16-time NHRA champion John Force introduced the all-new 2016 Camaro SS Funny Car that he’ll race this weekend at the NHRA Kansas Nationals, in Topeka, Kan. The new Funny Car body is the first based on the sixth-generation Camaro SS. Force’s teammates Courtney Force and Robert Hight will introduce new Camaro SS Funny Cars later this season. “I started my career in a Chevrolet and I couldn’t be more excited to put this new Camaro SS Funny Car on the track,” said Force. “With all the assistance from Chevrolet, it not only looks great, it’s…

INDIANAPOLIS  – Verizon IndyCar Series teams were forced to adjust their preparations for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil following cancellation of practice today because of rain. The official call to end the day came at 2:45 p.m. ET, with no laps turned and the track still wet from lingering light rain. It was the first Indianapolis 500 practice day to be completely washed out since May 18, 2011. Three full days of practice remain before qualifying to set the 33-car field for the historic race. Practice is scheduled from noon-6 p.m. ET Wednesday,…

TOPEKA, Kan. — The start to the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season wasn’t exactly what five-time Pro Stock world champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. envisioned. But betting against a driver who has 58 career wins and 100 final round appearances on a team that has claimed the past two world championships might not be wise. Coughlin and the Elite Motorsports team, which also includes back-to-back world champion Erica Enders, have had a frustrating start in the new-look Pro Stock class, as Coughlin and Enders sit ninth and eighth, respectively, in the points standings. It’s been particularly rough for…

FORT WORTH – The Verizon IndyCar Series field will be on high alert during the Firestone 600 as Robosaurus, the world’s largest car-crushing, fire-breathing robot, will display its strengths for race fans at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 11. Robosaurus will make its triumphant return to Texas Motor Speedway for a special performance at 6 p.m. CT prior to the start of the Firestone 600 at 7:45 p.m. (TV: NBC Sports Network, Radio: SiriusXM Channel 209, IMS Network and 95.9 FM The Ranch locally). The 30-ton, 40-foot-tall, fire-breathing T-Rex has a knack for crushing cars and planes with 28,000…