Courtesy of the IHRA MARION – The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Drag Racing Series returns to action this weekend at San Antonio Raceway for the Good Vibrations Texas Nationals Fueled by Sunoco. The second event of the season features AMSOIL Nitro Funny Car, Pro Modified, Pro Stock, Nitro Motorcycle and the Summit Pro-Am Tour on April 1 – 2. The on-track action starts Friday, April 1 with Summit Pro-Am qualifying in the afternoon and the first round of professional qualifying at 7 p.m. CT. Saturday’s schedule includes the continuation of qualifying at 2 p.m. CT, Summit Pro-Am eliminations and.professional eliminations…
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.
FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas Motor Speedway will become the state’s first professional sports industry entity and arguably the country’s first sporting venue to own its own beer with the unveiling of the No Limits Checkered Past craft beer during Wednesday’s annual media day at Gilley’s Dallas. The rapidly growing Audacity Brew House in nearby Denton created the No Limits Checkered Past session craft beer that will be sold at all major events at the world-renowned motorsports facility in Fort Worth as well as through retailers in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. No Limits Checkered Past officially will debut during the…
Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing (SPEEDWAY, Ind.) March 29, 2016 – Advance Notes After a successful promoter test at Phoenix International Raceway in late February, Ed Carpenter Racing is excited to return to the 1.022-mile oval in the desert outside of Phoenix. Team owner Ed Carpenter will join Josef Newgarden in the team’s first twocar effort of 2016. Saturday night’s race will mark the Verizon IndyCar Series’ return to Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Carpenter is one of only four drivers in the field who competed in the last Indy car race at PIR, held in 2005. Though…
Courtesy of the NHRA LAS VEGAS – A strong early-season start has Top Fuel standout Doug Kalitta third in the points standings. While that gives Kalitta and his team confidence and momentum early in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, he knows it can be a fleeting thing in the loaded Top Fuel class. Things change quickly in the land of 330-mph dragsters, as evidenced by two first-time Top Fuel winners at the most recent events. But Kalitta has no plans of slowing down in his 10,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster as the NHRA powers back to Las…
Courtesy of the NHRA LAS VEGAS – The K&N Horsepower Challenge field has been set, and Greg Anderson leads the star-studded field as the No. 1 seed in the lucrative special event, which will take center stage Saturday, April 2nd during the 17th annual DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The winner of the 32nd annual K&N Horsepower Challenge will earn $50,000, a custom K&N Horsepower trophy, and bragging rights as the best Pro Stock racer in the country. The runner-up will earn $10,000, the two semifinalists $3,000 each, and the four first-round…
Date: Saturday, April 2, 2016 Track: Phoenix International Raceway, a 1.022-mile oval Race distance: 250 laps / 255.5 miles Entry List: Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix (PDF) Firestone tire allotment: Nine sets primary with an additional set available to rookie drivers and those outside the top 10 in Verizon IndyCar Series points Twitter: @PhoenixRaceway, @IndyCar, #DDCPhoenixGrandPrix, #IndyCar Event website: www.phoenixraceway.com INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com 2005 race winner: Sam Hornish Jr. (No. 6 Marlboro Team Penske Dallara/Toyota) 2005 pole winner: Bryan Herta (No. 7 XM Satellite Radio Dallara/Honda), 20.3837 seconds (176.612 mph) Qualifying lap record: Arie Luyendyk (19.608 seconds; 183.599…
Courtesy of the NHRA LAS VEGAS – Five-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., driver of the Magneti Marelli by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart, has been selected by the fans as the K&N Horsepower Challenge Fan Vote winner and will fill the No. 8 starting spot in the lucrative Pro Stock bonus event. The 32nd annual K&N Horsepower Challenge will be conducted during the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals on Saturday, April 2 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event will be televised by FOX Sports 1. Coughlin is a three-time winner of the K&N Horsepower…
Courtesy of Texas Motor Speedway FORT WORTH – Texas Motor Speedway is having a casting call during next week’s Duck Commander 500 NASCAR doubleheader that will give fans of Blake Shelton the opportunity to take part in a national television commercial featuring the country music superstar. NBC and NBC Sports have selected Texas Motor Speedway as the backdrop for the broadcast partner’s opening theme video for its 2016 NASCAR coverage of the season’s final half, which includes November’s AAA Texas 500, and will film the segment on Friday, April 8, in the south paddock area of the speedway infield. The…
Courtesy of the NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. (March 28, 2016) – With great sadness, NHRA reported today that Mark Lyle, NHRA’S Chief Starter, passed away unexpectedly this past Sunday. On behalf of NHRA and the entire drag racing community, we offer our condolences to all of Lyle’s family and friends. Lyle had been Chief Starter for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series since 2012. He was only the third Chief Starter in NHRA history, along with the late Buster Couch (1955-1996) and Rick Stewart (1996-2011). Before becoming the pro series Chief Starter, Lyle was the official starter at Pacific Raceways…
Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series Desert Diamond West Valley named Phoenix race title sponsor: Desert Diamond West Valley, a new gaming casino in suburban Phoenix, has been named title sponsor of the upcoming Verizon IndyCar Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix will take place under the lights April 2 (8:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) on the 1.022-mile oval in nearby Avondale, Ariz. It will mark the first Verizon IndyCar Series race since 2005 at the track bathed in Indy car history. “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Desert Diamond West…