Author: Mike Haag

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Mar. 16, 2016) – The NHRA will honor a former Funny Car world champion and some rocking hot rods will be on display at the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Florida’s Gainesville Raceway. The NHRA will continue its celebration of the 50th anniversary of Funny Car and the fan-favorite Hot Rod Junction will provide fans with a stellar race car exhibit during the third of 24 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events, March 17-20. Two-time NHRA Mello Yello Series Funny Car world champion Frank Hawley will be honored during the…

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A remarkable 10 different drivers won races during the 2015 NHRA J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season, meaning not a single racer won more than one. Of those 10 winners, none were Troy Coughlin, something he hopes to change in 2016 and as soon as this weekend’s season opener as part of 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. This weekend’s Pro Mod racing is presented by Pro Line Racing and Jerry Bickle Race Cars. One thing Coughlin would like to keep, however, is the finish, as he…

The NHRA Top Fuel drivers return to action this weekend at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Leah Pritchett, who drives the FireAde dragster, raced to her first Top Fuel win when she defeated Brittany Force in the finals in Phoenix. It was the first time since ’82 that an all-female Top Fuel final was contested. Pritchett used a quicker reaction time and a performance of 3.775 seconds at 323.12 mph in her dragster to finish in front of Brittany Force’s 3.774 at 321.35 in her Monster Energy dragster. It was her second career Top Fuel final…

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Chris McGaha enjoyed his finest season in Pro Stock in 2015, winning three races, advancing to five final rounds and becoming a legitimate championship contender. But in a sense, McGaha feels like he is starting over during the early part of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season and he is just fine with embracing that challenge. The class has new rules and a new look, including fuel-injected engines, shorter wheelie bars, flat hoods and a 10,500 RPM rev-limiter. It created a significant learning curve for the entire class, but McGaha…

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It has not taken long for John Force to see a difference in his John Force Racing team in 2016. In fact, it has been all of two events during the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the legendary Force has seen an improvement compared to the early stretch of 2015. The fruits of a busy, productive and important off-season have already had an impact, as the four-car JFR team (Top Fuel’s Brittany Force, Funny Car drivers John Force, Courtney Force and Robert Hight) has posted two final appearances through two…

The NHRA Funny Car class returns to action this weekend at the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Ron Capps, driver of the NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger R/T, won the season opening event in Pomona when he defeated Del Worsham in the finals for this 45th Funny Car win and his 46th Mello Yello Drag Racing Series victory. He has one Top Fuel win in 1995. His 45 career Funny Car wins is second in the category and trails John Force. He raced to a second round appearance in Phoenix and is the current Funny Car points leader. Last week,…

Courtesy of Geiger Media Global GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge driver Erica Enders has already amassed an impressive résumé in her illustrious career, from winning back-to-back Pro Stock championships in 2014-15 to going to victory lane 21 times, including at the prestigious U.S. Nationals last season. A win at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals has eluded her so far, but she gets another chance at victory this weekend at Gainesville Raceway. “It would be really cool to get a Wally at the Gators,” Enders said. “I’ve been to the finals twice and haven’t won yet, but I really…

Courtesy of Verizon IndyCar Series INDIANAPOLIS – INDYCAR announced today that results of an extensive evaluation at the University of Miami Concussion Program revealed no definitive evidence of a recent concussion for Verizon Team Penske driver Will Power. The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series champion passed the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test and a MRI/DVI study was normal in all parameters. Power was evaluated by a team of physicians specializing in concussions. Power has been cleared to return to Verizon IndyCar Series competition after sitting out race day on-track competition for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg…

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – While 22 races remain in the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, Top Fuel standout Steve Torrence wasn’t about to discount what a win at the season-opener in Pomona meant. Torrence started the year in impressive fashion with a Winternationals victory in his 10,000-horsepower Capco Contractors/Torrence Racing dragster, an accomplishment he feels still has carryover heading into this weekend’s 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. “It’s huge,” said Torrence, who has six career wins. “First of all, it’s Pomona and when you win there it’s a little…

FORT WORTH – As Texas Motor Speedway celebrates its 20th season of racing, it’s only appropriate that Jeff Burton, long synonymous with the speedway, will be inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. Burton, the winner of the Texas Motor Speedway’s inaugural Sprint Cup Series race in 1997 and the first Cup driver with multiple victories at the 1.5-mile track, will become the 18th member inducted into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame. Burton will be honored Thursday, April 7, at the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame Gala benefitting Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter that will be held in The…