Author: Mike Haag

Courtesy of the NHRA GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Terry McMillen has enjoyed one of the best starts in his Top Fuel career, winning rounds at each of the first two events of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. McMillen and his team are excited and encouraged by the early-season success, which may prove to be perfect timing for the 47th annual AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 17-20 at historic Gainesville Raceway. The tradition-rich event is especially big for McMillen as AMALIE Motor Oil sponsors the NHRA veteran driver’s team. The company’s main headquarters is less than an…

INDIANAPOLIS (March 10, 2016) – ABC’s enhanced coverage of the epic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race presented by PennGrade Motor Oil and increased programming on NBCSN, including 10 hours of live practice telecasts, highlight the Verizon IndyCar Series television programming schedule for 2016. Total on-air programming from INDYCAR’s network partners is more than 110 hours, up from 2015. It includes live coverage of all 16 races on the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule, qualifying shows for all NBCSN events and Indianapolis 500 time trials on ABC, practice sessions from seven NBCSN events and recap shows on NBCSN for…

Courtesy of Toyota Racing LONG BEACH, Calif. — Grand Prix Association of Long Beach and Toyota announced actors Stephen Baldwin, Frankie Muniz, Brian Austin Green and last year’s overall winner, Alfonso Ribeiro, are among the 21 participants from film, television and sports, who will return to compete in the 40th Anniversary of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race. This announcement heralds the 40th and final edition of the longest-running corporate-sponsored charity race in the U.S.A., which will take place April 16 on the 1.97-mile street course in downtown Long Beach, Calif., as part of the 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach…

Courtesy of the NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. – NHRA officials announced today two major facility improvements for Atlanta Dragway, Georgia’s House of Speed. The venerable NHRA-owned dragstrip, which sits just northeast of downtown Atlanta in Commerce, Ga., serves as host of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 13-15, round seven of the 24-race NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The facility recently received the first of the pair of major upgrades, the installation of a new concrete launchpad on the dragstrip. The second facility improvement, the construction of a pair of state-of-the-art Daktronics scoreboards in the track’s shutdown area,…

Courtesy of the NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. – NHRA’s revamped race coverage on FOX Sports earned more than 300,000 additional viewers through the first two Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events of the season, which included the Circle K NHRA Winternationals at Pomona, Calif. on Feb. 14 and the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Phoenix on Feb. 28. “We’re extremely happy with the numbers from our first two events on FOX Sports 1,” said Peter Clifford, NHRA president. “Our fans’ response has been incredible and we look forward to continuing to provide a great product on FOX the rest of…

Courtesy of Geiger Media Global HOUSTON – Iconic drag racing figure Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney will return to NHRA drag racing in 2016 at select stops on the schedule in support of the newly created Shirley’s Kids charity, which aims to help children in need. “Drag racing has given me a wonderful life, and Shirley’s Kids will allow me to give something back,” Muldowney said. “With the tremendous support of Stan and Sheila Holt of Lupe Tortilla Mexican Restaurants and several corporate sponsors — that list keeps growing — I’ll be able to attend a bunch of races and visit…

Courtesy of Andy Hall, ESPN It’s been a long offseason for fans of the Verizon IndyCar Series, but the wait it almost over. The 2016 season will launch Sunday, March 13, with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.) in one of auto racing’s most picturesque settings. ABC will have a live telecast of the event with pre-race at 12:30 p.m. ET and the green flag at 12:52 p.m. The telecast also will be streaming live on WatchESPN. The 110-lap race will be run on a 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary racing circuit that includes St. Petersburg city streets as well…

Courtesy of Ed Carpenter Racing This weekend’s 2016 Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will mark the return of Ed Carpenter Racing (ECR) to the Verizon IndyCar Series grid. Founded in 2012, the ECR competed under the CFH Racing banner in 2015 after integrating with Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. ECR will shift their focus to one car for St. Petersburg, the No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet of Josef Newgarden. Newgarden will compete in all 16 Verizon IndyCar Series events in 2016 while team owner Ed Carpenter will run the No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet in the…

Courtesy of the NHRA GLENDORA, Calif. – Lucas Oil Products, an industry leader in lubricants and fuel treatments, has extended the naming rights for the NHRA-owned and operated multi-purpose auto racing facility located just west of Indianapolis, officials from the world’s largest motorsports sanctioning organization announced today. The naming rights began in 2011 and Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis has proudly represented Lucas Oil Products during numerous events at the legendary facility. Lucas Oil Raceway conducts racing events from March to November on a .686-mile oval, a 2.5-mile road course and the historic drag strip. Premiere events include weekly…

Courtesy of the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Fast Facts Track: 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit (clockwise) Race distance: 110 laps / 198 miles Entry List:  Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 15 seconds each Firestone tire allotment: Seven sets primary, three sets alternate Twitter: @GPSTPETE, @IndyCar, #FirestoneGP, #IndyCar Event website: www.gpstpete.com INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com 2015 race winner: Juan Pablo Montoya (No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) 2015 Verizon P1 Award winner: Will Power (No. 1 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet) 1 minute, 0.6931 seconds (106.676 mph) in Firestone Fast Six. Qualifying lap record: Will Power (1:00.6509; 106.841 mph) set on March…