Drag Strips

Headers are one of those fabrication projects that seem to intimidate a lot of people, and for good reason. If you go at them from the wrong direction, don’t have a game plan in place to start with, or don’t have any welding skills, then it’s going to make life even tougher. But if you follow the right plan, and above all take your time until you have it right, you’ll end up with a great seat of headers that will look cool on your hot rod or race car. Just look at the set that our friends at Iro

It’s time for another Daily Junkyard Crawl with Steve Magnante, and this time it’s another really cool Pontiac. How about a real deal 1987 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350 that has had a few good go fast parts installed over the years? This is a savable machine, and one that is cool because of not only what it is but the history behind it. So who wouldn’t want to save this one? Check it out in Magnante’s video below. It brought back memories as I remember racing several 3rd Gen Firebirds back in th

The Spirit of Autopower Comp Coupe is a pretty radical machine, and a staple in the land speed racing community. This thing is based off a little tiny first generation Honda Civic, but the rest is pure race machine. This thing is stretched and streamlined, and has been stupid fast at El Mirage and on the salt at Bonneville. If you have ever been to either race, you’ve seen the Spirit of Autopower 3. This is a special racing machine with a great history. But what happens when you take a machine l

Here we go with Part 2 of Tony Angelo’s bumpside Ford build continues! Here we go with Part 2, where all of it really starts coming together to make the noise and the tire smoke. I love donor vehicle builds like this one. What I mean by that is when you buy a car, or parts from the wrecking yard, to build something new and exciting in a way it never was before. My 1956 Chevy station wagon for instance, has a 1994 Caprice 9C1 cop car chassis and drivetrain under it. It was a great way to get a mo

The inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS marks the second of four new events on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series tour, and Top Fuel veteran and four-time world champ Antron Brown is ready to take on a new track this weekend at Maryland International Raceway. Brown finished runner-up two weeks ago in Chicago in his 12,000-horsepower Matco Tools Eagle Experience Top Fuel dragster, marking his best result of the young season. Hailing from New Jersey, the four-time wo

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) today announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2026, recognizing four industry icons who have influenced and inspired the $52.6 billion automotive specialty equipment industry. The Hall of Fame inductees are Doug Dwyer, Jay Leno, Ellen McKoy, and Dennis Overholser. The esteemed group will be recognized as part of the SEMA Leaders & Legends Gala on Friday, July 24 in Newport Beach, Calif. Tickets can be purchased here. “These four individua

Nitro Joe Morrison is heading back to the NHRA. Morrison will make his 2026 NHRA debut at the Potomac Nationals this weekend.View the full article

NHRA officials announced today that Mopar and Dodge have been named the title and powered by sponsors of the annual fall race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 26th annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals event again serves as the penultimate event of the 20-race season during NHRA’s 75th anniversary campaign. The Mopar NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge takes place Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at the standout facility in Las Vegas and plays a pivotal role in the Countdown to the Championship p

Veteran Funny Car racer has a new marketing partner. PowerEdge is joining Lee's program and will allow him to run more events in 2026.View the full article

Drag Illustrated, the independent voice of drag racing, today announced the launch of the DI Power 100, an annual editorial franchise recognizing the 100 most influential people in the sport. Nominations are open immediately at DragIllustrated.com and will be accepted through July 3, 2026. The DI Power 100 is the most comprehensive recognition program in drag racing history – spanning every corner of the sport. Racers, builders, engine builders, promoters, track operators, sanctioning body l

Despite a dreary forecast, dedicated and determined Small Tire Pro Stock racers showed up for the Nostalgia Drag Racing League Route 66 Rockabilly Reunion, May 22-23 at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. It was the first event of the year for the series for racers who run their cars with naturally aspirated combinations to mid-7s to low-8s in the quarter-mile in a heads-up format, and they were warmly welcomed by Nettie Johnson and the rest of the World Wide Technology Racew

Here’s our third nitro gallery from the NHRA Four Wide Nationals in Charlotte. If you missed our previous photos, use the link below to check out all our Four Wide photos. (Photos by David Whealon) – It was a cool, fast, and adventurous weekend for the stars of the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Lucky for us, we have great photos from our dude David Whealon who was on hand shooting all kinds of race cars, from nitro

Earlier this month, Drag Illustrated’s own Wes Buck and Mike Carpenter traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the annual Washington Rally hosted by the Government Affairs divisions of Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and Performance Racing Industry (PRI). The duo met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to “spread the gospel of drag racing,” as Buck often says. This time, they brought the message directly to the nation’s policymakers. Two key issues were at the focus of their

We’ve talked about cheap cars that sell at Mecum, Barrett-Jackson, RM and other big name auctions a few times in the recent past and I can tell you that while they are few and far between at some of them, there are quite a few overall throughout the year. At their 2026 Indy Auction, Mecum had a few that came across the block and are being highlighted in the video belo. Check them out below and let us know what you think. Video Description: Mecum Indianapolis 2026 is officially over, and it’s t

Drill bits suck. I mean they are great for the first few holes, but after that they just suck usually. Unless you spend big money that is. And drill bit sharpeners? They are great, but if the bit is made from crap material then it won’t last anyway. And for those of you out there saying that you just need to spend the money and get a good set of bits, I get it but that isn’t always an option for all of us. I have a set of drill bits on my want list that have the little step bit tips on them. I h

The Chaos Super Nationals put on a show at Summit Motorsports Park. Here's a recap of all all the chaos-filled action.View the full article

If you dig offshore powerboat racing, and especially these insane beasts that basically fly across the top of the water, then you are in for a treat. This is the replay from the Hydroplane Racing League livestream of the 2026 Cambridge Classic Power Boat Regatta. Hydroplanes are something truly special, and this is racing you won’t just see anywhere. Some of the most famous race boats in history have been hydroplanes like Miss Budweiser, Blue Blaster, and more. These things are fun to watch, and

(Photos by Ken Hughes • Words by Darr Hawthorne) • Tucson Dragway’s inaugural Fuel Altered Chaos delivered pretty much what its organizers hoped for: a stand-alone, headline event built entirely around the many Fuel Altereds in the West and Southwest, proving there’s still a serious audience for these racecars. Held at Tucson Dragway, track owner Jim Hughes together with Chris Graves brought Fuel Altereds back to a venue that has had a strong altered, funny car and nitro scene over the decade

Today is Memorial Day, an important day of remembrance for our country that honors the people who have spilled their blood in order to defend our way of life. Memorial Day is dedicated to remembering and honoring those that have died in the service of our county. Men like my grandpa, Earl Lanning, who was one of the fortunate ones to make it home from WWII even though many of his friends and fellow soldiers did not. Those that did not are who we honor today. A national holiday since 1971, Memori

If you didn’t catch the entire Indy 500 on TV yesterday, you missed some drama for sure. With rain effecting the race, but officials, fans and racers sticking it out, there was no shortage of emotions as the final few dozen laps were contested on the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In a race off turn 4 like none we’ve seen in years, Felix Rosenquist and David Malukas put it all on the line. In a field that had more lead changes than any other Indy 500 in history, Rosenquist and Malukas were t

The Chaos Series was at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk Ohio, and did everything they could to put on a hell of a show, even if Mother Nature wasn’t helping out much. Thanks to our friend NCPromoder, there are some great videos below to share so you can watch all the racing action starting with Nitro Qualifying Rounds 1 and 2, and then going into Eliminations as well! Watch all the racing action below and let us know what you think. The post Chaos Supernationals Video: Nitro Qualify

Tony Stewart's comparison between Kevin Harvick and Leah Pruett is a big compliment. Pruett's ability to do more than drive is underrated. View the full article

Boat racing is on! If you aren’t familiar with F1 boat racing, you’re in for a treat. This is side by side racing, “door handle to door handle” so to speak, and these drivers are giving it their all at the Red River Rumble F1 Powerboat Showdown in Louisiana. Check out the action LIVE below and let us know what you think. This is great boat racing action, coming to you LIVE from Shreveport-Bossier City, LA. Video Description: The IHRA F1 Powerboat Series is on the Red River at Shreveport-Bossie

Project 508 is in full swing and we are super excited about what is going on with this machine. We’ve got another couple videos to share below and will be bringing you more in the coming weeks as well. This drag and drive Camaro project sure has go some seriously sick fabrication going on and I can’t wait to see it all in person during Street Week 2026. In this installment we’ve got video showing the new rearend is going together, plus a one off custom racing steering wheel build, and finally a

Due to persistent rain and mist, as well as more inclement weather in the forecast, Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series officials have cancelled the PDRA Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Classic Graphix, May 21-23, at Virginia Motorsports Park. The event will not be rescheduled. The Mid-Atlantic Showdown was the third of seven races on the 2026 PDRA schedule.  “Due to constant heavy mist this morning and rain returning to the hourly forecast for Friday, continuing worsening conditions for

There is soooo much going on at the 9th Annual Ronnie Buff Memorial race at Shadyside this weekend! No matter what kind of racing you are into, there is going to be something here for you to enjoy. We’re really excited about the Lil’ Gangstas and Baby Gangstas classes. Tom and Poland have done a great job bringing those classes to the masses and getting excitement rolling around them. Check out all the racing action, all weekend long, right here! Video Description: Spoold Media Live at the 9th

It’s time for more LIVE big money bracket racing. This weekend’s Coal Rush 20s start now and promise tight racing and big payouts. With other races being cancelled this weekend due to rain, we expect there will be some folks making the trek to Ellis 57 Dragstrip for the bracket racing, burnouts, and the wheelstand competition! Check it all out below. Video Description: WASTING FUEL PROMOTIONS PRESENTS: COAL RUSH 20s Get ready for an action-packed night of high-speed competition at the lege