Drag Strips

Bubba Stanton put three runs on the board in eliminations at Virginia Motorsports Park that looked like they came off a bracket car: 3.514, 3.515, 3.501. The last one was not only the quickest Outlaw Pro Mod pass of the weekend, but also in IHRA Outlaw Pro Mod history, and delivered the Potts Camp, Mississippi, veteran his first Ironman trophy of the 2026 season at the second stop on the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour. “I’m very happy with the car,” said Stanton, who defeated Hank Stubbs in t

The best story coming out of the Pro Mod final at the second stop on the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour at Virginia Motorsports Park wasn’t the win light. It was who was standing on both sides of it. Tony Wilson, driving Ed Burnley’s Harts Charger-equipped “Iron Man” ‘69 Camaro, put together his best weekend of driving in the class to take home the Pro Mod Ironman trophy and $50,000. His tuner? Jason Harris. His final-round opponent? Also Jason Harris. Wilson nailed a .012 reaction t

Ron Capps and the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car team delivered a standout performance Sunday at the NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, racing to the final round of the milestone 1,000th NHRA Funny Car event before a narrow loss to Matt Hagan. After qualifying No. 2, Capps ran a series of passes in the 3.80-second range, including low E.T. of the event, on the way to his 159th career final round. With the runner-up finish, Capps is now tied for the Funny Car points lead with Hag

Johnny Pluchino came into the second stop on the 2026 IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series tour as the man to beat in Mountain Motor Pro Stock. He left Virginia Motorsports Park having removed any remaining doubt. Pluchino wheeled his Kaase-powered, Ross Environmental Services 2013 Ford Mustang to a 4.014 at 180.21 mph in the final round to defeat Jordan Ensslin’s 4.032 at 178.54, resetting both the IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock ET and speed records in the process. The previous marks – a 4.019 at 180.02

Maddi Gordon, the driver of the Carlyle Tools Top Fuel dragster, continued gaining positive momentum in her rookie season at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals today in Pomona, Calif. The talented Ron Capps Motorsports standout recorded a new career-best speed and elapsed time attempting to defeat Justin Ashley in the opening round of NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competition. Although Gordon didn’t get the win light, it was a milestone event in front of a hometown crowd for the Californ

Here’s gallery #2 from Mike Brooks coverage of the Run to the Sun car show in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. If you missed gallery #1, use the link below to check them out too. (Photos by Mike Brooks) The Run to the Sun car show in Myrtle Beach South Carolina celebrated it’s 37th anniversary this year and as usual had a sellout crowd. This show sells out every year, and features some awesome Pre-1990 muscle cars, hot rods, street machines, and trucks. It’s a special event, that’s for sure, and wh

Four-time Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan won the 1,000th Funny Car race in NHRA history on Sunday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, defeating three-time world champion Ron Capps in the final round to close out the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. Tony Stewart (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) also won the third of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Hagan went 3.876-seconds at 330.39 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Johnson’s Horse

The International Hot Rod Association’s Offshore Racing Series kicked off their 2026 season in St. Petersburg Florida a couple of weeks ago, and featured big speed from giant offshore boats and more. This weekend is Race #2 for the season, at the New Orleans Powerboat Grand Prix! You can watch all the Day 2 action LIVE right here thanks to the IHRA YouTube channel livestream. And if you missed Day 1 it is below as well. So pull up a chair, get yourself something nice to drink, and check out all

Last fall Disco Dean Karns crashed his awesome Pontiac Firebird Trans Am they called Stinky Pinky 5, and while Dean came out of it okay, the same could not be said for the poor Trans Am. This was an awesome car, and super popular with the fans, but there is something about this new Chevelle that does it for me too. Showing up at Darana Motorsports Park for the first race on this new car had Dean nervous, but Jesse and the crew had him setup and good. Apparently better than he could even have ex

Jay Leno has got some of the most awesome cars on the planet, as we’ve all seen parts of his collection over the years. And he’s wealthy enough to buy any car he could ever want, so it should come as no surprise that he ordered up and got a new Corvette ZR1X when they came out. If you have been living under a rock, these beasts are capable of mid 8 second timeslips at the dragstrip, will run 233 mph from the factory flat out, and they beat just about every exotic on the planet in every other mea

It’s never been easier to LS or LT swap something, and there are a ton of companies making parts. Engine mounts, gotta be 100 companies making them. Headers, probably 100 as well. Brackets, transmission mounts, accessory drives? Yep, they gottem. But one of the most annoying things about performing a swap is hunting to find the combinations that will fit in your ride. It can be overwhelming, because the only way to find out what works is to ask a jillion folks who’ve already done it to see what

(Photos by Kim Fuller & Ken Hughes) • Leah Pruett closed out Pomona Winternationals qualifying with a strong run, but her first No. 1 qualifier since 2023 and 16th in her career was clinched on the strength of Friday’s 3.724 at 329.75-mph in her Rinnai Tankless Water Heaters-backed Top Fuel Dragster. Since there are only 15 Top Fuelers, he’ll get a first-round bye on Sunday to open eliminations, Pruett has a great opportunity to pick up her first victory of the season. “We’re thrilled wit

Six-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson is one of the most decorated drivers in the history of the sport, and in qualifying for the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, he notched another triumph with the 142nd pole of his career. Anderson added the No. 1 qualifier award to the pile there at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, inching ever closer to Funny Car legend John Force’s record of 167. For now, the most winning driver in the history of Pro Stock is dialed into what it’s goin

Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta continued to rule the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, winning the bonus race for a second straight time after beating Maddi Gordon on the final round as part of the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, while Leah Pruett (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) all qualified No. 1 at the third of 20 races dur

Top Fuel’s Leah Pruett jumped to the top spot on the final pass of Friday at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, taking the provisional No. 1 spot for Tony Stewart Racing at the 66th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. Jordan Vandergriff (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the third of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Pruett returned to the driver’s seat to start the season and has been outstanding

Coyote Stock racers will go all-out at the Team Z Motorsports Coyote Stock St. Louis Shootout, June 20 at World Wide Technology Raceway. View the full article

Here’s gallery #2 from Mike Brooks coverage of the Run to the Sun car show in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. If you missed gallery #1, use the link below to check them out too. (Photos by Mike Brooks) The Run to the Sun car show in Myrtle Beach South Carolina celebrated it’s 37th anniversary this year and as usual had a sellout crowd. This show sells out every year, and features some awesome Pre-1990 muscle cars, hot rods, street machines, and trucks. It’s a special event, that’s for sure, and wh

I love Tony Angelo now more than ever. We get along great and he’s super fun to be around, but now that I know what his favorite muscle car is I think I love him even more! After dreaming about a ride like this his whole life, Tony found it after sitting for 40 years in a barn. It’s like a love story. They should make a Hallmark movie about this and have one of those male model looking dudes that always star in the Romcoms play him. You know, like a taller, better looking, more charm and less ed

Shannon and Jess are moving right along on the FJ40 and things just keep getting better. If you like a Landcruiser, you’ll dig this one. But if restored to factory is your jam, this one might not be quite up your alley. We dig them all, so we are in. Check it out as they put together a new roll cage for this beast. If you missed this FJ40 project that Shannon Campbell is working on, we’ve got a link below, but if you are back for the next installment in this build series you are in luck as well

Alex Hernandez and I have been friends for several years, and the night we met was pretty funny. We were both invited to dinner with a group of people that lets just say were a little mismatched, at least on the surface. Because all of us were car guys, there was some common language, but when Alex and I realized that we were both from Northern California we had an instant connection. Everyone knows that there is always some connection between people that grew up in the same area, even if they w

Jerry Bickel Race Cars is doing something that should surprise absolutely no one who’s been paying attention to how Rick Hord runs this operation: they’re making life easier for racers. Ahead of the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte April 24-26, JBRC is offering free shipping and direct pit delivery for any parts ordered by Thursday, April 16. That means you call Jerry Bickel Race Cars, place your order, and your parts show up at zMAX – no additional shipping costs, no hassl

After a sellout crowd in 2025, promoter Corey Stamper and track co-owners Seth and Zach Buff are bringing the 9th annual Strange Engineering Ronnie Buff Memorial featuring King of the South 3 into Shadyside Dragway May 21-24. The event guarantees to be better than ever, with more classes, bigger payouts, and a brand-new livestreaming partner in FloRacing.  Once again, the King of the South small-tire invitational – 64 of the baddest 28×10.5 cars in the country – will headline the show, with

It was at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip that John Force Racing’s Jordan Vandergriff got his first taste of the sensory overload that is NHRA drag racing and it’s there during the April 8-10 NHRA Winternationals that the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car driver hopes earn his first event win in the sanctioning body’s 1,000th Funny Car race. This weekend will be the first time the California native has competed in the Winternationals but he does have prior experience at the legendary dr

Drag Illustrated has released its 2026 Interview Issue, the March/April 2026 edition of the magazine, with two-time NHRA Pro Mod world champion Stevie “Fast” Jackson appearing on the cover following his $75,000 victory at the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission at Bradenton Motorsports Park. The Interview Issue is now available to read for free in digital format at digital.dragillustrated.com, with print copies set to arrive in subscriber mailboxes later this month. The U

The 2025/2026 offseason brought numerous changes to the sport, but one thing that remained constant is the Franklin family’s ownership of the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series. Though rumors swirled that the series was up for sale last fall, those rumblings settled in late October when Tommy and Judy Franklin announced, “After 12 seasons of PDRA Drag Racing, we are not ready to stop here. See you in 2026.” Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #199, the Interview Issue, in M

The 66th edition of the famed NHRA Winternationals will be a celebration of Funny Car history as the sanctioning body presents the 1000th Funny Car race in its 75th anniversary season. Legends will be on site, and a special trophy will be presented to the Funny Car winner. One of the significant figures recognized will be the late Tripp Shumake, winner of the 100th Funny Car race. The well-respected driver will be celebrated on track as well by his son Travis Shumake, who will honor his late fat

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series roared back to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip this week for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, launching another chapter in the sanctioning body’s 75th anniversary season. Thursday belonged to the backbone of the sport — the sportsman racers — and they didn’t waste any time getting after it. With qualifying kicking off the weekend, Super Street, Stock, Super Comp, Super Stock, and Super Gas quickly rolled into first-round eliminations, turning