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Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, and Can-Am parent company BRP just totally suspended its 2027 financial guidance thanks to new US tariffs, and yes it's 2026.View the full article

Our friend NC Promoder was on hand for testing at the PDRA East Coast Nationals yesterday and caught all the semi final and final round racing action from the postponed Carolina Nationals eliminations held during Thursday’s test session for PDRA. Because of wheather, they had to delay the final two rounds of competition, but the weather at Darana Motorsports Park was clear and warm compared to Darlington just one week before. This year has already been something when it comes to weather, so were’ glad they got this one in even if it took a few extra days to get it done. Here’s all the racing action if you missed the livestream. The post Semi-Final and Final Round Racing From The Postponed PDRA Carolina Nationals 2026 At Darlington Dragway! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

The lads over at BUM made an electric LEGO go-kart, but I'd argue it's more car than kart. Watch the video to see if it can survive a time trial.View the full article

Say the name "Bonneville" and petrolheads think of two things: The legendary salt flats, and vehicles named for them. Here's a love letter.View the full article

After debuting a massive infotainment screen, along with both heated and cooled seats, Polaris is at it again when it comes to making your side-by-side all the more comfortable. How does a heated steering wheel sound?View the full article

Turn & Burn is a new take on drag-and-drive events. Summit Motorsports Park will host this unique street car extravaganza. View the full article

Check out FuelTech's FTSPARK GEN3 MAX2000 and Pro HV Injector Driver. These are designed for high horsepower applications. View the full article

Stark Future says it has delivered its strongest financial result yet, with Q1 2026 revenue up 212 per cent year-on-year, its first EBITDA-profitable quarter, and continued momentum from the VARG platform. The post Stark Future says Q1 revenue surged as VARG range drives growth appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

(Photos by Kim Fuller, Ken Hughes & Rich Bain) • Four-time NHRA 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 Horsepowered Garage Dodge//SRT Hellcat, holding off Capps’ 3.893 at 334.32 in an epic side-by-side final round, capturing the milestone race in what was a thrilling matchup of the two winningest active drivers in the class. This one will certainly mean a great deal for Hagan, as he captured a historic victory and also shared the winner’s circle with his boss, Tony Stewart. “I was telling Tony that sometimes you just wake up and you know today’s going to good, and it was great. To win with the boss man to double up, and, you know, Leah [Pruett] was No. 1 qualifier, and winning the 1,000th Funny Car and the [Mission] #2Fast2Tasty yesterday …. the only thing we didn’t leave with was the change under the bleachers,” Hagan said. Racing legend Tony Stewart delivered the first Top Fuel win for Elite Motorsports, going a weekend-best 3.683 at 332.51 in his R&L Carriers-sponsored dragster, to knock off Justin Ashley in the championship round. It’s the first career win at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip for Stewart and his third career victory in his short NHRA career. He picked up wins as both a driver and team owner on Sunday, as he drove to victories in eliminations against Will Smith, Gainesville winner Josh Hart and Shawn Langdon. The Final Round was a matchup against Ashley, who posted three straight reaction times of .025 leading to the final. Stewart was .047 in the championship round and quickly tracked down Ashley on his standout run, getting the win a year after finishing as the Winternationals runner-up, this time during NHRA’s 75th anniversary season. “I’ve been [in NHRA] for five years now and following Leah around and being a part of it, but it doesn’t take long to realize how special Pomona is in drag racing, and how much it means to everybody,” Stewart said. “To be able to come here, and especially on an anniversary or for NHRA, you couldn’t ask for a better scenario for me. The only thing that would have made it better is if we met Leah in the finals. But for Matt to win is the 1,000th Funny Car win here, and to be here on NHRA 75th anniversary, and win here at the Winternationals, that is huge.” In Pro Stock, six-time world champion Greg Anderson continued to rule the class at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, as he won for a record-tying 17th time at the historic facility, holding off KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn in the final round with a run of 6.505 at 209.88 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. It is the 113th career win for Anderson, who qualified No. 1 and ran the quickest in every round of eliminations. He dipped into the 6.40s in the first three rounds en route to wins against Kenny Delco, Matt Latino and Greg Stanfield. That set up a third straight final round against Glenn at Pomona dating back to the 2024 In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals and Anderson stayed perfect in that regard, chasing down Glenn at the finish line. Glenn was .003 on the starting line, but Anderson was a solid .018 and tied John Force for the most wins in NHRA history at the legendary track. He’s also now won the Winternationals eight times, which ties him with Bob Glidden for the most in Pro Stock history, as the veteran continues to perform at an extremely high level. “I came to the racetrack today with a lot of confidence. I felt good. I knew I was going to have a great hot rod. It’s been great all weekend,” Anderson said. “It just absolutely loves this racetrack. It’s a blast to drive this car. We had a great weekend as a team; from top to bottom, the KB Titan team was very, very impressive, but that meant it was going to be really hard for me to find a way to win on Sunday, but we did it.” The Legacy Nitro Funny Car Series Final at Pomona put Geoff Monise in the Quarter Pounder Firebird with 4.644 ET, 243.02 MPH, outperformed Nathan Sitko’s 4.698 ET, 236.80 MPH driving the Hodgson Racing Bubble Up Firebird. Congratulations to Both Heritage Series Teams on in the 75th NHRA Season! Racing continues the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season with the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway just outside of Charlotte April 24-26. Lucas Oil Sportsman Winners at Pomona Ten Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series winners left In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip with hardware, and stories that’ll remind you why sportsman racing still matters. Doug Gordon’s return to the seat after stepping aside while daughter Maddi moved up to Top Fuel, Gordon came back and won. In a razor-close Top Alcohol Funny Car final, he edged Annie Whiteley, 5.460 to 5.458, in a finish that felt more like a grudge match than a comeback story. Garrett Bateman snapped a long drought in Top Alcohol Dragster, picking up his first national event win since 2017. He was consistent, living in the 5.20s all weekend and sealing the deal when Jon Bradford faltered in the final. Comp Eliminator saw Ryan Warter add another Wally, when Josh Lee fouled in the final. Meanwhile, Kyle Rizzoli continued his dominance in Super Stock, grabbing his 16th career win, and fourth at Pomona, with a killer .013 reaction time. For momentum, Justin Lamb is your guy. Back-to-back wins in Phoenix and Pomona have him rolling early in 2026, and he sealed this one by out-running Jared Jordan in a dial-in chess match that could’ve gone either way. Local racer Justin Morris gave Pomona something to cheer about, scoring his first national event win in Super Comp on a holeshot, yes races are still won on the starting line as much as the 1320 stripe. Mike Wilbishouser laid down a .000 light and a dead-on 9.900 in Super Gas. That’s the kind of run racers chase for decades, congrats! Kenny Snow capitalized on a foul start in Super Street to put his Chevelle in the winner’s circle again, while Grant Durie added another Pomona trophy in Top Dragster thanks to another foul start by his opponent. Finally, Jeff Gilette, hirty-four years after his first Pomona win, took the Top Sportsman Wally with a near-dead-on pass that shut the door on his opponent. Racing continues the 2026 Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series season with the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway just outside of Charlotte April 24-26. CHECK OUT OUR GALLERY FROM THE NHRA WINTERNATIONALS The post Winternationals Winners: Tony Stewart (T/F) Greg Anderson (P/S) & Matt Hagan Wins 1,000th NHRA Funny Car Title! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

NHRA officials announced today it has entered into a strategic alliance with the RPM Group in an effort to help bring NHRA drag racing back to the South Florida area. The RPM Group is a premier motorsports and marketing company focused on helping to resurrect racing venues in the South Florida area. Led by an experienced group of automotive professionals and passionate enthusiasts, their goal is for NHRA drag racing to return to facilities across the area. “We’re extremely excited for the future and working with NHRA to bring top-tier drag racing back to South Florida,” RPM Group Vice President Tim Moceri said. “We are working diligently on several locations and we’re optimistic about that progress. By teaming and aligning with NHRA, it ensures what we are building in South Florida is not experimental – it is proven. “NHRA is not just a sanctioning body, it is the gold standard of organized drag racing. With 75 years of history, a national footprint and a legacy of delivering world-class events, NHRA brings an unmatched level of structure, credibility and operational excellence to this effort. With the strength and credibility of NHRA alongside our group, we are positioned to deliver something truly impactful.” The history of motorsports in the South Florida area – from Palm Beach County to Hendry County and more – is extensive. RPM Group has evaluated several potential locations for tracks and facilities, with each offering the potential for a premier motorsports destination to return to the South Florida area, generating a strong local economic impact in the process. Along with the RPM Group’s partnership with NHRA, it has also received endorsements from Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, actively engaging with local and state leaders. “South Florida was home to a thriving motorsports and drag racing community for years, and we believe the demand and culture for the sport has never left,” Moceri said. “But a project of this magnitude cannot be accomplished alone. It requires strong partnerships with local, county and state leadership and the support of our local communities, and that is why our partnership with NHRA is so critical. NHRA understands every detail of what it takes to operate at the highest level, from grassroots racing programs all the way to premier national events.” “We are thrilled to announce this partnership with the RPM Group. It is a group that is filled with passion for NHRA drag racing and they are determined to see it return to the South Florida area,” NHRA Director of Field Operations Rob Park said. “The area has significant potential with a strong fanbase and a reputation as a vibrant motorsports region. We look forward to working with RPM Group, and offering our expertise and rich history to see this project continue to move forward.” For more information on NHRA, including the 2026 schedule, visit www.NHRA.com. This story was originally published on April 16, 2026. The post RPM Group Partners with NHRA in Effort to Bring NHRA Drag Racing Back to South Florida Area first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Summit Motorsports Park is thrilled to announce a historic broadcasting agreement with FloSports, the leader in sports streaming. For the first time in history, the 49th Annual Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire – widely recognized as the largest single-day drag racing event in the world, will be available to a global audience via live stream on FloRacing. The Night Under Fire is the crown jewel of the Bader family’s legendary promotions, drawing tens of thousands of fans to Norwalk for a sensory-overload experience that blends world-class drag racing with unmatched showmanship and pyrotechnics. “This is an opportunity to take the very best of what we do and introduce it to the world,” said Bill Bader, Jr., President of Summit Motorsports Park. For nearly five decades, the event has set the industry benchmark for “The Show.” This partnership ensures that the electric atmosphere, on-track action, and the “Bader Style” of hospitality will be accessible to fans on their televisions and mobile devices, regardless of where they are located. The Flo Drag Racing team has spent years expanding its coverage, and the addition of the Night Under Fire represents a milestone for the platform. “For Bill and his team to trust FloSports and FloRacing to be the ones to bring this magic to fans is an honor, to say the least,” said Courtney Enders from FloRacing. “We have come a long way with our drag racing coverage, and I am confident we will bottle that magic for our subscribers to witness the greatness. Above all else, I am honored to be welcomed into the Bader and Summit Motorsports Park family. You’re in for a treat.” Event Highlights: A Historic First: The 49th edition marks the first time the full event will be available for worldwide online viewing. John Force makes his return to the Night Under Fire, as a team owner, for the first time since his accident in 2024. Summit Motorsports Park is introducing the All-New King Of Nitro: Fuel Funny Cars & Top Fuel Dragsters faceoff for the crown and a share of a $430,000 Guaranteed Purse. The Spectacle: Beyond the nitro-burning engines, the event features a world-renowned show that includes historic aircraft, skydivers, a special meet the stars autograph session, pageantry, special presentations, and a Bader Family Signature Fireworks Show celebrating America’s 250th Birthday. How to Watch: Fans can subscribe to FloRacing to catch every moment of the action live and on demand. The post Summit Motorsports Park Partners With FloSports to Globally Stream 49th Annual Cornwell Tools Night Under Fire first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Remember the Sultans of Sprint drag race series in Europe? The man behind this brilliant idea was Séb Lorentz, who runs the Lucky Cat Garage with his partner, the artist and restoration specialist Laurence Chatokhine.The drag racing is on hold for the moment, for obvious reasons, but Séb has a solid... View the full article

Drag racing has a way of delivering its biggest moments when nobody quite planned for them. Sunday evening at Pomona, after a day full of weather delays, Matt Hagan piloted the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Funny Car to the winner’s circle for Tony Stewart Racing – and in doing so, became the driver who won NHRA’s 1,000th Funny Car race. The number lands hard when you sit with it. One thousand races. Decades of passes, countless careers made and broken, John Force in the news week after week for thirty-plus years, and now – at the end of a long Sunday in Southern California – Hagan’s name is written into that record permanently. Nobody can take it away, and Hagan knew the weight of it the moment he crossed the finish line. “A thousand Funny Car races, right? Like, that speaks for itself,” Hagan said. “We’ve had a thousand races so far. I mean, I’ll be dust in the wind probably when 2,000 rolls around, you know?” What made the moment even more fulfilling was who happened to be standing nearby when it happened. Moments before, Hagan’s team owner Tony Stewart had just won in the R&L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, a win that itself represented a historic milestone for the newly formed Elite Motorsports nitro program. Two winner’s circle celebrations in the same weekend. “To finish the day at 8:00 in the evening, and not only to be standing there with a Wally in my hand, and seeing my car owner [Richard Freeman], and seconds later you see your teammate Matt Hagan come around the corner with arguably – most definitely, in my eyes – the bigger of the two victories, winning the 1000th NHRA Funny Car race,” recalled Stewart when asked what it felt like on the top end immediately following the victory. But here’s the thing about moments like this that the broadcast cameras can only partially capture: the driver doesn’t get to fully live it. Hagan was still in his helmet when the celebration broke out around him. The crew guys, teammates, family, everybody falling over each other. Meanwhile, the man who made it happen was sprinting around trying to talk to everybody at once. “I wanted to see everybody,” Hagan said. “I was trying to talk to [Ron] Capps and then I was trying to talk to Tony and then Leah [Pruett] comes up, then you got Richard up there and it’s just like, you know, you don’t have time to get undressed man.” That image – Hagan still helmeted, running from person to person, not wanting to miss a second of what his team had just accomplished together – is as honest a portrait of what this sport is about as anything you’ll see at a drag race this year. For Hagan, now four NHRA Funny Car world championships deep and tied for the points lead heading into the rest of the 2026 season, the goals haven’t gotten smaller. Championship number five is squarely in focus. “People remember who won championships,” Hagan plainly stated. “And that’s really kind of what we strive to be a part of and to set that bar.” With four titles to his name, Hagan is tied for second on the all-time list with names like Kenny Bernstein and Don ‘the Snake’ Prudhomme, trailing only 16-time champion John Force. A fifth championship puts him in a category by himself. He knows exactly what that means, and after what happened at Pomona, he and the TSR Nitro team look every bit capable of getting there. The post Matt Hagan Wins the 1,000th NHRA Funny Car Race, and Couldn’t Even Stop to Take His Helmet Off first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Here’s the 3rd gallery of photos from the PDRA Carolina Nationals at Darlington. Check them out below and if you missed the previous photos we’ve got a link for that too! (Photos by David Whealon) – The PDRA Carolina Nationals from Darlington were cold and challenging, but we’ve got a bunch of photos from David Whealon showing just how cool the cars and racing action were. While they were not able to finish the event, because of weather and cold track temps, the final two rounds of eliminations will be contested at this weekend’s East Coast Nationals at Darana Motorsports Park GALOT. That means fans and racers are in for three big days of racing with Thursday’s action finishing up the Carolina Nationals eliminations, followed by qualifying and eliminations for the East Coast Nationals themselves. With Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, Pro Stock, Outlaw 632 and more on hand, you know that some awesome racing was happening. The car counts were strong and the competition was unrelenting throughout eliminations in all categories. CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED THE PREVIOUS PDRA PHOTOS The post Drag Racing Photos: More Photos From The PDRA Carolina Nationals 2026 At Darlington Dragway. Great Cars And Action! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

We’ve got some live track testing going on at Darana Motorsports Park where PDRA’s top teams are on hand to see what kind of improvements they can make as they get ready for this weekend’s PDRA East Coast Nationals at Darana Motorsports Park. Check out all the testing action live right here, plus eliminations rounds that didn’t get finished up at the season opening PDRA Carolina Nationals last weekend. You’ll see them finish off this race today, before starting up East Coast Nationals action tomorrow and Saturday. The post FREE DRAG RACING LIVESTREAM: Check Out The PDRA Testing and Carolina Nationals Eliminations from Darana Motorsports Park in Benson NC appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

We’ve got live drag racing coming to you from Division 7! It’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing at it’s finest and every pair that goes down the race track is right here live. If you like Sportsman Drag Racing, where wheels-up action is the norm, then this is the racing for you. We’re talking Stock, Super Stock, Comp, Alcohol classes, and more right here from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Check it out and let us know what you think! Video Description: Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 7 From Las Vegas Motor Speedway starting Thursday on YouTube. https://www.nhra.com/schedule/2026 The post FREE LIVE DRAG RACING: NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Division 7 Regional From The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Thursday appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Ten years ago, “Tricky” Rickie Smith added another championship to his robust résumé when he clinched the 2015 PDRA Pro Nitrous world championship. This season, the relentless North Carolina-based driver/tuner/owner is looking to become the next two-time world champion in the series’ 12-season history. With backing from Jim and Annie Whiteley’s J&A Service and Junie Michael of Parkway Ford, Smith set out to run the full 2026 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series schedule, which began in March at the KTR Carolina Nationals presented by Pee Dee Fleet at Darlington Dragway and continues this weekend at the Summit Racing Equipment East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech at Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC. Smith also plans to compete in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by Elite Motorsports at next weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway and the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham Dragway in September. When asked about his goals for the 2026 season with his Musi-powered J&A Service/Parkway Ford Mustang, Smith answered simply: “win races.” But when delving deeper into his aspirations for the year, Smith admits the next championship is always on his mind. “When I’m running for the points somewhere, it just seems it’s more gratifying,” Smith said. “It just gives me more drive when I’m trying to run for a points chase, rather than just going in and picking a race here, picking a race there. So, I’d like to do good in PDRA this year.” Smith ran a limited Pro Nitrous schedule in 2024, finishing 10th in points in four appearances, including a runner-up finish at Drag Wars at GALOT Motorsports Park (now Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC). Last season, he picked up a couple wins in IHRA Pro Nitrous competition. At the 2026 PDRA season opener, Smith qualified fifth with a 3.669 E.T. at 206.52 mph and won first round with a 3.679 before losing to 2024 world champion Fredy Scriba in the quarterfinals. He’s confident he can improve on that this weekend at the East Coast Nationals. “I struggled a little at Darlington in the first race and we found a problem,” Smith said. “I should have been minimum two hundredths quicker down there than I was, and I expected to be there and I didn’t, but I think I found that.” Smith points out that his program differs significantly from the other top teams in Pro Nitrous, or really any other Pro Modified class at this point. He doesn’t have a paid tuner or large crew – it’s just Smith and a couple crew members. He has to work within a budget, which means he isn’t willing to lean on his equipment as hard as some of his competitors. It’s a mindset that’s served him well over the years. “It’s a whole different way you race when you race for a living and put bread on your table and pay all your bills with that race car than it is when you come in and you’ve got a business to support everything you do,” Smith said. “You don’t have to win. You want to win, but it don’t mean whether your family gets to eat or you have a home to live in. But I’ve had to do this for going on 43 years – to win or be competitive where I can keep a sponsor. “So I can’t afford to just put the motor on kill all the time, like about three or four of those top teams over there. I can’t,” Smith said. “But I still feel like I can run within a hundredth or a hundredth and a half of them, even when they do that. Sometimes it’s going to be decided on the starting line, whether I leave first or they leave first. That’s just the way you have to go race and I’m fine with that.” With the nitrous combination essentially pushed out of multi-combination classes like NHRA Pro Mod and outlaw Pro Mod, PDRA Pro Nitrous provides a home for dedicated nitrous racers like Smith to race on a level playing field. “It’s very important right now,” Smith said of Pro Nitrous. “PDRA right now is the only place we’ve got to really run one-on-one. If you get out-run, then you need to go back home and go to work. I appreciate Tommy [Franklin, PDRA co-owner] having a class for us. It’s an awesome deal for somebody like that to support Pro Nitrous.” PDRA East Coast Nationals qualifying at Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC begins Friday with pro sessions at noon, 5 p.m., and 8:15 p.m. Eliminations will kick off Saturday at noon. Tune in to the official event livestream on www.FloRacing.com. This story was originally published on April 16, 2026. The post Doorslammer Icon ‘Tricky’ Rickie Smith Pursuing Second PDRA Pro Nitrous World Championship in 2026 first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

The season opening NHRA Gatornationals in Florida was a huge event again in 2026, and the action was hot and heavy. Starting off the 75th anniversary season for NHRA, this race always hits hard and had sold out crowds throughout the weekend. Florida racing fans show up in force, and this year was no different. With every team wanting to hit the ground running, and aiming for as many points as possible this early in the season, the ramifications from this event are huge. Yeah it’s the first race of the season and that means there is still a lot of racing left, but getting off on the right food can be a real game changer for some of these teams. Here’s the full replay of NHRA’s broadcast. The post 2026 AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Full Broadcast Replay. Watch All The Racing Action From Start To Finish! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

When our friend Brandon from Lower Class Fab posted this video yesterday we knew it was going to cause a stir. The subject of tying down cars to trailers is always one that gets debated and can get pretty heated. Crossing straps, angled straps, straight straps, wheel nets, you name it, people will argue about it when it comes to cars and trucks on trailers. And no matter what kind of scientific testing is done, there will always be an argument. Hell, sometimes I think there are more opinions about tying down cars than there are about what camshaft is right for a given engine combo, and that’s saying something! But when you throw in the fact that the vehicle is bagged, or an air ride for those of you not familiar with the term, things get even trickier. Some folks say you should let all the air out when trailering them. Others say air them all the way up. Some say leave them at ride height like any other vehicle. In the video below we’ll see Brandon give his thoughts and opinions as he gets their trucks ready to head out to Maggie Valley for Mini Truckin Nationals this weekend. Let us know what you think. Do you agree? The post The RIGHT WAY To Strap Down Your Bagged Truck On Your Trailer….And Let The Debate Begin… appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Whether you love the sound of a great American V8 at full song, the shreak of a V12 Aston Martin, or the songs that Ferraris and Porsches make, you’ll love this video. This is nothing but on track action, with great engine sounds, from Goodwood. Plus in car footage, sideways action, and more. This is one of those videos that makes you want to turn the sound up in your office, or put on your good headphones, because the sounds are as good as the sights. Check out all these great sounding GT3 machines below and let us know which one is your favorite. The post Music To Your Ears: Watch, And Listen, To The Best Sounding GT3 Cars From Goodwood Right Here appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

There are programs that spend years grinding toward their first win light. They write checks, burn nitro, shake the car down, and work through the learning curve one weekend at a time. And then there’s what Richard Freeman and Tony Stewart just did at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona. Three races were all it took. Three races from the moment Elite Motorsports fielded the R&L Carriers Top Fuel dragster with Stewart behind the wheel to the moment they pulled into the Pomona winner’s circle. From the announcement of the partnership in September 2025 to a national event trophy in hand? Roughly six months. In the world of NHRA nitro drag racing, where teams with unlimited budgets go years without winning, that timeline is almost incomprehensible. Freeman was characteristically direct when asked whether he saw it coming. “Did I expect to win in the first three races? No. But it doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “Those guys are fantastic. Listen, my biggest fear of owning a nitro team was making sure that I surrounded myself with the right people, and this weekend cemented that. Absolutely, one hundred percent – every decision that was made was the right decision to make.” For Freeman, a man who built one of the most dominant Pro Stock programs in NHRA history before ever dreaming of running Top Fuel, the speed of this success traces back to the same principle he’s always operated by. People. Not parts, not cars, but the individuals who make it happen. “The same thing I said a while ago,” he said flatly when asked what his Pro Stock team-building years taught him. “People. It’s 100% about people.” Stewart arrived at this program with 47 years of racing experience and an eye for what a winning culture looks like before it produces results. He says he saw it on the very first day of testing at Gainesville, even when things didn’t go right. “The first day of testing was a total shit show,” Stewart admitted with a laugh. But he knew. He pulled Freeman aside on Friday at Pomona and delivered a verdict: “I’m telling you, bud. It’s here. All the ingredients are here to be successful. You have the right parts, the right cars, and most of all, the right people.” Neither man manufactured that confidence. It was built through personnel decisions: veteran crew chief Mike Green, Joe Barlam alongside him, crew guys like Dustin Davis who bring both knowledge and leadership, and a collection of young talent learning to trust each other at race speed. Stewart described watching it come together like a snowball cresting a hill: “It just keeps getting bigger and bigger and gaining momentum.” The sponsor side of this equation matters too. R+L Carriers has been a visible, invested presence from the jump, and Stewart made a point of acknowledging it. “I’ve met people that have been working for R+L for 6 months and I’ve met some of them that have been working for years,” said Stewart. “And just to see how excited they are about this program and see the success that we’re having this early, that’s the icing on the cake for us.” Sunday evening at Pomona, with the sun going down and a winner’s trophy in hand, that icing was very much on the cake. For Freeman, Stewart, and everyone who bet on this program from day one, it wasn’t just a win. It was confirmation. The right people pointed the right direction can make something great happen in a hurry, and fans just watched it happen in real time. The post From Announcement to Winner’s Circle in Six Months: Elite Motorsports’ Top Fuel Program Is Already the Real Deal first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

The world is shrinking as more homes are built around the U.S. in places where they once weren't. And attacks on local racetracks from HOAs and Karens complaining about noise has become common. Kansas of all places, however, is fighting back. View the full article

The 300 SE and 300 SEF EnduroGP Replica bikes pack race-derived hardware and are limited to just 140 units worldwide. View the full article

After years of self-funded R&D, Positive Motorcycles pushes the Egera closer to production with new funding plans. View the full article

Ineos isn't a household name, but the body-on-frame pickup and SUVs have an iconic shape borrowed from Land Rover, and could be the perfect powersport accessory, as they're designed to tow, haul, and get you further. View the full article