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Dealerships are busier than they’ve been in years. Electric commuters, weekend riders, people fed up with city traffic — motivations vary, but the pattern is consistent. Still, a motorcycle isn’t a car with two fewer wheels. The consequences of skipping steps are faster and harder than most new buyers expect. Here’s what actually matters before signing anything. The Right First Bike Matters This is where most people go wrong. Walk into any dealership and something like the Kawasaki Z650RS or […] The post Important Things to Consider Before Buying Your First Motorcycle appeared first on Return of the Cafe Racers. View the full article

Drag racing’s top touring gasser series, the Southeast Gassers Association, will roll into Tennessee for the Ram Clutches Nationals at Knoxville Dragway June 26-27. Race four of the SEGA Championship season will be the only race held in the Volunteer State at the familiar and fitting Knoxville Dragway. The SEGA competitors will volunteer their machines and time to chase gasser glory in the modern day, with the added touch of it being under the lights in the little vale that Knoxville Dragway sits in. After the oppressive heat SEGA endured at race three at Brainerd Motorsports Park in Ringgold, Georgia, officials decided to shift the competition hours for the organization. The drag racing of SEGA will be on display from evening to nighttime hours at Knoxville Dragway. Test and tune, along with qualifying and eliminations, will have the overhead lights shining, the Christmas tree lit up, and the win lights ready to celebrate every victory. Not often seen, reserved for last-minute calls due to heat or the singular night planned in 2025 at Gulfport Dragway. This is a proactive call by SEGA that will be great for the racers and even better for the fans – Southeast Gassers Association Drag Racing under the lights is special! SEGA and Knoxville Dragway go way back, and throughout that history, this track has earned a reputation for revealing who’s truly at the top of their game. Rolling into this fourth race of the season, SEGA already has clear frontrunners in each category. Ben Christopher in the Happy Daze A/Gas machine; Jerren Perdue in his white Chevy wagon along with Todd Oden in his boat of a car being a 1958 Chevy Del Ray racing in C/Gas; Jerry Dean in the Last Rebel II Chevy II that edges all of the Super Stock competitors with Rod Walden in his Impala clinging on, and the hometown hero with the rightly themed gasser of The Rocky Top Missile, Ted McKee in B/Gas. Can anyone else in any category dump those Ram Clutches on time and with the right performance to upset the current SEGA frontrunners? The Ram Clutches Nationals for 2026 will ignite its action on Friday at 5 p.m. eastern with a SEGA-only test and tune that will include a live band to follow on track testing ($20 admission). Saturday has qualifying scheduled for 5 p.m. with championship eliminations to follow, which will put SEGA action under the lights of Knoxville Dragway ($25 admission – $35 weekend pass). Southeast Gassers Association competition will contest heads-up, first to the finish line eliminations to the point of competition, representing an authentic 1960s racing experience. For more information, visit www.southeastgassers.comor www.knoxvilledragway.com – also check out the social media outlets for both the Southeast Gassers Association and Knoxville Dragway on the major platforms such as Facebook. This story was originally published on June 26, 2026. The post Southeast Gassers Association Returns To Rocky Top For Only Visit In The Volunteer State first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

The first half of this year brought an astonishingly diverse array of talent to...View the full article

Dragstalgia is one of the coolest events held each year at Santa Pod in England. If you aren’t familiar, you have to check out all the free live streaming video that we’ll be sharing this weekend. And if you have never seen Santa Pod, check this out! This track is top notch, super fun to check out, and unique as hell. But make no mistake, this is a really well run and prepared facility that has been at the pinnacle of drag racing in Europe for decades. We’ll be sharing all the live coverage all weekend long, so tune in and watch! Video Description: Step into the past with Dragstalgia, Santa Pod’s celebration of vintage drag racing and hot rod culture! Live Drag Racing this weekend at Santa Pod Raceway! Tickets and full event info at https://santapod.co.uk/ Fuel Altereds, Funny Cars, historic bikes, and the Gasser Circus take to the strip, while the Show & Shine, Cracklefest, live music, Jet Car, and a beer festival keep the whole family amused. Camping onsite makes it a full weekend of motorsport and memories, because one day of action isn’t enough! Full details at http://dragstalgia.co.uk/ The post Free Livestream! Dragstalgia 15 LIVE From Santa Pod Raceway In England. Awesome Nostalgia Drag Racing Fun! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Put the iron down. The single fastest way to wreck a good leather jacket is to treat it like a cotton tee and press an iron-on patch straight onto the hide, because the heat that a t-shirt shrugs off will scorch finished leather in seconds and leave a shiny, stiff, discolored mark that no amount of conditioner buffs out. Patches belong on a riding jacket. They always have. The trick is attaching them with a method the leather can actually […] The post How to Add Patches to a Leather Jacket Without Wrecking It appeared first on Return of the Cafe Racers. View the full article

IIHS crash testing is something else. The destruction that happens in a bad car wreck is amazing and the offset head on collision scenario is more common than you think. This is the kind of crash that can take someones life or severely injure them. This testing is what has led to more airbags, more structural engineering for passenger safety, and a ton of other interior details you may not even realize are there for you safety in a crash. When you see the damage in this video, and the dynamics going on during the crash, you’ll understand just how bad a wreck really can be. In this video you’ll see the 1996 S10 based Chevrolet Blazer going up against the 2026 Chevrolet Blazer. If you are one of those folks that thinks anything older is stronger and safer, I invite you to watch this and see how bad the damage is to both vehicles, but how much less fatal it is in the new one. Video Description: This recent head-to-head crash test held to mark the 30th anniversary of the IIHS crash testing program illustrates how dramatic the safety improvements have been. The demonstration pitted a 1996 Chevrolet Blazer against the 2026 model in a special, head-to-head version of the Institute’s moderate overlap front crash test. The driver of the new Blazer would likely have walked away with bumps and bruises. The driver of the 1996 model would have suffered serious, potentially fatal injuries. The occupant compartment of the 2026 model remained intact. All but one of the injury measurements taken from the driver dummy showed minimal injury risk. The risk of injury to the driver’s right foot or lower leg was a little elevated but still in the acceptable range. In contrast, the impact crushed the occupant compartment of the 1996 model, pushing the dashboard and steering column into the dummy’s lap. The fully inflated airbag hit the dummy in the chin, snapping its head back and toward the window. This caused the nodding joint of the dummy’s upper neck to break, and the head was detached from the body. Although this isn’t likely to happen to a human driver, it illustrates the extreme forces the dummy absorbed. The Institute’s engineers use specific metrics collected by instruments inside the dummy, rather than visible damage, to estimate injury risk. Those indicators showed that the crash almost certainly would have caused serious injuries to the driver’s head or neck and both legs. The post Old vs New Crash Test Video: Watch And See This 2026 versus 1996 Chevrolet Blazer IIHS Crash Test! Insane Carnage! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Here we go again! The 2026 IMSA Racing season is in full swing and this weekend the series is visiting Watkins Glen in New York which is one of the most famous race tracks in the country! There is a ton of racing that is going on all weekend, in several classes, and we’ll have all the action LIVE right here. We’re talking the Porsche Carrera Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and Mustang Challenge racing! Check all the action out right here and let us know what your favorites are! The post IMSA Racing LIVESTREAM: The 2026 IMSA Mustang Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and Porsche Carrera Cup at Watkins Glen | Race 1 | Watkins Glen, NY appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

It is endurance racing season, and boy is it in full swing! There have been more 24 hour races in the last few weeks than we could imagine, and there are even more to come. It’s summertime racing and we love it. Today and tomorrow it’s the 24 Hours of Spa race which is presented by CrowdStrike and is part of the GT World Challenge in Europe. Watch all 24 hours LIVE right here thanks to the GTWorld Channel. Video Description: The last track session ahead of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and the final opportunity for teams to make their preparations in this a 30-minute warm up. The post LIVE | Warm up | CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa | GT World Challenge powered by AWS 2026 appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

This video couldn’t be more timely, as I had to put together a bed frame, four bar stools, and some lights in the last couple of days. All three used allen, or hex key, fasteners. Of course the hex keys in my Kobalt 1/4 inch drive ratchet set were SAE and all these things had “metric” fasteners, but I made it work. The trick was to use the ratchet and hex key socket to get them snug and then give them a bit more with the hex key that came in the box with the fasteners. In theory that should help with not stripping out fasteners. And it did with a couple of small exceptions. But what if the fasteners you are using aren’t cheap, soft, furniture hardware? Instead of stripping the fastener, you might be stripping the edges off your tools. In this video from our friends at the Torque Test Channel, they are putting hex keys to the test to see who makes the best fitting, toughest, and most reliable tools. And how do the name brands stand up against the free hex key that comes with your Ikea furniture? Watch to find out. Video Description: Our Rankings now include hex keys!: https://torquetestchannel.etsy.com/li… Who makes the best performing Hex L keys in the world? Is it IKEA? No. That mugh we know, we buy several new sets to find out for sure though including EIGHT TOOL, GripEdge, ICON, Wiha, Snap-On, new Tekton and more. We do not accept any tools shown on the channel from any brand, nor do we take any sponsorships, partnerships, discounts, product placement deals, pre-market brand samples, money, items or compensation of any kind from brands, tool makers or otherwise in the planning or creation of these videos. The post Testing the Finest Hex Keys Ever Made… And Putting Them Up Against IKEA. I Wonder How This Will Play Out! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Derek Menholt enjoyed a tremendous regular season in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, winning twice and taking the points lead into the Road to the Championship playoffs. But the five-race postseason starts this weekend as part of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, and Menholt knows he has to prove himself all over again in the loaded class. This weekend’s event is the seventh of 11 races in the category during the 2026 campaign and this weekend’s race is powered by Polaris and presented by Jan-Cen Motorsports. Menholt won the opener in Gainesville and added another victory in Chicago, but with the points reset, he’ll have just a 20-point advantage over Mike Stavrinos starting this weekend in Norwalk. But the veteran Pro Mod racer is thrilled to have the lead heading into the playoffs, giving him the most ideal starting position over what will be five grueling races to end the year. “It’s exciting to head into the Road to the Championship as the points leader. We’ve worked hard all season to put ourselves in this position, but now the real battle begins,” Menholt said. “I’m really looking forward to racing at Norwalk. It’s great to have NHRA Pro Mod back there. Summit Motorsports Park is one of the best facilities we race at and the fans always create an incredible atmosphere. It’s the perfect place to kick off the championship run and hopefully we can keep this momentum going. “I’d also like to thank Polaris for powering the event and Jan-Cen Motorsports for coming on board as the presenting sponsor. It’s great to see companies continuing to invest in NHRA Pro Mod and help our class continue to grow.” This weekend marks the first trip for the NHRA Pro Mod category to Norwalk since 2023 and excitement is high, especially with the support from Polaris and Jan-Cen Motorsports as the powered by and presenting partners for the weekend. “Polaris is proud to sponsor the NHRA Pro Mod class at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals,” Polaris Inc. Retail Marketing Manager Andrew Moore said. “As the leader in off-road vehicles, Polaris is setting the standard and is relentlessly focused on delivering the best performance, capability, and durability to our riders. Partnering with the NHRA Pro Mod class was a natural fit with the passion of powersports enthusiasts across racing.” Menholt is the points leader, with Stavrinos right behind, but there are 16 total drivers competing for a championship over the next five races. It’s an impressive list of contenders, including reigning world champ J.R. Gray, Justin Bond, Jason Collins, who won the most recent event in Bristol, Stan Shelton, Billy Banaka, Lyle Barnett, Mike Thielen, Sidnei Frigo, Chip King, past champion Mike Castellana, Mason Wright, who will have Pro Stock standout Aaron Stanfield driving for him in Norwalk, Kevin Rivenbark, Alex Laughlin and Nick Januik. The JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports features two qualifying rounds at 1:30 and 4 p.m. ET on Friday, and the final two qualifying rounds at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. The first round of eliminations is slated for 12:40 p.m. ET on Sunday. One qualifying session from both Friday and Saturday, as well as the first round of eliminations on Sunday, will be broadcast for free on NHRA’s YouTube page. To purchase tickets to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, fans can visit NHRA.com/tickets. For more information on NHRA, please visit NHRA.com. The post Road to the Championship Starts in Norwalk for JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Even riding at 70mph, you ain't outrunning a 1,500-foot tsunami.View the full article

The Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is always a special race for six-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson and this year’s trip to Summit Motorsports Park gives him a chance to add two more trophies to his extensive collection: the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout trophy and another NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Diamond Wally. Anderson, named one of NHRA Top 75 drivers, will have his pick of opponents in the eight-car field of the GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout bonus race. He won the 2024 Callout and currently leads the Pro Stock points in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. To top it all off, he’ll be looking for his fourth career victory in Norwalk. “Well, any grudges you have against any other racer, you get to act on,” said Anderson. “At least in my case, I get first choice to pick out who I would like to try and even the score with or settle a score with – like a grudge match. So that’s always fun, and you don’t have to depend on any ladder to see who you get matched up with. You can decide who you want to race, so that’s cool to me. That’s fun, and it adds another layer of excitement that we don’t get at national events.” Last year, Justin Ashley (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Cory Reed (Pro Stock) and John Hall (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals. This year’s race will again be broadcast on FOX, with qualifying and the GETTRX Pro Stock NHRA All-Star Callout coverage on FS1 and eliminations on FOX at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28. It is the 10th of 20 races during the 2026 season and this weekend’s event also features the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle. The GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout kicks off on Friday when Anderson makes his pick. Anderson and his KB Titan teammates will be up against their longtime rivals from Elite Motorsports, with KB Titan having the higher seeds. Anderson will have his pick of the field that includes reigning champion Dallas Glenn, Eric Latino, last year’s Callout winner Matt Hartford, Greg Stanfield, six-time champion Erica Enders, Chicago winner Aaron Stanfield and five-time champion Jeg Coughlin. “You go with whoever you really enjoy racing or really enjoy trying to extract blood from,” Anderson said. “I’m not going to tell you right now who I’m going to pick, but I know who I’m going to pick, and we’ll find out on Friday. It will be fun. May the best person win.” Summit Motorsports Park has long been a special track for Anderson and the KB Titan Racing team. The team’s long partnership with Summit Racing Equipment gives the fan-favorite event an additional layer of excitement. Not only will the race winner the Diamond Wally trophy, but each event winner will also take home a billet aluminum ice cream scoop — a longstanding tradition at Summit Motorsports Park. “There is always motivation in this race and we get to do it in front of our great sponsor, Summit Racing Equipment, at that beautiful racetrack that says Summit all over it. It just adds something extra and it’s a bigger deal at the end of the day if you find a way to win,” said Anderson. “Every time I race at Norwalk, I just love to perform in front of our great sponsor, Summit, and all the great employees from there. It should be a great weekend and we want to go show off. They get to tune in and watch across the land when we go across country and race on TV, but there’s nothing like being there. They’ll all be there this weekend.” In Top Fuel, Ashley is after his first win of the season, but it won’t be easy against a group that includes dominant points leader Shawn Langdon, who has four wins in 2026, reigning world champion Doug Kalitta, racing legend Tony Stewart, Leah Pruett, who won the Epping race, Bristol winner Antron Brown, Clay Millican and Josh Hart. Funny Car’s Prock will look for back-to-back Norwalk wins, this time with Tasca Racing. Other marquee names in the class include points leader Ron Capps, Matt Hagan, who won in Bristol, J.R. Todd, Epping winner Jack Beckman, class newcomer Jordan Vandergriff, Alexis DeJoria and Chad Green, who has two wins in 2026. Hall wants a repeat Pro Stock Motorcycle win in Norwalk against a talented field that includes points leader and reigning world champ Richard Gadson, Angie Smith, Gaige Herrera, Chase Van Sant, Steve Johnson, Jianna Evaristo and Ryan Oehler. Race fans also get to see action in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series and Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown. Norwalk race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce each driver and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk and congratulate the winners at the winner’s circle celebration on Sunday. As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. They can visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and vendors create an exciting atmosphere. NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5 and 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, June 26, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, June 27 at 12 and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 28. The GETTRX Pro Stock NHRA All-Star Callout starts Friday, June 26 at 3 p.m., where the drivers will make their first-round picks. The first round of the Callout is Saturday, June 27 at 11:30 a.m., followed by the semifinals at 1:15 p.m. and the finals at 4 p.m. Television coverage begins Sunday, June 28 and includes the GETTRX Pro Stock NHRA All-Star Callout on FS1 at 11 a.m., leading into qualifying coverage at 12 p.m. Elimination coverage kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on FOX. To purchase tickets to Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. Children 12 and under are free in general admission areas with the purchase of an adult ticket. The post Greg Anderson Gets First Pick for GETTRX Pro Stock All-Star Callout at Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Honda isn’t betting on one type of future. It’s buying options in all of them.View the full article

In a world where companies seem to want to take more than ever, Stark Future is giving and asking for nothing in return.View the full article

The state of the rider transfer market has seriously detracted from the 2026 season. It's time to do something about it.View the full article

It's time to pick the final team for the Horsepower Wars $10K Drag Shootout. Here's how you can vote for your favorite team. View the full article

Here’s why I think the new Slate pickup might be the perfect moto hauler. At least for some people.View the full article

Everyone hates FOMA. So here's your chance to fix yours.View the full article

Motorcycle cosplay has entered the hypercar chat.View the full article

The debate between budget and high-end café racers isn’t about which motorcycle is objectively better—it’s about what riders want from the experience. Both capture the stripped-down styling and sporty riding position that define the café racer, but they take very different paths to get there. A budget café racer emphasizes affordability and practicality. Typically built from an older motorcycle using readily available aftermarket parts, these projects focus on achieving the classic café racer look without excessive spending. Owners often upgrade […] The post Budget Café Racer vs. Custom Masterpiece: Pros, Cons, and Costs appeared first on Return of the Cafe Racers. View the full article

Learn why OEM pistons fail under boost and how to choose the right 2618 or 4032 forged alloy for your high-performance engine.View the full article

Cru Halliday topped a tight Superbike Friday at Queensland Raceway ahead of Glenn Allerton, while Olly Simpson led the combined Supersport/Next Gen order and Matthew Ritter set the R3 Cup pace as the 2026 ASBK finale got underway. The post Halliday shades Allerton as ASBK finale fires up at Queensland Raceway appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

A year ago, if you’d told a Pro Mod racer he might have two legitimate shots at a million dollars inside of six months, he’d have laughed you out of the pits. Not out of disrespect. Out of disbelief. That’s just not the world we’ve lived in. Well, that’s the world Jason Harris is living in right now. Harris earned his first crack at a million at our Drag Illustrated Winter Series, chasing the Elite Motorsports Million – a clean-sweep bonus for any driver who could win all three of our races. And now, with the new IHRA Triple Crown, he’s got another seven-figure opportunity sitting right there in front of him. Two swings at life-changing money before the calendar even turns. For a Pro Mod racer. Let that sink in. I couldn’t be happier about it. And I’ll tell you exactly why. For too long, money was the thing nobody in drag racing wanted to talk about. We whispered about payouts. We were almost embarrassed by them. Meanwhile, the American Cornhole League is handing out eight million dollars a year, a hot dog eating contest is paying six figures on Netflix, and there are rock-paper-scissors tournaments paying out more than some of our professional national events. That’s not a knock on cornhole. It’s a wake-up call for us. We all know what these guys and gals are spending. We know what it takes to build one of these cars, to tune it, to haul it across the country and put it on the property week after week. These are the baddest door cars on earth, driven by some of the most talented people in all of motorsports. The idea that the money shouldn’t match the spectacle never made sense to me. So we set out to change the conversation. To make the money something racers and fans were excited to talk about, proud to talk about – not afraid of, not embarrassed by. That was the whole point of the Elite Motorsports Million. We weren’t just putting up a prize. We were planting a flag. And here’s the part I’m most proud of: the conversation is actually changing. When you see another sanctioning body step up and put real money on the table for Pro Mod, that’s not something to be territorial about. That’s the tide coming in. That’s the whole sport getting louder about what these racers are worth. I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it again – a high tide lifts all boats. More money in Pro Mod means more attention, more media, more sponsors looking at our world and deciding it’s worth investing in. Everybody wins when we start acting like we’re worth it. Now, let’s talk about the man himself, because Jason Harris is exactly the kind of racer you want carrying this moment. Since his dominating win at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals late last year, Harris has become arguably the biggest name and the toughest out in Pro Mod. He’s not backing into these opportunities. He’s earning them, round after round, against the deepest fields and the best tuners our class has ever seen. When he rolls into the lights, everybody in the other lane knows they’ve got their work cut out for them. That’s what makes him so much fun to watch, and that’s what makes this whole thing feel real. Will it be easy? Hell no. We’re talking about stringing together round win after round win in the most competitive class in the world, where one tenth of hesitation or one bad set of conditions ends your day. That’s what makes it so exciting. If somebody pulls this off, they don’t just win a million dollars. They become an icon. A legend. The way Bill Elliott became “Million Dollar Bill” and dragged NASCAR into the national conversation. These are the moments that birth superstars and define legacies. And here’s the thing: I genuinely believe Jason Harris can do it. Not as a feel-good line. I mean it. He’s got the car, the team, the focus, and the kind of momentum you can’t manufacture. He’s racing like a man who knows exactly how big these moments are. So I’m going to be watching every round, pulling for him, and grinning like a kid the whole way. A Pro Mod racer with two shots at a million dollars in six months. That’s not a fantasy anymore. That’s where this sport is headed. And that, to me, is worth every single dollar. This story was originally published on June 25, 2026. The post Op-Ed: Jason Harris Has a Second Shot at a Million Dollars – and I Think He Can Do It first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Due to potential inclement weather on Friday evening, NHRA announced an earlier start for Friday qualifying at the 20th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park to ensure all professional categories complete both scheduled qualifying sessions. The revised schedule moves the first round of NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying to 11:45 a.m. ET, starting with Pro Stock Motorcycle and Pro Stock, followed by Funny Car and Top Fuel. The second qualifying session is slated to start at 2:15 p.m. Gate opening times will remain unchanged. The NHRA and Bader family appreciate the cooperation and flexibility of our race teams, partners and fans regarding the schedule adjustment to deliver a great day of racing. Racing will begin at 8 a.m. in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on Friday, with action also set to take place in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by Elite Motorsports and Flexjet NHRA Factory Stock Showdown. To purchase tickets to the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets or contact Summit Motorsports Park at 419-668-5555. REVISED FRIDAY SCHEDULE
 8 a.m. – Racing begins in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series 11:45 a.m. – First round of qualifying in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series (starting with Pro Stock Motorcycle, followed by Pro Stock, Funny Car and Top Fuel) 2:15 p.m. – Second round of qualifying in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series (starting with Pro Stock Motorcycle, followed by Pro Stock, Funny Car and Top Fuel) This story was originally published on June 25, 2026. The post Schedule Adjustment for Friday Qualifying at Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Two weeks ago, Ohioan Mark Pawuk, the two-time and reigning Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown world champion, showed flashes of improvement racing to the semifinals at the Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn. This weekend Pawuk along with a host of Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge factory stock competitors will be looking to stop 2026 points leader Jonathan Allegrucci who has won the past three national events in a row. Pawuk and his 2026 Empaco backed Dodge Charger will head to Summit Motorsports Park where he took the title last year after two previous runner-up finishes. “I finally got my ice cream scoop last year,” said Pawuk, of the custom ice cream scoop the track presents to all race winners. “That was on my bucket list, and I would love nothing more than to go back and run well this weekend. That scoop is 100 percent a display piece. If I stuck it in a gallon of ice cream, it would sink to the bottom it’s so heavy. That’s one of my prized possessions. Norwalk is the best track in the country.” For Pawuk, the racing experience is more than the performance on the track. He runs Empaco Equipment Corporation out of Richfield, Ohio. Since 1978 they have been providing quality construction, maintenance and service for the petroleum storage and dispensing industry. Beyond Empaco, his racing operation has enjoyed successful marketing relationships with several Ohio-based companies. “One thing that is special about Norwalk is a lot of my employees come out and support me,” said Pawuk. “They support me all year long while I’m away at the races, so I give them the opportunity at Norwalk to come out and spend a day with us. I think it’s pretty cool to host them and thank them for all their hard work. All my great sponsors are from the Ohio area including Mr. Heater, Ohio Cat and Ohio Peterbilt. Our big news this week is we just added Matco Tools for this race.” While Pawuk will be looking to get back on track, Allegrucci will be focused on maintaining his historic winning streak. Only one other driver, Leah Pruett in 2018, has won three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series national events in a row and no driver has ever won four in a row. The driver from Scotts Township, Pa., has captured wins at the 4-Wide Nationals, the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals and most recently at the Thunder Valley Nationals. “This still feels like a dream coming true,” said Allegrucci, of his three-race win streak. “I can’t thank everyone enough who makes this happen. Everyone at KSR Racing – in and out of the shop – to everyone at home that helps while we’re gone, and everyone that comes to the track to make it all possible. It takes so many people to get us to and from the races. I am proud to be a part of this class and race with some of the great people we have met. I am especially excited to see Raymond Nash and the Underdawg Team having so much success.”As the points leader and most recent winner, Allegrucci is also protecting the Flexjet Bounty which has swelled to $3,000 to the driver that can defeat his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet on race day. So far Allegrucci has a 13-round win streak heading into the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals. Joining Pawuk in the chase to defeat Allegrucci is Thunder Valley Nationals runner-up Raymond Nash, driver of the Team Underdawg Racing Dodge Challenger. In Bristol, Nash earned his first career No. 1 qualifier and competed in just his second career final round coming up short against Allegrucci. For Nash and his family-run team, competing at this national level is a welcome challenge and dream come true. Qualifying will get underway on Friday for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. On Saturday one more round of qualifying at 10:30 a.m. will set the 16-car field. The Fords, Chevrolets and Dodges will roll into the first round of eliminations on Saturday evening and wrap up with three more elimination rounds on Sunday. For information on the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals visit www.nhra.com. This story was originally published on June 25, 2026. The post Pawuk Looks to Defend Title at Home Track, Allegrucci Aims for Fourth Consecutive Win in Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article