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And there’s plenty of room for sponsors on this all-white carbon helmet from AGV.View the full article

Honda HRC will start the Suzuka 8 Hours from pole after rain forced the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial, leaving Friday qualifying to set the grid. The post Honda HRC on pole after Suzuka Top 10 Trial washout appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

(Words by Joe Grippo, photos by Dan Grippo) We hauled the race cars up to picturesque Beaver Springs Dragway the other weekend for the annual All Ford Race and Car Show. Sunshine, blue skies, and perfect temperatures made for a fantastic day at the drags. A killer variety of Blue Ovals filed into Beaver. Vintage iron, late model goodness, and everything in between filled the staging lanes, and a decent car show took shape in the pits. The racing was tight and we caught up with some friends and made a bunch of new ones, what more could you want. The McCracken boys, Mike and Mikey, had the track and starting line working and ran the program steady and efficiently and even managed to squeeze in a third time run for everyone. Classes were Cool Ford (12.00 and slower), Hot Ford (11.99 and quicker), an FE Only class and a quick 8 called Pro Ford. I ended up making it to the final of Hot Ford, so most of the gallery photos were taken by my wife Stacey and my brother Dan. Thanks to my team for all the help with the car and dial in choices, on top of photo duties! We will be back at Beaver Springs in September for the ORIGINAL (and only real, IMHO) FE Race and Reunion. Can’t wait! Support your local Racetrack. Beaver Springs Dragway – Nobody Does It Better! CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED OUR PREVIOUS PHOTOS! The post Beaver Springs Dragway All Ford Show and Drags Was Off The Hook For 2026! We’ve Got More Dan Grippo Photos Right Here! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

On behalf of myself, all our great BANGshift.com contributors, and all our families, BANGshift.com would like to wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe Independence Day. Happy Birthday to the United States of America! We’re 250 years old today, and with all the craziness, divisiveness, hate, and fear that has gripped our nation, let’s take today to remember one truth. FREEDOM. It defines us. It’s what gives us the ability, the right, the privilege to disagree and to be vocal about it. This special day in our history isn’t about fireworks, or hot rods, or hot dogs, it’s about freedom. Freedom to enjoy those things, to relish them, and to express our passions. On this day remember, and celebrate, those that came before us and helped form this great land of ours. The men and women of our past have pushed, sacrificed, and persevered so that this country would continue to grow and prosper. We owe it to them, and those generations to come, to do our best to keep our country safe and prosperous. Celebrate our freedom, celebrate our history, and celebrate your families. As usual we’ll be working on our junk, covering races, and talking hot rods and racing today and we hope you will be too. Enjoy a beverage or three, a hot dog or hamburger or three, and be safe. That is what today is about. We love you, we love these United States of America, and we want you to think about that as you enjoy the day off. Remember the United in United States of America. We may not always agree with each other, but we must stay United in order to fulfill our pledge to this great nation. Many have sacrificed their lives and families to protect that unity, do not tarnish it with hate and divisiveness. Thank you to all our active military, veterans, and first responders for keeping us safe and united. We couldn’t have done it without you, and don’t want to insult your sacrifices with petty hatred and indifference. Enjoy this great rendition of our National Anthem by Chris Stapleton. The post BANGshift.com Would Like To Wish All Of You A Happy And Safe Independence Day! We Hope You Enjoy The Celebration This 4th of July! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Matt Tucker did the one thing almost nobody in drag racing does anymore: he said no prep, and he meant it. This weekend, the WesTx Abilene Raceway owner and promoter is putting $150,000 in guaranteed money on the line at his Freedom of War, and he is doing it on a surface scraped down to nothing. No rubber. No glue. No groove built up over a season of Friday-night test-and-tunes. Tucker had the entire racetrack, and the parking lots around it, sandblasted to raw concrete. “There is not rubber. It is the furthest thing away from WesTx Abilene Raceway right now,” Michael Poland said on The Wes Buck Show, where he and Tucker laid out the whole plan Wednesday afternoon. “Small tire off the trailer, which will be really cool.” That phrase, off the trailer, is the entire point. Cars unload and race for a $75,000 top prize, with $20,000 to the runner-up, no time to lean on the track and no way to buy a shortcut around it. We’re providing a surface that is an equalizer. It’s not about power. It’s not about money. It’s truly who can really make their car go down that surface. They’re not racing a racer. They’re racing the surface. Matt Tucker, WesTx Abilene Raceway A track that sat for seven years Abilene was not supposed to matter again. The place had been dark for the better part of a decade, a former index track sitting quiet off I-20. “It was a big index track right off of I-20. For years and years, it just sat,” Poland said. “And then Matt Tucker got a hold of it about a year and a half ago.” For Tucker, a DFW guy, the racetrack solved a problem he had been chewing on for years. “Years ago, I wanted to start something more like a street race, but in a pasture, with just a concrete road and a few lights, a flashlight start, and just let it rip,” he said. “In the DFW area where I live, the property is just so hard and so expensive and so limited. The constraints with the cities, it just started becoming impossible.” Then somebody pointed him west. “Somebody reached out and said, hey, have you thought about that track in Abilene? I said, no, I didn’t even know it existed,” Tucker said. “The owner didn’t want to let it go to just anybody. He wanted it to go to somebody that was going to continue the racing in this town.” Tucker bought it and started spending. New paint on the shutdown and the starting line, a refreshed tower, redone bathrooms, and what Poland calls one of the biggest burnout pads in the country, ringed by cut-open shipping containers so fans can watch from inside the wall. “When people come out, it’s very presentable, very new, very fresh,” Tucker said. “It’s kind of just a wow factor.” The great equalizer Strip a track to bare concrete and you change who can win. That is the thesis, and it is why Poland, who has been at the center of Drag Illustrated’s outlaw and small-tire coverage, is so fired up. The single-turbo LS guys in a Fox body that may only be able to go 5.0s or 4.90s, they legit have a shot here. They have a shot to win. That is the whole purpose of this. Michael Poland “If you’re going out there on fresh concrete, it’s pretty well anybody’s ballgame,” Poland said. “It’s not necessarily going to be the guy with a twin-turbo Pro Line Hemi.” It is a deliberate break from the no-prep model that hardened over the last several years, where tracks ran on layers of built-up rubber and, as Poland put it, the money usually found a way to win. Tucker wanted the older, rawer version back, the one that feels less like a race and more like a street fight at 3 a.m. “I wanted to do something that I feel like nobody is doing, which is sticking with what they say they’re going to do,” Tucker said. “If they want no prep, they stick with no prep. You start flipping back and forth, it really makes it tough. It’s easier to go prep than it is no prep.” Poland has a name for the crowd this setup rewards. “I call them the street mutts,” he said. “They run around on backsides and streets. That’s what they do.” Bigger than one weekend The number that made the room stop was not the $150,000. It was what Tucker said comes next. The Freedom of War, he said, is the first move in a much larger play. A second event is already booked for November with a $200,000 purse. Then, in 2027, Tucker wants to run a five-race series worth a total of $1 million. “The first four races, that’s basically $600,000 we’re giving away,” Tucker said. “The fifth race, we’ll open it up, unlimited car count, and it’ll be for $400,000. All the winners from the first four will get free entry into the final.” For a corner of the sport that spent the last few years watching purses and events dry up, it is a jolt in the other direction. “You talk about this kind of purse money coming back into no-prep racing,” Wes Buck said on the show. “This is something a lot of people thought had gone the way of the dodo.” A super solid turnout By race weekend, WesTx Abilene Raceway had drawn a super solid turnout for the main event, 47 Small Tire cars strong. That is a healthy field for any small-tire race, and a real feather in the cap for a Fourth of July weekend, one of the toughest dates on the calendar to pull a field of racers to. The field mixes true 10.5 no-prep machines with the street cars that live for this kind of surface. Poland pointed to a handful of hitters expected to be in the mix: Ryan Martin, Ryan Mitchell, Billy Hoskinson, Tom “Jimmy Dale” Gunner and Scott Taylor. The format is built to spread the money around. First round of Small Tire and True Street run Friday night alongside Daily Driver, the Lil’ Gangsta 5.30 index and a slate of index classes. Saturday brings the smaller classes through the day before the Small Tire second chance and the main-event rounds off the trailer. True Street pays $10,000 guaranteed, courtesy of Ridgeway Fabrications. Then, because this is Tucker, there are fireworks. “We’re the only fireworks show in town,” he said of the Saturday-night display, timed to the Fourth of July and the country’s 250th birthday. The part that matters Ask Tucker about Abilene and he does not lead with the purse. He leads with the town, a tight-knit West Texas community that rallied around the racetrack the moment he bought it. “As soon as we bought it, I didn’t even have to advertise. People were just messaging: I heard you bought the track, when’s it going to open?” he said. “The local businesses, the radio stations, everybody has been very supportive. It’s been a blessing to be a part of Abilene.” That is the version of this sport Drag Illustrated has always pulled for: an operator pouring money into a facility instead of walking away from one, betting that if you build a real place and keep your word about how it races, the racers and the fans will show up. This weekend, on bare concrete off the trailer, Tucker finds out. Drag Illustrated will be on the property to tell the story. Drag Illustrated’s live Freedom of War Event Hub, powered by WesTx Abilene Raceway, is updating all weekend with schedule, payouts, class rules, photos and results. This story was originally published on July 3, 2026. The post Matt Tucker, Michael Poland Dish on $150,000 Freedom of War No-Prep Shootout first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article

Few things match the sickening, hollow feeling of returning to the spot where yo...View the full article

(Photos by Neal Sabo) We just finished sharing our lost Buckeye Skips drag and drive photos from 2025 the other day, but we’re excited about 2026! Yesterday was Day 1, when the driver’s meeting went down and the first day’s drive had racers testing their street tunes, as well as racing at National Trail. We’ve already got photos from BANGshifter Neal Sabo, so check them out below. Neal will be there all week snapping pictures and checking out the cool stuff going on. He is planning to hit all three days, at Darana Dragway at Dragway 42, Darana Raceway National Trail, and Kuhnle Motorsports Park to get all kinds of cool photos. He’ll be hitting the checkpoints and the tracks. We’ll have more coming throughout the week so check back tomorrow too! If you missed the previous photos, CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM TOO! The post Buckeye Skips 2026 Drag and Drive Photos Continue! Here’s Our Final Day 1 Racing Gallery from Darana Raceway National Trail in Ohio appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Jonathan Rea’s 2m04.422 helped Honda HRC top Friday qualifying at Suzuka, with BMW close behind and Jack Miller’s Yamaha Factory Racing Team fifth. The post Rea puts Honda HRC on top in Suzuka qualifying appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

Let's be real: it’s somewhat hipster ADV gear. But according to our own EIC, it's also pretty damn good.View the full article

(Words by Joe Grippo, photos by Dan Grippo) We hauled the race cars up to picturesque Beaver Springs Dragway the other weekend for the annual All Ford Race and Car Show. Sunshine, blue skies, and perfect temperatures made for a fantastic day at the drags. A killer variety of Blue Ovals filed into Beaver. Vintage iron, late model goodness, and everything in between filled the staging lanes, and a decent car show took shape in the pits. The racing was tight and we caught up with some friends and made a bunch of new ones, what more could you want. The McCracken boys, Mike and Mikey, had the track and starting line working and ran the program steady and efficiently and even managed to squeeze in a third time run for everyone. Classes were Cool Ford (12.00 and slower), Hot Ford (11.99 and quicker), an FE Only class and a quick 8 called Pro Ford. I ended up making it to the final of Hot Ford, so most of the gallery photos were taken by my wife Stacey and my brother Dan. Thanks to my team for all the help with the car and dial in choices, on top of photo duties! We will be back at Beaver Springs in September for the ORIGINAL (and only real, IMHO) FE Race and Reunion. Can’t wait! Support your local Racetrack. Beaver Springs Dragway – Nobody Does It Better! The post Beaver Springs Dragway All Ford Show and Drags Was Off The Hook For 2026! We’ve Got Dan Grippo Photos Right Here! appeared first on BangShift.com. View the full article

Now offered for sale on Bring a Trailer, this 2019 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe presents a modern interpretation of the classic café racer formula, blending timeless styling cues with contemporary engineering. Finished in the iconic Vintage Lime Green paint scheme with contrasting white graphics, the motorcycle captures the spirit of Kawasaki’s legendary performance machines while delivering the refinement and reliability expected from a modern sport bike. Positioned as the sportier sibling of the standard Z900RS, the Cafe variant distinguishes itself with […] The post FOR SALE: 2019 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe appeared first on Return of the Cafe Racers. View the full article

If you're looking for traditional Chevy power Texas Speed has you covered. Check out these new big and small block Chevy engines.View the full article

Johann Zarco’s recovery from his Catalunya MotoGP crash has taken a positive turn, with Castrol Honda LCR now targeting a September return after doctors opted against knee surgery. The post Zarco avoids surgery as September MotoGP return targeted appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team has extended its Ducati agreement through to the end of 2029, continuing as a Factory Supported Team with one factory-spec Desmosedici GP and one standard-spec machine. The post VR46 extends Ducati MotoGP deal through 2029 appeared first on MCNews. View the full article

Event Hub Powered By Latest Update · Race Week The Freedom of War is set for July 3-4 at WesTx Abilene Raceway. Full schedule, payouts and class rules are posted below. Live results and fresh photos from on-site shooter Matt Sutherland drop into this hub all weekend long. WesTx Abilene Raceway is throwing a Fourth of July street fight, and the ante is $150,000. The Freedom of War lands on the West Texas eighth-mile July 3-4, and the number that matters is this: $150,000 in guaranteed small-tire money. Off the trailer No time trials. No shakedowns. Racer gates open Friday morning, tech closes at 4:30, and the track goes hot at 6. From there it is win or load up. Over sixty-four cars, first come first serve, will chase a $75,000 top prize on 28×10.5s. True Street runs for $10,000 guaranteed courtesy of Ridgeway Fabrications, Daily Driver pays $3,000, and the Lil’ Gangstas doubles from $5,000 Friday to $10,000 Saturday. Stack index racing, a $5,000 Practice Tree Showdown, Powerwheels racing for the kids and fireworks over the top end Saturday night on top of that, and you have a two-day war worth the drive to Abilene. This is your home base for all of it. Schedule, payouts, class rules, photos and results, updating all weekend. In This Hub Schedule Payouts Class Rules Photos Admission Weekend Schedule Friday, July 3 Racer gates 8 AM · Tech 12-4:30 PM · Spectator gates 3 PM · Driver meeting 5 PM · Track hot 6 PM Running order: 1st Round Small Tire (off the trailer), Alternate Test Pass, 1st Round True Street (off the trailer), Daily Driver (off the trailer), Lil Gangster 5.30, 8.20 Index, 6.40 Index, 7.50 Index Saturday, July 4 Racer gates 8 AM · Spectator gates 11 AM · Driver meet-and-greet 12-3 PM · Practice Tree Showdown 10 AM-12 PM ($100 buy-in / $5,000 to win) · Powerwheels 3:30 PM · Driver meeting 4:30 PM · Track hot 5 PM · Fireworks 9:30 PM Running order: Powerwheels, Daily Driver (off the trailer), Lil Gangster 5.30, 2nd Chance True Street (off the trailer), True Street (off the trailer), 2nd Chance Small Tire (off the trailer), Small Tire (off the trailer) Purses & Payouts ClassGuaranteed PurseBuy-InTech CardSmall Tire (off the trailer)$150,000 guaranteed$1,000 *$50True Street – Ridgeway Fabrications$10,000 guaranteed$250$50Daily Driver$3,000 guaranteed$200$50Lil Gangster 5.30$5,000 Fri / $10,000 Sat$200$508.20 Index$820 on top$150$507.50 Index100% payback$150$506.40 Index100% payback$150$50Practice Tree Showdown (Sat)$5,000 to win$100–Powerwheels (Mod & Stock)100% payback$25– Small Tire Payout Breakdown FinishPayout1st$75,0002nd$20,0003rd$10,0004th$10,0005th$6,2506th$6,2507th$6,2508th$6,250 Class Rules Small Tire (Off the Trailer) $150,000 guaranteed · $1,000 entry ($200 non-refundable lock-in) · $50 tech card · 64-car field, first come first serve, 16 on standby 28×10.5 non-W Steel roof and quarters required unless different from factory (i.e. convertibles) Must start from the driver’s seat Must be a door car (with doors) Must have a driveshaft safety loop No added weight past the rear bumper No wheelie bars Engine diaper or belly pan preferred AWD allowed First round Friday night; 2nd Chance Small Tire is $300 buy-in for $10,000 guaranteed with BJ Flagging True Street (Off the Trailer) – Sponsored by Ridgeway Fabrications $10,000 guaranteed · $250 buy-in · $50 tech card · 2nd Chance True Street $250 buy-in, 100% payback with BJ Flagging AWD allowed, must be on DOT radials VIN, registered, tagged, plated (no dealer tag) No wheelie bars No slicks; tires must be 275 DOT radial, 17-inch wheel or larger can run any size DOT radial No back-half or aftermarket 4-link Must have a working cooling system and charging system Factory-appearing dash; must have all body panels (aftermarket hoods okay) Back seat delete okay; any fuel No added weight past the rear bumper or body of car Cannot be pushed to the lanes No aftermarket high wings; factory/stock style or carbon fiber wing only Fire jacket and helmet required; no shorts Engine diaper or belly pan preferred Daily Driver (Off the Trailer, Fri & Sat) $3,000 guaranteed · $200 buy-in · $50 tech card Must be tagged, titled and insured; factory glass, body panels and frame (fiberglass hood okay) Full interior, back seat delete okay; factory-style seats, aftermarket seats okay but must have padding Working headlights, turn signals, factory charging system and brake lights Factory-style suspension in factory location; if car came with IRS it must remain IRS No alcohol or methanol as a primary fuel; can be mixed or blended Must have 2 seats (car seats only) Factory 4-link or ladder bar must remain factory; no aftermarket 4-link parts Exhaust must exit at the rear end or out back No slicks; 275 DOT radial, 17-inch wheel or larger any size DOT radial; AWD must be on 100-treadwear radials all around No wheelie bars; no exterior weight past the body line/bumper No aftermarket high wings; factory/stock or carbon fiber only Fire jacket and helmet required; no shorts Lil Gangster 5.30 Index $5,000 Friday / $10,000 Saturday · $200 buy-in · $50 tech card 5.30 index 28×10.5 non-W or 275/60/15 or smaller unless factory-equipped on a 17-inch rim or bigger Must be a door car No wheelie bars, throttle stops or delay boxes No time slips AWD allowed Index Classes – 8.20 / 7.50 / 6.40 8.20: $820 on top · 7.50 & 6.40: 100% payback · $150 buy-in · $50 tech card (each, Friday) 8.20, 7.50 and 6.40 index brackets No delay boxes Powerwheels (Saturday) Modified & Stock · $25 buy-in each · 100% payback Off the tree, no gas Remote control allowed Modified class and Stock class Photo Gallery Photos: Matt Sutherland. Fresh galleries from this weekend drop in as the racing unfolds. Parking & Admission General admission, spectator side: $30 VIP fence parking, spectator side: $20 per car + $30 per person Pit-side parking (excluding racers): $50 per car + $30 per person RV daily parking (no racecar): $100 Power: $75 Kids 12 & under free All credit card transactions include a $5 convenience fee. WesTx Abilene Raceway, 5601 W. Stamford St., Abilene, Texas. More at waraceway.com. This story was originally published on July 2, 2026. The post Freedom of War at WesTx Abilene Raceway | 2026 Event Hub first appeared on Drag Illustrated. View the full article