Drag Strips

In a sport where seats are rarely surrendered willingly – especially at the championship level – Bob Tasca III made it clear that his decision to turn over Funny Car driving duties wasn’t driven by circumstance, pressure, or corporate maneuvering. It was driven by conviction. Standing on stage at the Ford Racing Season Launch ’26 in Detroit, Tasca didn’t hesitate when explaining why reigning Funny Car champion Austin Prock is taking over the wheel of the Ford Performance Mustang Funny Car fo

When six-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders rolls into Phoenix this weekend for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals, she’ll be pulling double duty, competing in both Pro Stock and Pro Mod. Fresh off her second appearance at the Drag Illustrated Winter Series, Enders will pilot the signature red Rick Jones/Modern Racing-built screw-blown Camaro for Elite Motorsports.     “I’m excited to see where Pro Mod’s going, and as attractive as the big purses are, we’re trophy racers,” admitted

Jordan Vandergriff was introduced as a kid to the sport of drag racing at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, his hometown track, and he hoped to earn his first Funny Car win there in the NHRA’s 1,000th Funny Car race but the semifinals finish he and his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team were able to achieve in the NHRA Lucas Oil Winternationals was still an experience he’ll always treasure. John Force Racing teammates Josh Hart, Alexis DeJoria and Jack Beckman all ran strong in their

Keeping up with your race car's maintenance schedule is important. Here's how you can service a Meziere electric water pump.View the full article

Reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta made the quickest run on Friday at Route 66 Raceway, taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the sixth of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Kalitta, who is currently second in points behind

This quarter-mile drag strip opened in 1961 and is famous for hosting the NHRA’s Circle K Winternationals and Automobile Club of Southern California Finals (as well as being operated by the NHRA directly). It can accommodate up to 40,000 spectators and since 1984 has included Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock races. You might also know it as: Auto Club Raceway at Pomona or The Fairplex

Virginia Motorsports Park, one of the East Coast’s premier drag racing destinations, is set to enter a new era. Cuttell Motorsports and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) have reached an agreement to acquire the Dinwiddie, Virginia, facility from Tommy and Judy Franklin, who’ve owned and operated the track since 2017. Located on more than 500 acres at 8018 Boydton Plank Road, VMP has spent the last eight years under the stewardship of the Franklins, who oversaw significant upgrades

THE WES BUCK SHOW – EPISODE 416 “FIRST YEAR, FIRST TITLE, AND NITRO FAMILY BUSINESS” SOMETIMES YOU GRIND FOR YEARS FOR A TITLE. SOMETIMES YOU BUY A PRO MOD AND WIN THE WHOLE DAMN THING YOUR FIRST SEASON. This week on The Wes Buck Show we are talking about one of the coolest stories to come out of the DI Winter Series. First up, Peter Norton, your Drag Illustrated Winter Series champion. The wild part? A year ago the guy came to the race as a fan. Got hooked on the madness. Decided to

Gainesville Raceway opened in 1969 and held its first Gatornationals event in 1970. Long considered one of the fastest tracks on the NHRA circuit, it was from this legendary launch point that drivers clocked the first 260-, 270- and 300-mph Top Fuel runs. Fun fact: During the 2000 Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals, eight of 10 national records were set in the professional classes.

Buddy Hull is ready to focus his endless energy on team ownership. Hull talks about his new role as Funny Car team owner and driver.View the full article

Strange Engineering has doubled down on its long-standing commitment to grassroots drag racing, officially signing on as the title-rights sponsor of the 2026 Lil’ Gangstas Event Series – a partnership forged at the 2025 PRI Show in Indianapolis and one that solidifies Strange’s role at the heart of one of drag racing’s fastest-growing movements. For the Lil’ Gangstas brand – built by Michael Poland and Tom Gunner, a.k.a. “Jimmy Dale” – the deal represents both validation and momentum. What s

Drag Race Bracket Bonanza empowers fans with The Major Moments Brackets. Vote for the greatest milestones in historic NHRA drag racing.View the full article

Elite Motorsports is bringing seven teams to the Winternationals. Learn what each team has planned for this iconic NHRA event. View the full article

Bristol International Dragway (as it was known then) opened in 1965 under National Hot Rod Association sanction. At the time it was considered a state-of-the-art super dragway, the best in the country. Did you know? The dragstrip sits between two mountains so the strip earned the name "Thunder Valley" because of the thundering noise cars made when they traveled down the strip.

Rolling into the 66th Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Funny Car driver Dylan Winefsky was eager to make his mark at the 1,000th NHRA Funny Car race. Coming off a record setting performance three weeks ago at the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals at his hometown track Firebird Motorsports Park the rising star was focused on building momentum. The 21-year-old driver made the most of this weekend on and off the track qualifying and spending time with the fans.   “Going into Q4 yesterday, being number 11 wa

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has named Leah Martin as President, where she will oversee the organization’s operations across its various motorsports disciplines and support ongoing efforts to establish consistent structure and strategy within the sanctioning body. Martin’s background includes leadership roles in national nonprofit organizations, along with her work as Executive Director of the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, one of the largest powerboating events in the world. S

Drag Illustrated is proud to announce the release of its 2025 30 Under 30 Issue, the 10th edition of the magazine’s annual celebration of drag racing’s most promising young drivers, tuners, crew members, content creators, and industry professionals. The digital edition is now live, with the print edition set to debut later this week at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show in Indianapolis. This year’s cover spotlights NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle rookie Brayden Davis, who has quickly emerg

In June 2022, Zane Diamond-Odell stepped into the world of drag racing with no real plan, some training from a couple technical schools, and no idea how fast his life was about to change. A car guy since childhood, Diamond-Odell got a call from Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings star Kye Kelley offering him a position on his team. Diamond-Odell took the opportunity and has been on a whirlwind tour ever since. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #197, the 30 Under 30 Issue, in Nove

AutoMeter Products, Inc. introduces the new 7400 InVision Digital Dash, a universal-fit solution on AutoMeter’s latest 8.8-inch InVision platform. Designed to expand fitment opportunities, the 7400 delivers modern instrumentation in a more compact format, offering the same advanced functionality and performance as AutoMeter’s popular 12.3″ InVision series.  At the center of the system is a high-resolution 8.8″ LCD display, providing sharp, easy-to-read data across five user-selectable screens w

Winner winner chicken dinner will be a reality for the Southeast Gassers Association in 2026 with newly formed partnership with Wings Etc. Grill & Pub of Boiling Springs, South Carolina. Wings Etc. is proud to partner with SEGA for race weekend streaming and beyond. With a strong history in motorsports – from local Upstate South Carolina events to the NASCAR O’Reilly Series – Wings Etc. brings authentic racing enthusiasm to the partnership. As SEGA’s official “Wings and More” destination, th

Chad Green of Midland, Tex., drove his nitro-burning CGM Bond-Coat Ford Mustang Funny Car to the quarterfinals Sunday at the famed NHRA Winternationals drag races at the In-N-Out Burger Dragstrip in a rain-delayed event. After two sun-drenched days of qualifying at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds racing plant, Green, who qualified sixth, and the 16-driver Funny Car field had to play a waiting game with a series of rainstorms pelting the facility throughout Sunday morning and afternoon. Af

Bob Riffle's 1973 Dodge Dart was an iconic race car in the 1970s. The Dart recently was fully restored to its original state. View the full article

DEI introduces Adapt-A-Shield XT Heat Protection for engine bays. This barrier molds by hand to shield critical components from extreme heat.View the full article

When the hit television shows Street Outlaws and No Prep Kings stopped filming after 15 seasons, many fans wondered what would be next for their beloved drivers. Two of its most popular stars – Ryan Martin and Shawn “Murder Nova” Ellington – didn’t waste much time getting back to doing what they’ve always done: Race. Martin quickly jumped into the Small Tire ring, hosting his own events across the south last winter, competing at large no-prep events such as Outlaw Armageddon, and is currentl

Antron Brown wants a Winternationals Wally bad. Brown sees this event as a chance to launch a Top Fuel title run in 2026. View the full article