Drag Strips

The first year of the century’s second decade couldn’t have started much worse for NHRA Pro Stock star Greg Anderson. With his team owner and close friend, Ken Black, fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital after suffering a stroke last December, Anderson’s Mooresville, North Carolina, home was gutted by fire just one month later. Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared as the cover story in DI #47 in November of 2010. Fortunately, no one was injured in the blaze, but Anders

John Force’s office inhabits the northwestern corner of the second floor of a sprawling, 60,000 square foot Infiniti car dealership turned race shop in beautiful Yorba Linda, California. It’s a big office, of course, affording a spectacular view of the mountains of Chino Hills Range. Even the empty parking lot below seems impressive from this vantage point, though nothing more than asphalt. It’s difficult to shake the feeling that this is the house that drag racing built. On a recent January mor

His stats speak for themselves: six IHRA Pro Modified world championships, 28 IHRA Pro Mod national-event titles in 43 finals for a 65-percent win rate, plus countless match-racing victories and track records set over the course of two decades of doorslammer driving. Add to these accomplishments the 1999 NHRA Rookie of the Year award, two IHRA Top Fuel wins and serving as crew chief for his son Scott Jr.’s 2007 IHRA Pro Mod championship-winning season and it’s clear Scotty Cannon has earned ever

As Drag Illustrated celebrates its 20th anniversary and approaches the milestone 200th issue, we’re diving into the archives and republishing some of favorite features from 190-plus issues of the magazine. This cover story by Ian Tocher on Glenn Butcher, who won the 2024 PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world championship, is from DI #89 in July of 2014. It’s the off season and most of Glenn Butcher’s race shop has been turned into a basketball court, complete with baskets at both ends and free-thro

In early May, former DI contributor Craig Cook sat down four of the original Street Outlaws cast members for a roundtable interview at Mo-Kan Dragway’s inaugural 405 Shootout. Cook spoke with James “Doc” Love, Joe “Dominator” Woods, Sean “Farmtruck” Whitley, Jeff “AZN” Bonnett to discuss the early days of the show, how it evolved over time, and what the future holds after 15 seasons of the original show and numerous spinoffs.  At the time, many of the drivers were at a crossroads: with no te

In early May, former DI contributor Craig Cook sat down four of the original Street Outlaws cast members for a roundtable interview at Mo-Kan Dragway’s inaugural 405 Shootout. Cook spoke with James “Doc” Love, Joe “Dominator” Woods, Sean “Farmtruck” Whitley, Jeff “AZN” Bonnett to discuss the early days of the show, how it evolved over time, and what the future holds after 15 seasons of the original show and numerous spinoffs.  At the time, many of the drivers were at a crossroads: with no te

In early May, former DI contributor Craig Cook sat down four of the original Street Outlaws cast members for a roundtable interview at Mo-Kan Dragway’s inaugural 405 Shootout. Cook spoke with James “Doc” Love, Joe “Dominator” Woods, Sean “Farmtruck” Whitley, Jeff “AZN” Bonnett to discuss the early days of the show, how it evolved over time, and what the future holds after 15 seasons of the original show and numerous spinoffs.  At the time, many of the drivers were at a crossroads: with no te

There is a lot riding on the shoulders of 31-year-old Jordan Vandergriff, but the weight of being tapped by John Force himself as the driver of the Cornwell Quality Tools Funny Car is more than welcome. To have been invited to drive for a legendary team would be mind-blowingly cool for anyone, but to settle into a Funny Car for the first time – let alone the one still sizzling after back-to-back championships – only adds to the surreality for Vandergriff. That being said, he’s certainly up to th

In early May, former DI contributor Craig Cook sat down four of the original Street Outlaws cast members for a roundtable interview at Mo-Kan Dragway’s inaugural 405 Shootout. Cook spoke with James “Doc” Love, Joe “Dominator” Woods, Sean “Farmtruck” Whitley, Jeff “AZN” Bonnett to discuss the early days of the show, how it evolved over time, and what the future holds after 15 seasons of the original show and numerous spinoffs.  At the time, many of the drivers were at a crossroads: with no te

The U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission just wrapped up, and the pit area of event winner “Stevie Fast” Jackson is oddly silent. Soon the bourbon will be flowing like water, but for the moment, crew members are busy discussing a variety of other topics – what all needs to be repaired on the car; what time do they need to leave the following morning to get back to the shop; and how bad has the weekend’s winter storm affected their area.  Editor’s Note: This story originall

Earlier this month, Drag Illustrated’s own Wes Buck and Mike Carpenter traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the annual Washington Rally hosted by the Government Affairs divisions of Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and Performance Racing Industry (PRI). The duo met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to “spread the gospel of drag racing,” as Buck often says. This time, they brought the message directly to the nation’s policymakers. Two key issues were at the focus of their

If there’s a place where horsepower meets heart, it’s the annual Truckin’ For Kids Charity Show & Drags – and the 45th edition didn’t lift. It stood on the diesel pedal and never looked back. Held May 2-3 at Famoso Dragstrip and presented by 10-4 Magazine, the Bakersfield staple once again proved that big rigs, big smoke, and big speed can drive an even bigger purpose. With all net proceeds benefiting Shriners Children’s Hospital in Pasadena, the weekend blended show-and-shine polish wit

Heading into 2026 after one of the most successful seasons in Texas Motorplex history, the world famous all-concrete race track and multi-use facility will be looking to expand its family friendly events and races this season. With a long history of hosting some of the biggest drag racing events in the country and on the heels of one of the largest music festivals in the state of Texas last year, the 6th annual Stampede of Speed, October 9-14, will once again feature the fastest motorsports in t

South Georgia Motorsports Park has tabbed respected racer, veteran, and industry figure Don O’Neal as its new General Manager, tasking him with leading the facility into a new era ahead of a packed 2026 schedule that includes the return of the NHRA Southern Nationals. O’Neal, a U.S. Army veteran with extensive experience across motorsports, business, and event operations, will oversee all day-to-day activity at the Valdosta-area facility. His role includes racer and fan experience, partner d

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 M

Running both pump gas and methanol with a Holley Dominator is possible. Rick Trunkett walks us through how this advanced system works. View the full article

Blue skies, sticky track conditions and packed staging lanes highlighted a busy weekend of Summit Series competition at Famoso Dragstrip as racers battled through back-to-back points races during Races No. 3 and No. 4 of the 2026 season. Saturday’s program opened the weekend with a strong mix of door cars, dragsters, motorcycles and Junior Street entries filling the property from early morning through the final rounds. Paige Smith picked up the Sportsman victory, while Jeff Arnswald drov

Veteran nitro crew chief Ron Douglas will join Doug Foley’s Foley Lewis Racing Top Fuel team as a consultant for the 2026 season, the team announced today. Douglas joins a proven group led by longtime Foley Lewis Racing crew chief Doug Kuch as the team prepares for what Foley describes as a “rebuilding year” beginning at the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season opener, the NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.  Douglas brings to the table years of experience leading championshi

Gary Pritchett takes over as the 2026 Top Fuel driver for Foley Racing. Owner Doug Foley plans to expand their NHRA and IHRA presence.View the full article

Doug Foley Racing announced today that Doug Foley will transition from driving duties to a full-time team owner role beginning with the 2026 season. Gary Pritchett has been named driver of the team’s Top Fuel dragster.   “We are going to do a driver swap in 2026,” Foley said. “I am going to get out of the seat. And I just felt like we could be better all the way around and I kind of wanted to focus more on just taking the team to another level, and so I decided to get out of the seat.”Foley, a v

Two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Doug Kalitta is feeling confident heading into Phoenix this weekend for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs, the second stop in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Kalitta was the runner up at the NHRA Gatornationals two weeks ago missing the race win when the Mac Tools dragster dropped a cylinder almost immediately. It was Kalitta’s fourth final round in Gainesville, Fla., but the first time he did not win the race after reaching the fin

For Doug Kalitta, this year’s fall visit to In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals marked a far different feel. There were no tense moments, no chance at heartbreak and not even a need for a thrilling winner-take-all finish. Instead, the championship came on Saturday, summarizing an incredible jaunt through the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. After years of second-place finishes and near-misses, Kalitta won the Top Fuel championship for the second time in t

Drag Illustrated, the independent voice of drag racing, today announced the launch of the DI Power 100, an annual editorial franchise recognizing the 100 most influential people in the sport. Nominations are open immediately at DragIllustrated.com and will be accepted through July 3, 2026. The DI Power 100 is the most comprehensive recognition program in drag racing history – spanning every corner of the sport. Racers, builders, engine builders, promoters, track operators, sanctioning body l

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

Drag Illustrated has officially released its highly anticipated 2025 Photo Annual, a visually driven celebration of the moments, machines, and personalities that defined the season. The newest edition is headlined by 2025 Snowbird Outlaw Nationals Pro Mod winner Jason Harris, whose standout performance at Bradenton Motorsports Park in December earned him the cover of this year’s issue. “The Photo Annual has become one of our favorite projects every year because it allows us to let the images