Forceful winds play havoc with NHRA

Ashley Force and John Force are household names on the NHRA circuit. But it was “Gale Force” who was the biggest of the name players during qualifying rounds Friday at the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 Nationals. But it was “Gale Force” who was the biggest of the name players during qualifying rounds Friday at … Read more

Ready or not? NHRA POWERade Series Drivers Anticipate Summer Heat as Tour Moves on to Chicago

Air temperature, altitude and dew point all play factors in preparation for NHRA POWERade Series teams. Some feel prepared for the summer stretch, including Funny Car’s Cruz Pedregon, who announced a switch to a Toyota Solara body before Topeka. He’s confident that his Advance Auto Parts team will adapt to the new body and make … Read more

Defying age and death

There were many, including this corner, who thought John Force had reached the end of the line last September when he crashed in Ennis, Tex., and suffered serious injuries. We were amazed when the 59-year-old Force climbed back into his Castrol Ford Mustang Funny Car at the Winternationals and started competing once again in the … Read more

Tasca pumped by qualifying effort

NHRA Funny Car rookie Bob Tasca III is fired up for today’s eliminations in the NHRA Summer Nationals after a career-best No. 2 qualifying effort. “We had one of the, if not the most consistent, qualifying car of the weekend,” Tasca said in a team release. “I’m just thrilled with Chris (Cunningham, crew chief) and … Read more

Summer Nationals First Round Pairings

First round pairings / qualifying results for the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas, June 1st, 2008. 1 Tony Bartone R.T. (.089) E.T. 6.648 MPH 135.43 16 Gary Densham R.T. (.111) E.T. 4.962 MPH 304.32 2 Bob Tasca III R.T. (.017) E.T. 4.939 MPH 309.06 15 Tony Pedregon R.T. (.034) E.T. 6.199 MPH 150.16 … Read more

2008 O`Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals – Friday Recap

With air temperatures teetering near 90 all day and track temperatures bumped up near 120 degrees, competitors got their first taste of summer conditions during the opening day of action at the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals presented by Castrol GTX, and Larry Dixon, Tony Bartone, and Dave Connolly adapted best to the hot, muggy conditions, … Read more