After more than a twenty-year absence, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross series returns to the Sunshine State in 2019. Ironically, over that same period, a majority of the professional motocross riders racing the national series have moved within 100 miles of the premier motocross track at WW Ranch. Living, training and riding in South Georgia or north Florida has definitely become a year round way of life for dozens of the nation's top riders as well as hundreds of aspiring amateur racers. For decades, Gatorback Park to the west of Gainesville FL had hosted the American Motorcycle Association's outdoor national point's race. Unfortunately, conflicts in AMA and track schedules as well as ongoing safety concerns at the Gatorback track left series promoters searching for another venue. WW...

After getting off to a rocky start in 2019, Top Fuel point's leader Steve Torrence drove his Capco Contractors dragster to a fourth consecutive victory this season defeating Mike Salinas with a 3.763 ET at 326.32 mph in the final round of the 22nd annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway outside Joliet, Illinois. Torrence defeated Terry McMillen, Richie Crampton and Antron Brown en route to his 31st career Wally in Top Fuel and his second victory at the Route 66 Raceway. Top Fuel Number 1 qualifier Mike Salinas beat Scott Palmer, TJ Zizzo and Doug Kalitta to reach the finals. Despite having an engine detonate at the line, Tommy Johnson Jr. piloted his Make-A-Wish Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to victory for his first win since the Auto Club NHRA Finals in...

Andreas Nikolaus "Niki" Lauda was an Austrian Formula One driver, who to this day, remains the only driver in F1 history to have been crowned World Driving Champion for the sport's two most successful constructors - rivals Ferrari and McLaren. The three-time Formula 1 world champion died at the University Hospital Zurich on Monday after suffering years of organ failures (two kidney and a double lung transplant) related to his horrific racing accident at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany in 1976. Most recently, Lauda had served as non-executive chairman of Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix and was instrumental in the signing of Lewis Hamilton to the racing body's most successful Formula 1 team. Lauda's unique achievements as an athlete and racecar driver were almost pale by comparison to the...

The 2019 NHRA drag racing season has become a haven for repeat winners in the upper division classes at the Virginia NHRA Nationals. Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider, Andrew Hines won his third-straight national event over teammate Eddie Krawiec in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final. The win is the 52nd of Hine's career and came on the back of a 6.845-second ET at 195.68 mph. After qualifying number one, Hines also defeated 2018 Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith in the Semifinals. Pro Stock driver Bo Butner leaves Virginia with similar results. Butner defeated his K.B. Racing teammate Greg Anderson to score his fourth Wally in five races. He got off the starting line second but ran down Anderson's Summit Chevrolet to extend his lead in the Pro Stock class.  Driving the...

E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Drag Racing Series returned to Virginia Motorsports Park for the second year in a row. In the doorslammer class, Sidnei Frigo claimed his first Wally of the season by winning the second annual Virginia NHRA Nationals. For Frigo, the win marked the third career Pro Mod victory in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Series presented by J&A Services. The native of Sao Paulo Brazil ran a 5.796-second ET at 256.55 mph in the Artivincio Chevrolet Camaro to pick up a holeshot win over Stevie “Fast” Jackson’s pass of 5.768 at 251.16 mph.  Frigo got the weekend rolling by qualifying second before earning round wins over Chip King, Alex Laughlin and Eric Latino on his way to the final shootout with Jackson. When the smoked cleared on Sunday, the native of...

At the 39th annual Arby's NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, Ron Capps put his NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat a top the podium in Sunday's final. Capps extended his impressive series of season wins in Funny Car with at least one win in the last eleven NHRA seasons. On his way to a matchup against Tim Wilkerson, Capps defeated Shawn Langdon, number one qualifier John Force, and his Don Schumacher Racing teammate Tommy Johnson Jr. This was Capps third win at Atlanta and 62nd career victory. In Saturday Qualifying, Funny Car points leader Robert Hight topped the charts in his Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro SS at 3.920-seconds at 328.54 mph to claim his fifth Number One qualifier in 2019. Tim Wilkerson earned his trip to the Funny Car Final Round by defeating Cruz...

Pro Mod race teams rolled into Commerce GA this past weekend for the 39th annual Arby's NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway. Originally a hard-packed red clay airport, the track became an NHRA-sanctioned facility back in the 1980s and was resurfaced and updated in 1999 when the National Hot Rod Association purchased the speedway. In Friday's qualifying, Stevie "Fast" Jackson claimed the second number one qualifying position of the 2019 season for the Pro Mod Drag Racing Series. Jackson posted a class best qualifying time with a 5.768-second ET at 250.69 mph. Jackson expressed his disappointment of not having a shot at the quick time on Saturday, after foul weather moved into the northeast Georgia area. Wild upsets ruled the day, as Mike Castellana claimed his second Wally in...

The reigning world champion in the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service claimed his first victory of the 2019 season on Sunday with a win at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by SMP Racing. Having joined the doorslammer division during its inception in the 1990s, Mike Janis entered the 2019 Pro Mod season as an early favorite to take top honors again. The two-time Pro Mod World Champion is the second winningest driver in history. What a quadrant of competitors for the final light of the weekend for Pro Mod. Multi-time world champion (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016) Rickie Smith and his Bahrain 1 teammate Steve "Fast" Jackson launched from the outside lanes in Sunday's Final as Janis and the fierce competitor Erica Enders managed...

After winning the closing six races last season, defending Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence laid down three consecutive 3.7-second ETs at the NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on Sunday. Although it was the first win for Torrence this year, the Capco Contractors driver garnered his 28th Wally in Top Fuel to go with his four victories in Top Alcohol dragster, where Torrence also won an NHRA World Championship. But, this season hadn't gone as planned for the winless Capco Team. Now, after the team's third straight victory at the Charlotte event, Torrence leaves the four-wide with the points lead in Top Fuel. It is always a special moment when a driver gets his or her first class win. No stranger to the victory podium, former Top Fuel World Champion, Shawn Langdon won his first...

With just the name "Steve Fast" affixed to his driver's side window, multi-time NHRA Pro Mod champion Steve Jackson sought redemption at the 32nd annual Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals at Baytown. Jackson came up short in the season opener at this year's 50th annual Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals in March. North Carolina native Todd Tutterow grabbed a holeshot win and the special-edition "Gold Wally" at the Gainesville event, even though Jackson set the E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod national speed record with a quicker 5.643 ET at 253 mph. Having arrived last week at Houston Raceway with a chip on his shoulder, Steve "Fast" Jackson quickly eliminated teammate Khalid alBalooshi with a 5.679 ET at 253.80 mph in Round One. In the quarterfinals, Jackson defeated Brazilian driver Sidnei...