John Force Racing Teams at NHRA Arizona Nationals   The race only lasts about 4 seconds. Four. Even F1's new engines at 15,000 rpm would only turn over 1000 times in four seconds. But no doubt, these nitro burning mothers make some power!    (Click any of these pictures to see them full size)   Back at the pits of John Force Racing, it went like this: Race, win, zip back to pits, body off, blink, the blower's on a bench, blink, the clutch is SMOKING next to the car. These guys don't play, so I wanted to show some pictures...     You'll have to look closely, but off to the right of the clutch shown here, you'll see some smoke rising up. One of Robert Height's crew members just moved this thing. Wonder if it's cool enough to touch before going back in?       This is the mess that goes with the heat of the clutch. It's a beautiful mess when you can rocket from 0 to 100 in under a second!       This was the thrash between rounds for Brittany Force's final...

Brittany Force of John Force Racing Team   Peaceful.    Lucky me, at the Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Raceway just outside Phoenix (my home track), I was treated to an extended visit with the newest member of the John Force Racing Team - Brittany Force. I shot a few pictures of the crew between rounds (remember Brittany was runner-up at this race!!) and during warm-up time. Believe it or not, this is Brittany right before 8000 horsepower fires behind her.   Brittany told me, for warm-up or before a race,  "I take a deep breath, trust the team to get ready, then it's my turn to drive and hopefully get a win!"   You may be correctly asking yourself... how does she look so good in the middle of a race? It gets better from here!!     Just another day at the office, but when it's time to get down to business, the mask goes on and she's the boss:     Finally, I ask you, would you look this happy if you'd just lost in your first final round? Well, she's been brought up right...

I Met Leah Pritchett Driver of Gumout Top Fueler   Thank you to Nicole Erickson for the pictures! Thanks to friends from Gumout, I met Leah Pritchett at her pits during the Arizona NHRA race at Wild Horse Pass. Check this out:   She's always been daddy's girl at the track She's just the driver   NOPE! Both are TOTALLY FALSE! Check it out...     Ya know how before you meet someone you start to anticipate what they're like? I guess you'd say it's just guessing, but I just figured I knew a little more about Leah before I arrived... OK. Yes. She's good looking... Better looking in person too and believe this too: Easy to like! Our interview could have been done quicker except for all the friends stopping by to wish her luck.   After a disappointing first round loss, I expected Leah to be down. I would be! Losing first round sucks even if it's a, "Run watch-cha brung" Wednesday night at your local track. She wasn't happy, but she took it in stride. Running 15 races this year with the help of Gumout (up from only 12...

Bad Blown Chevy Nova rips up Wild Horse Pass Quarter Mile     Glen Bolz, a buddy from near me in Arizona hooks us up with timely info about how his purpose drag race built 1966 Chevy Nova is doing at the track. He's doing well!!   The car's great enough to win at a car show and now does low 7's at almost 200 mph now that Glen's able to step on it some. It's even nice enough to grace the August cover of Chevy High Performance magazine. Glen's best pass is shown below. The 3 camera compilation is right on!   [youtube]http://youtu.be/Z7rvquTtxAI[/youtube]     There you have it! 7.25@193 mph - the fastest this car has ever run! She's a bit out of place as the only non-stickered car running in Top Sportman (non of that throttle-stop nonsense!) at the Division 7 race at Wild Horse Pass. Glad the rain let up long enough! If there's an update from the race, I'll post it.   Thanks again...

Gumout & Dote Racing Team for 2014 NHRA Top Fuel   Former Pro Mod Star Secures Major Sponsor in Tough Top Fuel Ranks   Gumout Performance Additives  announced sponsorship with young drag racing star Leah Pritchett and the Dote Racing Top Fuel dragster team for the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.   Gumout, a trusted brand that has offered drivers numerous automotive performance products for nearly 70 years, returns to the NHRA professional drag racing ranks with the partnership with the Ohio-based Top Fuel squad and the talented California native, Pritchett behind the wheel of the Gumout/Dote Racing 8,000-horsepower, nitro-burning dragster.   Gumout became a drag racing staple in the 1970s and 1980s with the legendary “Grumpy’s Toy” Pro Stock car campaigned by Hall of Famer Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins.  Gumout expanded its motorsports activities following the Jenkins association with a variety of competitions included circle track racing, road racing, boat racing and off-road racing.   “We are extremely excited to return to NHRA professional drag racing in a big way with Leah Pritchett and the Dote Racing Top Fuel organization,” said Rusty Waples, Global Group Brand Manager at...

Ya Just Gotta Ask...What's The Deal With Gassers? (And Why We Love 'Em!) In the very early years of the NHRA, gassers were nothing more than slightly modified gas powered sedans that could compete in five gas classes, determined by engine size and weight. In 1958, a gas class racer was basically a street coupe with no engine setback allowed. All “gassers” had working lights, wipers, starter, generator and all other street equipment.  Fans and belts were optional, but radiators were required. Full exhaust systems, including mufflers, were required but could be unhooked for competition, but they had to remain on the car.  Cars even had to be currently licensed for the street.   Cars in the gas classes were required to have full “factory-type” upholstery but two buckets could replace the standard bench seat as long as both were fully upholstered.  Customs were allowed as long as the car wasn’t chopped, channeled or sectioned a total of more than four inches.  Cars had to have four stock fenders and the stock bumpers had to be in place.   More Gassers and Altered Wheelbase hot rods (opens in new window)...

Courtney Force beats John Force in New England   There's nothing better than doing what you love - drag racing - and getting to do it with your family. Courtney Force and her dad John Force have it made! On Courtney's birthday weekend, she got the win, but it was revenge for their last final round win when John took the win on Father's Day. That's fair I guess! John Force Racing press release follows...   Photos courtesy of Gary Nastase Photography COURTNEY FORCE WINS INAUGURAL NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS   EPPING, NH ---- In a rematch of their Father’s Day first round battle in Bristol last weekend Courtney Force came out on the winning side today taking out father and 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force in the final round of the Inaugural Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals. The second year driver won for the second time this season and third time in her career outpacing her teammate 4.301 seconds to 4.361 seconds in front of a capacity crowd at New England Dragway.   “I told him I was definitely going to try to get revenge, but last time...

Looking Back on Hemi Cuda Funny Car Development   By Moore Good Ink Photos courtesy of Jim White Forty-eight years ago, toward the end of the 1965 drag racing season, Chrysler and their Southern Californian Plymouth Dealers Association underwrote the costs of constructing and operating a blown nitro 426cu in rear-engine Plymouth Hemi Barracuda Funny Car. The proposition that brought together the Chrysler Corporation and the Southern Californian Plymouth Dealers Association was conceived by the late Lou Baney. Lou, who was already running the Mongoose in the Yeakel Plymouth Center’s Fuel dragster, could see the potential for exploiting a new Hemi Barracuda Funny Car in exhibitions and match races. The moment was right and the deal was struck and B&M Automotive were contracted to construct the car, Dave Zeuschel to prepare the engine and Tom “Mongoose” McEwen to drive it.   The origins of the Funny Car The term Funny Car had derived from the appearance of Chrysler’s Ram Chargers a year earlier. The corporation’s competition department had moved the rear axle assembly forward on the chassis in an attempt to improve weight transfer under acceleration, thus increasing the...

Bad Blown Nova from Arizona Our good friend Glen Bolz, with his insane blown Nova, let us know he'll be in the August issue of Chevy High Performance magazine. Here's a short video to remind you why you care:   [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W52BmkYEU1k[/youtube]     Then, here's the cover to watch for soon:...

Meet Uncle Jed: A Robert Killian creation aimed to run 200-plus mph Story by Ben Mozart Photographs by our friends at Moore Good Ink Now here's something you don't see every day! You've seen mash-ups of a pro-touring Mercury Comet, but this one's the ultimate combination of hot rod style and pro-style motivation. Robert Killian, you out did yourself! Robert Killian hails from Canton, Georgia. He’s been building hot rods for most his adult life, and he has always indulged himself in the unorthodox.   But when contemplating Uncle Jed he told his chassis builder, “Let’s have one last adventure into the unknown. I’m reaching a point in my life (58) when I don’t anticipate foolin’ with 200mph cars much longer.” So this was how he approached his latest creation: a 1,900hp big-inch Pro Stock-powered road-legal Rat Rod. “Mind you,” said Killian, “I’m hesitant about calling Uncle Jed a Rat Rod because some Rat Rodders take offense. They’re adamant that it’s not low-buck enough, but obviously there’s not enough gleaming paint on it to call it a hotrod.” So its genre is uncertain.   What is certain, however, is...

Traxxas and  Courtney Force to Scale In case you've missed every NHRA race this year, you should know that Traxxas has stepped up big time to sponsor quite a few professional drag racing teams, especially the gorgeous (and hard working racer) Courtney Force, daughter or the legend John Force. MyRideisMe.com has been posting race updates from John Force Racing so we got this info about the 1/8 Scale Funny Cars that Traxxas is making now. Here's more info from the source. TRAXXAS HITS IGNITION ON 1/8 SCALE RC FUNNY CARS FOR JFR CHARLOTTE, NC (April 13, 2012) – NHRA Full Throttle Racing fans around the country have been awaiting a John Force Racing RC Funny Car model since the beginning of a new, unique and energetic partnership between Traxxas and John Force Racing was announced in early January of this year. Today fans at the 3rd annual Four-Wide NHRA Nationals got their first peek at the four JFR Traxxas Funny Cars during a photo shoot beside the Traxxas fan experience zone. Traxxas revealed last week a collection of fully assembled, Ready-To-Race®, Traxxas RC Ford Mustang Funny Cars. The new models run...

Courtney Force of John Force Racing Team     Hard work pays off...     It's working for MyRideisMe.com to get me access to the best, bar none, funny car and drag racing team there is: John Force Racing for this interview.   It's also working for Courtney Force. Sure, she's got a leg up as the daughter of 15x funny car champion John Force, but do you think he's the type of guy that'd throw his beautiful daughter into a 300 mph funny car without her wanting it? Earning it! No way.   So learn a little more about Courtney and driving 300 in this video. Thanks! [youtube]http://youtu.be/v6SPxrlpqhM[/youtube]   Behind every great driver is a great team. Here's Courtney's crew: Thanks for letting me poke around all day...