Free Republic

POMONA – Leah Pruett gave birth to a son and NHRA Top Fuel driver Tony Stewart, the father, went to Phoenix on Saturday for the delivery. He returned Sunday for the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals in Pomona. Dominic James Stewart was born in Phoenix on Saturday night. Stewart left Pomona after qualifying to be with Pruett. “Momma Leah Pruett and baby are doing great. Congratulations LP and Tony Stewart on becoming new parents! Only Tony could pull off qualifying, rushing to Phoenix to make it in time for the delivery, then back to Pomona Dragstrip for race day. Let’s go...

RICHMOND, Va. / NORWALK, Ohio. – Four days after his crash at more than 300 miles per hour, drag racing champion John Force has moved from the trauma intensive care unit to the neuro intensive care unit, where the medical team can focus on his head injury which is their primary concern. The move was a welcome positive for his family members, who have maintained a daily presence at the hospital all week. With the unanimous support of her family, team, and sponsors, Brittany Force is not planning to compete this week at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk,...

Leah Pruett and Tony Stewart wanted to start a family, but that meant she had to step away from racing, and Stewart knew she was going to struggle. When a person devotes 27 years of their life to something it becomes a part of them, and taking a step back from it is never easy as NHRA competitor Leah Pruett is discovering this year. The 35-year-old Pruett started in Junior Dragsters at age 8 and she’s spent her life climbing the drag racing ladder, often thrashing to find sponsors to keep her career afloat. She has recorded 18 career victories...

The NHRA community shares its thoughts, remembrances, and tributes on the passing of drag racing icon Don Schumacher. NHRA President Glen Cromwell: “We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Don Schumacher, a truly legendary name in NHRA Drag Racing and motorsports. As both a driver and celebrated championship-winning team owner, Don was passionate about racing and driven to succeed, committed to safety on the track, and a remarkable person whose influence on the sport will be felt forever. He leaves behind an incredible legacy, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his friends, family, and everyone...

Leah Pruett will step away from the NHRA drag racing series in 2024 to focus on starting a family with Tony Stewart. Her NASCAR Hall of Famer husband will replace her next season in the Top Fuel dragster that Pruett drove to a career-best third-place finish in the NHRA standings this year. Pruett and Stewart married just over two years ago. “This is an incredibly personal decision, and what led to making this decision are other personal situations that have happened in my life and our lives,” Pruett told The Associated Press in an interview with Stewart. “Time is not...

Hot Rod HoarderThis Hemi-Powered 1971 Dodge Demon Pro Stock drag car was built by SOX & MARTIN for the 1971 Pro Stock season. It only raced for ONE SEASON, and was put away in the owner’s shed until 1985. Then, it was sold to a racer in Kentucky, who repainted it and raced it for a short time. From there, the car went missing for a little while and was finally found in Florida.The grandson of the original owner tracked the car down and bought it from the Florida man. He then restored the car back to its original 1971...

Tom “the Mongoose” McEwen, one of the iconic figures in drag racing history, died June 10. He was 81. McEwen, voted No. 16 on NHRA's Top 50 Drivers lists in 2001, competed in both Funny Car and Top Fuel, and although he wasn't one of drag racing's most prolific winners, he certainly was one of its most colorful.

Jackson police arrested an allegedly intoxicated man who was accused of racing riding lawn mowers with an associate Saturday night. Jeremy Tyson Cook, 35, of Jackson is charged with felony driving while intoxicated as a chronic offender. His bond was set at $35,000 cash or surety. Police responded about 1:30 a.m. to the area near the intersection of Greensferry Road and Maryland Street. A caller said two subjects were operating four-wheelers in a public roadway and being “extremely loud,” according to a probable-cause statement filed by Jackson police officer Jason Wilhelm. Wilhelm stated he saw two people in the roadway...

I was enjoying watching drag racing... the NHRA Mopar Mile-High Nationals, qualifying rounds from Denver Colorado when driver John Force was on camera complaining about a list of the all time great drivers. Keep in mind that drag racing fans are much like country music fans. They tend to be all American conservatives. Just then, Force blurted out "You're like FOX News, Hannity and Beck. All lies. All crap." I had no idea that John Force was that stupid. And I'm not even talking about stupid because he apparently supports the Communist takeover of the USA, but because he would...

Official Statement: Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Neal Parker, 58, from Millville, N.J., crashed Friday at a high rate of speed in the shutdown area during qualifying for the NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and was pronounced dead. NHRA officials and New Jersey state police are investigating the accident. On behalf of everyone at NHRA and Raceway Park, we are deeply saddened and want to pass along our sincere condolences to the entire Parker family. - - - - - 12:35 PM, EST. - A high-speed crash during the first session of Top Alcohol Funny Car qualifying...

The FR 2009 NHRA Championship Drag Racing Thread No Turns. . . No Pit Stops. . . Just White Knuckles Ground Pounding Speed NHRA-CDR: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle <> HRH: Top Fuel, Funny Car, Groups 1 & 2 Drag School Locations: Gainesville & Pomona ~ Frank Hawley, 2 Time NHRA Funny Car World ChampionNHRA Hot Rod Heritage Racing Series Schedule - Full Nostalgia Drag Racing Schedule 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Championship Drag Racing Schedule For Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock cars there are twenty-four(24) racing events in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle...

John Force enjoys and thrills fans at Super Bowl John Force signed for fans for more than three hours at the ESPN Consumer Village. Force also talked with a fan via cell phone. Force talks racing and football with Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell. Fourteen-time NHRA Funny Car world champion John Force never won a football game as a high school quarterback. But Saturday he was at the epicenter of the football universe. He did not disappoint the thousands of fans that were in Tampa to enjoy the Super Bowl XLIII festivities at the ESPN The Magazine NEXT Consumer Village....

ESPN2’s coverage of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series for 2009 will feature final eliminations action in prime time, continuing a pattern of consistent scheduling that includes finals telecasts from 18 of 24 events in Sunday night viewing times. With exclusive coverage of the NHRA for the ninth consecutive season, ESPN2’s season begins Feb. 7-8 with the 49th annual Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals from Pomona, Calif. ESPN2 will have coverage of qualifying and finals rounds from all 24 events in the series, with expanded coverage from drag racing’s biggest event, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. All coverage...

Leader of New Congress Promises to Preserve, Build Affordable HousingPublished: November 06, 2008 By Anuradha Kher, Online News Editor Boston--U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, recently laid out affordable housing legislative priorities for the 111th Congress during the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association (NH&RA) Fall Developers Forum held recently in Boston. Representative Frank emphasized that an affordable housing preservation bill will be a top priority when the Congress convenes in January. Congressman Frank delivered his remarks after accepting NH&RA’s 2008 Affordable Housing Vision Award. “We are certainly happy that the chairman of the House...

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. -- He was strong and determined, wearing a name that exemplified the tough and unforgiving attitude drag racing demands from its winners. Scott Kalitta lost his life in a top-end accident at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park while driving his DHL-sponsored nitro Funny Car on Saturday. The violence of the crash and the stultifying devastation that ended his life at 46 years of age was a sobering shock to the drag-racing world at a time when much is being made about the safety advances that have recently enhanced the level of protection Funny Car drivers can count on....

Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta was killed today in a fiery crash during a drag race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, race officials said. Kalitta, 46, was pronounced dead at Old Bridge Township Hospital after his car lost control during the fourth and final round of qualifying at the National Hot Rod Association Super Nationals, according to statement by the association.

CHARLOTTE -- Lowe's Motor Speedway and its multi-million dollar NASCAR events could soon drive away from Concord or even the entire Charlotte region. That’s if speedway owner Bruton Smith sticks by his words. Smith is threatening Concord leaders that he will pursue plans to annex LMS out of city limits. He could also pack up shop and move the speedway elsewhere. Smith is fuming over the Concord City Council’s decision to halt construction on land for a drag strip. Speaking with News 14 Carolina, Smith said, "Maybe the mayor and Council don't like racing anymore. I have people right now...

2nd Annual NHRA Torco Racing Fuels NationalsVirginia Motorsports Park – Richmond, Virginia October 5 - 7, 2007 NHRA.com's Torco Racing Fuels Nationals homepage      The NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series returned to Virginia last year with a race that shattered Pro performance barriers, especially in Pro Stock with Jason Line setting the National record that helped him capture the World Championship. This is the last 2007 “Countdown to 4 Championship” race. After this Sunday’s final elimination rounds the field of eight drivers eligible for the championship in each category - Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock - is...

Wally Parks, the driving force behind the National Hot Rod Association, died Sept. 28 at the age of 94."An institution is the lengthened shadow of one man," wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson in a collection of essays 166 years ago. He could have been talking about the NHRA. Emerson's quote was stitched on a quilt presented to Parks by Louise McClelland, wife of longtime NHRA announcer Dave McClelland, at Park’s 90th birthday party four years ago. Parks' shadow stretched much taller than his six-foot four-inch frame across drag racing, lakes racing, automotive publishing and the aftermarket speed parts industry. Parks was...

Drag racing's biggest star, 14-time champion John Force, was alert and conscious after suffering two broken legs and an injured arm in a nasty top-end collision Sunday with fellow straight-line legend Kenny Bernstein in the second round of eliminations at the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas. Force has been airlifted to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas for further treatment. Their Funny Cars got together just as they crossed the finish line after Bernstein clipped the final timing cone. The numbers, although unofficial, showed Force crossing with a 4.863 at 315.34 mph to Bernstein's 4.904...