Lizzy Musi (near lane) took the Pro Nitrous win over Tommy Franklin.

Records were broken and championships were decided as the Professional Drag Racers Association crowned the Drag Wars event champions at GALOT Motorsports Park Saturday night. Lizzy Musi set the elapsed-time and speed national records (3.656 at 206.42 mph) on her way to the Pro Nitrous win.

Cary Goforth (near lane) secured the Extreme Pro Stock world championship along with his victory over Jeff Dobbins. (Roger Richards photos)

Also victorious in the professional classes were North Carolinians Terry Leggett in Pro Extreme and Brad McCoy in Pro Extreme Motorcycle. Dillon Voss earned his second consecutive event win in Outlaw 632.

We’ll have the complete race report tomorrow.   [09/11/17]

Just days before the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway, Pro Stock driver John Gaydosh announced he has to withdraw from the event.

“It saddens me to announce we have parted ways with Gray Motorsports who have been supplying us with power for three years. Because of this, we have no engine to run our Gaydosh Performance Chevrolet Camaro this weekend and will have to withdraw from the Carolina Nationals.

“Our hope is to have something together by Maple Grove so we can race at our last scheduled event of the 2017 season.” Gaydosh added,” Thank you to all the fans that supported us this season. We have worked really hard all year and had several ups and downs. I love racing Pro Stock so much and my family wants to keep racing as long as possible.”  (Ron Lewis photo)  [09/11/17]

Dom Lagana stopped the quarter-mile timers at a track record speed of 338.35 mph, John Lawson got a holeshot win over Joe Haas in the fuel altered shootout, and Mike McIntire and Greg Jacobsmeyer dominated the nostalgia Funny Car class at the 14th annual Funny Car Nationals Saturday, Sept. 9, at US 131 Motorsports Park.

Lagana took full advantage of the opportunity to run his “Nitro Ninja” Top Fuel dragster the full quarter mile instead of just the 1,000-foot distance at which events now are contested in the NHRA national series. Although the Scarsdale, NY-based dragster suffered a misfire in one cylinder on its first attempt, Lagana came back to cover the distance in 4.485 seconds on his second try in a car tuned by older brother Bobby Lagana Jr. (photo courtesy U.S. 131 Motorsports Park)

Lawson, the veteran from Joliet, IL, used a starting line advantage to stop Joe Haas of St. Louis, MO, in the best race of the event outside of the American Racers Runoff in Top ET.  Although Haas made the quickest run in the category at 5.382 seconds, Lawson’s .101 of a second starting line advantage made his 5.409 in the “Runaway” 1980 Chevy Camaro a winner.

In the American Race Cars runoff, US 131 track champ Scott Taylor of Portage used a .029 package including a 4.522 on his 4.420 dial to best Alan Connors of Niles by a razor-thin .005 of a second at the finish.

In the nostalgia Funny Car portion of the two-day event, both McIntire and Jacobsmeyer were unbeaten although it was former NHRA Funny Car pro John Hale of Addison, TX, who recorded the quickest time of eliminations at 5.696 seconds in his “One Bad Texan” Camaro.

That run earned him some Texas bragging rights as it came at the expense of Ronny Young and the legendary “Blue Max” 1968 Plymouth Arrow driven in its prime by Raymond Beadle.

Ken Hall of Pottstown, PA, had the two quickest times among the jet cars at the controls of the Al Hanna’s “Top Secret Eastern Raider” Pontiac. Hall ran 5.730 at 280.37 mph and 5.744 at 279.85 to best Rich Hanna and the “First Strike” Pontiac.

Bob Motz closed the show by driving “The Original Jet Truck” to 223.55 mph.  [09/11/17]

Brandon Wakeling’s Willys  (Mary Landzion photo)

Even more action and massive payouts are promised for this year's Summit Racing Equipment Shakedown at the Summit presented by Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels. It will be Sept. 14-17 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

Categories contested at the growing event include ProLine Pro Mod, Precision Turbo and Engine Outlaw 10.5, Wiseco X275, Speedwire Systems Radial vs. The World, Holbrook Racing Engines Top Sportsman, Callies Pro Street, Team Z Motorsports Ultra Street, and Trick Flow Specialties Open Comp and Open Comp 8.5 Shootout.

The total purse is $155,500, including $66,600 for the event's quickest and fastest category, ProLine Pro Mod, with $40,000 of that awarded to the winner. Additionally, the G-Force Race Cars/Resolution Racing Services Money Shot is a special feature which will reward the driver of the quickest Pro Mod with $5,000.  [09/11/17]