DRO has confirmed with Pro Stock team sources inside and outside of the NHRA that the NHRA Pro Stock schedule for 2018 will be reduced by six events.

Sources tell the Agent that the NHRA met with the NHRA Pro Stock association at one of the events on the recent Eastern tour and asked what they (NHRA) could do to help them reduce expenses. According to our sources the teams told the NHRA that there were no rule changes they could make to help but that they would not object to racing at fewer national events.

Our sources report that the teams and the NHRA settled on 18 races for the 2018 season. Reportedly the Pro Stock class will only compete at Las Vegas, Charlotte and Pomona once a year instead of twice while the other three races that will be dropped from the schedule have yet to be determined.  [06/23/17]

We noticed some really wild and innovative paint schemes among the cars on the track Thursday at the NHRA national event in Norwalk, OH. (Ron Lewis photos)  [06/23/17]

The Mid Atlantic .90 Association traveled down to northeast Maryland for the Father’s Day weekend.

On Saturday was the 8th annual Sportsman Circuit Shootout. Local favorite Derek Clark grew up at Cecil County Dragway and calls it his “home away from home.” Clark proved that this weekend as he went a tear and won nine straight rounds of competition and a clean sweep of the 9.90 class. On Saturday, Clark took down Coopersburg, PA’s Sean Lang in his Caviler in the final round. At the hit Clark took a significant advantage at the tree (.018 to .038) and rode that advantage with a wire to wire victory, 9.913 to 9.918.

Then on Sunday, Joe Eckel out of Rockaway, NJ, was in his second final of the season and was looking for his first ever victory. Unfortunately for Joe, he ran into the buzz saw of Clark in the final. Despite an advantage at the tree for Eckel (.019 to .030) he couldn’t hold off Clark’s Cutlass as he broke out, handing the clean sweep to the driver from Maugansville, MD, 9.908 to 9.891.

For Clark this was an extra special wins for him after his Cutlass was destroyed in a garage fire in 2015 and was rebuilt from the ground up.

In Super Comp, on Saturday long time campaigner in the 8.90 class Bill Hardifer Jr. took his W&T Pipeline Consultants, S&W Dragster to the MASCA winner circle for the first time in over two years when he defeated Randy Winfelder Jr. in the final. Winfelder took the advantage at the tree (.014 to .037) but, ran out with an 8.888 to hand the win to Hardifer’s 8.910.

On Sunday, Tim Dilorio out of Burlington, NJ, was trying his hand at .90 racing for the first time over the weekends. The accomplished Junior and Bracket racer was looking to try something different. It paid off as he took his 2008 American Dragster to victory over Kevin Scholl, who fouled in the final in his S&W-sponsored digger.

Rounding out the .90 classes for the weekend was the 10.90 drivers. Yet another bracket racer turned .90 racer, Rick Mattioli, found his way to the winner circle for the first time in MASSA with a victory over Dom Burgese’s Camaro in the final. Mattioli wheeled his Liftec Forklifts Camaro to victory with a starting line advantage (.009 to .017) and a 10.945 to the breakout effort of Burgese’s 10.878.

Finally, on Sunday 1986 Super Gas World and Division 1 Champion Ron Orbin took his first victory in Super Street with his famous 1977 Vega wagon. The Pennsville, NJ, native took down Burgese yet again in the final. This time Dom made it easy as he left too soon and lit the red light by -.005, handing the victory to Orbin on Father’s Day.

The next event for the series will be at Numidia Dragway on July 8-9 for the Mid-Summer Shootout. (Rob Keister photos)  [06/23/17]