Bobby Cottrell, winner of the 26th California Hot Rod Reunion nitro funny car eliminator in the Austin & O’Brien Northwest Hitter Camaro, will be testing his own 7.0 Pro Mustang funny car this weekend at Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA.

In addition to his win last month at Famoso Raceway with Bucky Austin, Cottrell also clinched his third 7.0 Pro Heritage Series Championship at the Reunion.

As Cottrell said of his new car, “I sold my dragster and put my blown big block Chevy in my Mustang. I still want to be quick on the lights for the Heritage Series funny car class at the Good Vibrations March Meet and throughout next year. No use getting rusty over the winter.”  [11/17/17]

While he experienced success on the IHRA circuit with a roots supercharger, Tony Bogolo has made a steady progress up the NHRA ranks since switching to a screw supercharger in 2012. After battling it out with former two-time champ Chris Foster much of the year, Bogolo clinched his first championship in style with a win at the NHRA North Central Lucas Oil Regional Series finale at Gateway Motorsports Park just outside of St. Louis, Oct. 20-21.

In the first round, he defeated Phil Esz with a 5.63 at 257.83 mph, setting up the penultimate round for the championship in the semifinals. The scenario was clear, if he defeated number one qualifier Kirk Williams, he would be the champ. If he lost, Foster would be the champ. Williams was up in smoke early and Bogolo streaked away to the round win and championship with a 5.63 at 256.94 mph. With nothing to lose in the final, he squared off with No. 3 qualifier Ray Drew. Drew experienced tire shake while Bogolo stayed consistent with a 5.59 at 256 to score his first victory of the year.

After sporting sponsorship from fellow competitor Esz’s Ultra Sonic LLC several times last year, the two racers will form a strategic alliance for 2018. Bogolo, who manufactures racing safety equipment with his company RamJet Racing Products in Hamilton, Ohio, has purchased Esz’s last car, a Murf McKinney chassis with a 2003 Camaro body. Bogolo hopes the improved aerodynamics over his older Dodge Avenger body will help the team find more speed.

“We think the Camaro will be a better body for aero,” Bogolo explained. “It’s not the newest one, but it’s new for me. Our old car has done pretty good, but that McKinney car is a nice car. We are going to work together to see if we can help each other out. It will be somewhat difficult as he runs a torque converter and I run a clutch, but we will do what we can. I’m really looking forward to it.”  (photo courtesy Gateway Motorsports Park)   [11/17/17]

Riding the momentum from the inaugural event this fall, event creator Chris Graves has expanded to two Funny Car Chaos events in 2018, presented by Red Line Shirt Club.

On June 1-2 Funny Car Chaos will be at historic Amarillo Dragway in Amarillo, Texas. This marks the first time a Funny Car class has been contested at the facility in over 20 years.

The event will then return to its birthplace at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas on Sept. 14-15. Winners of this year’s inaugural event, Mark Sanders ('A' field) and Andy Mears ('B' field), will look to defend their titles.

Funny Car Chaos is the world's only outlaw funny car style event, with no rule restrictions on engine combination or body style. Twenty-four cars will qualify with an eight-car 'A' field and 16-car 'B' field.

More information can be found at www.funnycarchaos.com.  (Wes Ramsey photo)  [11/17/17]

SEMA is now accepting applications for the 2018 SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund for students preparing for careers in the auto or auto-parts industries.

New this year, high-school and part-time students can apply for a scholarship. The change is part of an effort by SEMA’s Scholarship Committee to start students down the automotive path and support their efforts at an earlier stage.

“SEMA is dedicated to activating the next-generation automotive workforce by providing financial support and career resources to students enrolled in various high schools, universities, colleges and/or vocational schools in the United States,” said SEMA Chairman-Elect Tim Martin.

The SEMA Memorial Scholarship program offers financial assistance of up to $5,000 to help foster the next generation of automotive aftermarket industry leaders and innovators. Students can apply for the scholarship at www.sema.org/scholarships. The deadline for the program is March 1, 2018.

Scholarships are available in a variety of categories, such as accounting, sales and marketing, and engineering. Dozens of awards ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 will be given out, with a $5,000 award going to the top student.  [11/17/17]

Automobili Lamborghini unveiled a one of a kind version of the Huracán RWD to be auctioned for charity as a donation to His Holiness Pope Francis.

The Pope autographed the car and it will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s on May 12, 2018, with all proceeds donated to the Holy Father, who will allocate them to various charitable causes.

The Lamborghini Huracán RWD donated to the Pope was created in homage to the Vatican. The car was realized by Lamborghini’s customization department “Ad Personam”. The special edition model pays tribute to the colors of the flag of Vatican City, painted in Bianco Monocerus with Giallo Tiberino decorated alongside the Huracán’s silhouette.

The Pope prefers to live a simpler life in keeping with his namesake, Francis of Assisi. His everyday vehicle is a Fiat 500L.  [11/17/17]