Dustin Lee at MDIR in July.  (Tim Hailey photo)

Miller Brothers Productions has announced the formation of the Xtreme Dragbike Association, an East Coast motorcycle drag racing series. The class structure will be made up of professional classes, sportsman classes and grudge racing. The XDA series is solely owned and operated by Miller Brothers Productions, which is run by Jason and Chris Miller, sons of Royce Miller.

Maryland International Raceway (MDIR) has always been the hub of the motorcycle series for the past two decades so it was important for MBP to wait until all contractual issues and restrictions were resolved with IRGSE before moving forward with the series. The IRGSE now owns MDIR and the International Drag Bike League (IDBL).

With recent changes in IRGSE senior management, the opportunity to resolve these matters and start this new series became possible. With good faith negotiations on both sides, a deal was signed to host three XDA events at Maryland International Raceway.

The IDBL will now become a single, independent event held at Maryland International Raceway on June 8-10, 2018. The event will be called the “IDBL Sport Nationals” which will showcase motorcycle drag racing sportsman classes and grudge racing. This IDBL event will be run by Royce Miller and the rest of the MDIR team.

2018 XDA Schedule

April 20-22: Maryland International Raceway

May 18-20: Atco Dragway

June 22-24: Virginia Motorsports Park

July 27-29: Maryland International Raceway

August 24-26: Virginia Motorsports Park

Sept. 21-23: Maryland International Raceway   [11/27/17]

Ron Capps may have struck out in going for the NHRA Funny Car championship, but some of his teammates are hoping to get a strike on the bowling lanes. This is Capps in action last year.  (Chris Haverly photo)

Top professional drag racers including eight-time NHRA Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher will join other members of Don Schumacher Racing, drag racing fans and friends on Wednesday, Dec. 6, to help further the outstanding programs at Riley Hospital for Children and Riley Children's Foundation during DSR's eighth annual "This is How We Roll for Riley Kids" bowling event presented by U.S.A. Compression.

Fans and Riley families will bowl with NHRA drag racers Schumacher, Antron Brown, Tommy Johnson Jr., Leah Pritchett, and Kaliita Motorsports' Shawn Langdon for a fun evening at the spacious 80-lane Western Bowl bowling center at 6441 W. Washington Street in Indianapolis. The evening begins at 6:30 p.m. with registration and food service followed by opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m. and then three games of "strike-or-nine/no-tap" at 7:40 p.m.

Riley Children's Foundation receives all proceeds from the event which features the fun No-Tap scoring format where nine pins down on the first ball also scores as a strike.

The goal is to better last year's total contribution of nearly $23,000 that includes $1,900 raised in a 50/50 drawing.

The Bowling for Riley event officially begins with the traditional rolling of the first ball(s) by several Riley Kids.

Bowlers can enter individually for $40 or as a four-person team for $150 in advance at elliottb@shoeracing.com or between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The fee includes a special event t-shirt, shoe rental and VIP access to the Hall of Fame private room for food and soft drinks. Admission for non-bowlers is $10 for those 13 or older while kids 12 and younger are admitted free with a paying adult.

NAPA AUTO PARTS, Papa John's Pizza and the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. are catering the VIP room.  [11/27/17]

Trakbak CEO Keith Bartlett has announced the undertaking of a major new project that will be a landmark in the continuing development and improvement of Santa Pod Raceway in the UK.

Bartlett said “The current surface, along with all the previous racing surfaces at SPR, was asphalt (tarmac) and we have been long-term holders of many records set on asphalt but we have had numerous problems with the tarmac surface since it was laid in 2013. We have been very aware that these problems would need addressing at some point. I have made the decision to replace the tarmac with a full quarter-mile, wall-to-wall, super-smooth concrete racing surface.”

Partnering with concrete specialists Knights Construction, the consultation and design process has been under way for several months including fact-finding trips to top NHRA tracks in the US and liaison with NHRA representatives.

“This is a very significant investment heading towards £1m for Santa Pod and I believe it shows our commitment to the sport of Drag Racing and to the actual racers. I am confident that we will start the 2018 season with an extremely fast track; possibly to become one of the best tracks in the world,” Barlett said.

The construction work will continue in stages throughout the winter period ready for the start of the 2018 season. Santa Pod’s “Festival of Power” held over the Easter weekend will be the inaugural Championship event on the brand new track and promises to deliver the first of many top line performances from a range of race classes including the ever popular Jet Car Shootout.  (Santa Pod Raceway photo)  [11/27/17]

Since it opened on June 1 this year the Newport Car Museum has become an instant hit with car clubs and tour groups exploring the Northeast and especially the popular vacation destination of Newport, Rhode Island. The museum’s location in nearby Portsmouth, R.I., is a 114,000-square-foot building once devoted to missile manufacturing with 50,000 square feet of exhibit space, another 5,000 for special events, and a free parking area for 300+ cars.

An artistic presentation of some 60 cars represent seven decades of automotive design – from the fabulous ’50s to today’s hottest designs. Five separate galleries showcase Ford/Shelbys, Corvettes, World Cars, Fin Cars and Mopars.

Special wall art (much of it consigned); theatrical lighting; turntables; and videos with directional sound celebrate the cars as works of art. There are no barrier ropes around the cars, and pieces from an eclectic collection of Mid-Century modern furniture (representing iconic designers such as Eames, Knoll Bassett, Jacobsen and Wegner) are dispersed throughout the museum, giving visitors a comfortable place for rest and reflection. The one to two hours it typically takes to tour the museum includes time for test driving skills on one of the museum’s six driving simulators, just like those used by Red Bull Racing’s Formula 1 Team.  (Cheryl Richards photo)    [11/27/17]

The Federal Communications Commission has announced its plans to repeal net neutrality, a landmark set of regulations put in place by the Obama administration that ensure equal access to the internet.

The new proposal, led by FCC chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, reignites the conversation and argument surrounding free speech and internet control.

Net neutrality was enacted as a rulebook prohibiting high-speed internet service providers from monopolizing data, charging extra fees for different users, or intentionally blocking specific websites and online content. It leveled the playing field for all internet users.

But the new proposal allows the ‘big guys’ to charge more for certain content, and the ‘little guys’ can either pay up or get reduced service.

The Agent urges you to write your Senators and members of Congress and tell them you want to keep net neutrality. It may not off-set the amount of “contributions” coming from the big businesses, but if enough people voice their opinions, perhaps the legislators will have to listen.

You can make your voice heard here.    [11/27/17]