In the final round, Cottrell was out first running his best elapsed time of the weekend 5.695 with a 250.27 mph charge to an early shutoff for Wally Giavia. (Kim Fuller Photograph)

 

The inaugural season of the United Nitro Funny Cars Championship Series presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports is now complete with the fifth and final event of 2018, held over the weekend at Spokane County Raceway. With a first-round bye run, second-season driver Bobby Cottrell clinched the championship, driving the “Northwest Hitter” ’69 Camaro nitro funny car with proud owners Bucky Austin and Mike O’Brien watching from the starting line. Thanks to Good Vibrations Motorsports, the team was handed a check for the $10,000 series first place purse.

 

Cottrell dominated the UNFC season with wins at the season opener at Tucson Dragway, the northwest double header July 4th at Spokane and at Seattle’s Pacific Raceways. Canadian Tim Boychuk won the forth UNFC race in Edmonton, Alberta, in his “Happy Hour” Camaro.

 

At the Spokane drag strip last weekend, Cottrell’s 5.711/247.59 earned him the number-one qualifying slot over six other UNFC contenders. He then backed up that effort with a first-round 5.711 bye run and a semifinal 5.715 against Legends of Nitro Rookie of the year candidate Billy “the Kid” Morris in the arctic white “Problem Child” nitro funny car owned by former Top Fuel Hydro owner Eddie Knox.   [08/22/18]

The NHRA North Central Division Moser Sportsman Shootout will take place Saturday, Aug. 25, in conjunction with the LODRS event at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, KY.

 

Throughout a year-long battle, the top two points earners in each of the seven classes in Moser competition have been slotted into the 16-car field. The top two in each class will race each other in the first round and then move on to the winner of another class.

 

Jacob Elrod has qualified in two classes, Super Gas and Super Comp. Division points leaders Lester Johnson (Top Sportsman), Devin Isenhower (Super Gas) and Dalton Deffenbaugh (Super Street) will be in competition, along with wild card entrants Ed Jirousek and Leo Zynda.

 

For the Moser Sportsman Shootout racers from Super Stock, Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Dragster and Top Sportsman will race with a dial-in/breakout handicap format on the eighth mile. The Christmas tree will be in full countdown mode with the CrossTalk feature not in use.   [08/22/18]

“Big Mark” Sorenson, the promoter of the Outlaw Armageddon series of no-prep events at Thunder Valley Raceway Park, tells the Agent that in addition to Armageddon 5 next year, he will also put on a couple of smaller events at the Noble, OK, track.

 

Guess the ‘405’ crowd is really into this kind of racing!   [08/22/18]

The NHRA viewership numbers for the month of August were: Aug. 5, Seattle elimination rounds shown on FOX, 690,000 viewers and 0.47 rating; Aug. 19, Brainerd elimination rounds shown on FS1, 343,000 viewers and 0.23 rating.

 

Just for fun, the Agent looked up last year’s numbers for these events: Seattle – 883,000 on FOX, 0.55 rating; Brainerd – 412,000 on FS1, 0.27 rating. Hmm…    [08/22/18]

A note written on the back of a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ticket tells the Agent that confidential sources have confirmed that National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, is under an agreement to be sold. The current ownership group (the same ownership as Heartland Motorsports Park) purchased the facility in late 2016.

 

It’s reported that the current facility manager has resigned and new management under the new ownership’s direction will take over in September. While not confirmed, sources indicated the new ownership is based out of the Woodburn Dragstrip in Woodburn, Oregon.   [08/22/18]

The Abbott brothers’ Mazda currently holds the title of quickest 13B/twin-rotor car in Australasia with a 6.82 at 198 mph.  (SE Photography)

 

Brothers Cory and Jeremy Abbott have hopped over to Australia from New Zealand to compete in this weekend’s Honeywell Garrett Brisbane Jamboree. They will race their turbocharged twin-rotor Mazda RX7 in the Pro Compact class.

 

The Abbott brothers will join more than 200 racers from all over Australia, New Zealand, the USA and even Japan at Willowbank Raceway for Australia’s premier sport compact drag race.

The US is represented by Titan Motorsports and drivers Gary White and Gabriel Rodriquez who will compete in the J275 and Factory Xtreme categories.  (Dragphotos.com.au)  [08/22/18]

The best eight racers in the category will battle for big money during the Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle, a non-points-paying event taking place at the 32nd annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. Racers will compete for the $25,000 grand prize, which Matt Smith (shown) brought home this past season.

 

NHRA officials announced the 16-race 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, which will once again begin at the 50th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 14-17 at historic Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, FL, and conclude at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, CA, with the Auto Club NHRA Finals, Nov. 7-10.

 

New for the coming year, the category will compete at the DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 5-7, in Las Vegas.

 

2019 NHRA Mello Yello Series Regular Season

March 14-17: Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL

April 5-7: DENSO Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Las Vegas

April 26-28: NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Charlotte, NC

May 3-5: NHRA Southern Nationals, Atlanta, GA

May 17-19: Virginia NHRA Nationals, Richmond, VA

May 30-June 2: Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Joliet, IL

June 20-23: Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, OH

July 19-21: Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Denver

July 26-28: NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Sonoma, CA

Aug. 28-Sept. 2: Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis

 

2019 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship

Sept. 12-15: Dodge NHRA Nationals, Reading, PA

Sept. 27-29: AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis

Oct. 3-6: AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Dallas

Oct. 11-13: NHRA Carolina Nationals, Charlotte

Oct. 24-27: NHRA Nevada Nationals, Las Vegas

Nov. 7-10: Auto Club NHRA Finals, Pomona, CA  [08/22/18]