Rob Dekert is looking forward to making his Perth Motorplex debut next weekend for the Westernationals (March 2-3) – the penultimate round of the 2018/19 ANDRA Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series.

The Super Stock racer is second in the championship points tally for his bracket and at the Twilight Nationals last weekend broke through for his first Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series victory since making his comeback to the sport with a new car two years ago.

What was already going to be a busy turn-around between the Twilight Nationals and the Westernationals has been made even more frantic for the Unique Body Smash Repairs owner with a small mishap damaging his Pontiac GXP on the way home from Mildura.

“Unfortunately a strap broke on the way home from the track and that saw the car pushed over to one side of the trailer, so the boys here in the Unique Body Smash Repairs workshop have had to do a fair bit of overtime to get it all fixed up in time for Perth,” said the Melbourne-based racer.  (Outlaw Images photo)   [02/22/19]

It’s a cold and rainy Friday in Phoenix with snow in nearby Scottsdale. Our Ron Lewis and Tom McCarthy are standing by to grab shots of the action when qualifying and racing finally takes place.

Rain postpones the Pomona finals and now the start at Phoenix. Who says there is no climate change?   [02/22/19]

Central Power Systems & Services, a manufacturer and distributor of power generation products for commercial and industrial applications, has acquired naming rights to the new quarter-mile NHRA-sanctioned track that is being built at I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, MO. The new dragstrip will be named Central Power Dragway and is expected to open in the summer of 2019.

Central Power Dragway will be housed on the same property as the famed I-70 Speedway that operated there from 1969 to 2008. The dirt oval is also under construction with a first event set to open as ASCS Sprint Car action on Saturday, May 18. Track owner, Chris Payne, is targeting an opening date for the dragstrip 60 days later in mid-July. He also owns Heartland Motorsports Park near Topeka, KS.    [02/22/19]

Four stars of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will participate in the 17th annual NHRA Tour de Charity on Saturday, March 23, on the Sonoma Raceway kart track.

Three NHRA Funny Car Champions will headline this year's event, as reigning champion JR Todd joins long-time participants Ron Capps and Jack Beckman, as well as Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Scotty Pollacheck. This popular event provides an all-inclusive day of karting fun on the raceway's ¾-mile kart track, including kart rental, race suit, helmet, professional driving instruction, catered lunch, plus meet-and-greets and autographs with the NHRA racers for just $350 per person. To reserve a spot, go to www.speedwaycharities.org/events/sonoma/17th-annual-tour-de-charity/registration/ and complete the online form.

All proceeds benefit Speedway Children's Charities, the charitable arm of Sonoma Raceway, which has generated more than $175,000 from this event since its inception in 2003.   [02/22/19]

Precision Turbo and Engine has announced the release on their Mirror Image GEN2 PT7675 turbochargers featuring second generation Competition Engineered Aerodynamics (CEA®) technology. Purpose-built for enhanced durability and maximum performance, the new Mirror Image GEN2 PT7675 turbochargers feature an air-cooled, dual ceramic ball bearing Center Housing Rotating Assembly (CHRA) for faster transient response and the ultimate in thrust capacity. Additional features include a 76mm GEN2 CEA® compressor wheel and a 75mm CEA turbine wheel for maximum power and efficiency. Each turbocharger comes standard with their Ported "H" compressor cover featuring a 4" inlet and 3" outlet that is perfect for applications with packaging constraints. All units come standard with a 310-investment cast stainless steel turbine housing to ensure a classy appearance that will last for years. Rated to support up to 2,600 horsepower in a twin configuration..  [02/22/19]