Melanie Salemi made her NHRA debut at the Gatornationals.  (Steve Gruenwald photo)

After a short time away from the driver’s seat, Melanie Salemi will be back behind the wheel this weekend, June 29-30, in the PDRA’s Firecracker Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park.

“I’m really looking forward to competing in the Pro Boost class again,” Salemi said. “I have enjoyed the few NHRA races we attended, but like one of my fans recently reminded me, PDRA is my home. We wanted to be able to run both NHRA and a few of the PDRA races but as things became a reality there just wasn’t enough funding to do that. With that being said, our businesses needed tending to and that’s what we have all been focusing on the last few weeks.”   [06/25/18]

In a special drawing for the NHRA Summit Racing Series National Championship, four NHRA divisions were selected to send an extra racer to compete for the national championship at the season ending Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.

Summit Racing Equipment Pro Stock drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line joined Summit’s Jim Greenleaf and Don Lower along with NHRA Division Director Jeff Conley for the prerace ceremonies drawing at today’s Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

The Pacific Division 7 was drawn for Super Pro, Northeast Division 1 for Pro, the West Central Division 5 for Sportsman, and the North Central Division 3 for Motorcycle. Each will bring the eighth driver that will complete the 8-car field. For Divisions 1, 3 and 5 their Summit Division Finals Race of Champions winner will fill the eighth spot while Division 7 will bring their event champion for the final spot.

The first seven racers in each class are made up of the NHRA Summit Racing Series Division Finals champions in each of the NHRA divisions 1 through 5, divisions 6 and 7 send their Race of Champions winner to the national championship competition.   [06/25/18]

Twenty-one years after winning the B&M Racers Appreciation Series championship, Shelby, North Carolina’s John Bridges (above) was back in the winners’ circle at Rockingham Dragway after winning one of the big money purses in the second annual ATI Top ET Challenge.

Bridges, who won on Saturday, shared the spotlight with Friday winner Shannon.

Justice of Fairmont, NC, Sunday champion Brian “Bam Bam” Collins of Shannon, NC, and Raeford’s Paul Warwick.

Paul Warwick won Gamblers races on both Thursday and Friday.

On Sunday, Collins used a .013 reaction time to force final round opponent Andrew Davis of Fayetteville, NC, into a .007 of a second breakout foul that enabled him to snatch up the final $10,000 share.  (photos courtesy Rockingham Dragway)

To get his victory, Justice had to beat Michael Paschal of Pleasant Garden, NC, not once, but twice. He claimed double breakout victory in the semifinals after the two had identical .012 reaction times and got a gift in the final when Paschal had problems with his second car and didn’t get a time.

Bridges, whose son is a regular in The Rock’s active Jr. Dragster program, beat Trey Sasser of LaGrange, NC, in the Saturday final with a .030 package that included a .017 reaction time.   [06/25/18]

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