Leah Pritchett (near lane) and Matt Hagan faced off in 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demons in a special match race at the Dodge Mile-High Nationals in July.  Gotta love those Demons!  (FCA US photos)

Monster Muscle Car Weekend on Sept. 14-15 at Gateway continues the tradition of must-see drag racing with the Demon and Hellcat Nationals. In addition to Pro, Super Pro, Quick Eliminator and more regular classes, this event will feature Mopar vs. World, Hemi Super Stock - Hellcat, Scat Pack – Demon, and the mostly Mopar Victory Nostalgia Super Stocks for a total of 14 categories.

In addition to racing, there will be a car show and swap meet, and a special car display of Jesse Matlock’s 1971 Cuda “Striker”, 2017 World’s Ultimate Mopar Winner at MATS, two-time ISCA International Street Machine of the Year and 1971 Cuda “Hulk”. Oh … and the Burkster will be there too.  [09/13/18]

The second TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout of 2018 will be held during the NMRA Nitto Tire All-Ford World Finals at Beech Bend Raceway, Bowling Green, KY, Sept. 27-30.

A bonus this year is that TREMEC is handing $100 cash to the first 25 stick-shift cars that pass through QA1 True Street tech inspection. It doesn't matter how fast your car is, if it passes NMRA tech then you get $100.

Rules for the Stick Shift Shootout are: street-type manual transmissions only, and trans can include race-oriented modifications such as “face-plated” or “pro-shifted” gears. It must be hand operated via a single shift handle. Transmissions with multiple levers or air/electronic/hydraulic actuation are not permitted.

The TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout is a Quick 8 on Sunday, Sept. 30, where the top eight True Street averages for stick-equipped entries are put into a Chicago-style eliminator with a staggered start/no breakout format, similar to what is used for the NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street Legal Drag Racing eliminator. The winner and runner up will walk away with prizes courtesy of McLeod Racing.    [09/13/18]

Curtis Francois, owner and president of Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, IL, was honored this morning (Sept. 13) at Explore St. Louis’ Annual Meeting & Hospitality Hero Recognition at the America Center in downtown St. Louis.

Francois received the Innovator Award in recognition of his work in restoring the Gateway Motorsports Park to prominence, including the return of IndyCar racing to the St. Louis region.

The award was presented by Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) board member Erin Jackson.

“Curtis Francois took over Gateway Motorsports Park in 2012 and has transformed it into a world-class facility with a host of exciting events, including the Verizon IndyCar Series, which was attended by more than 35,000 and broadcast internationally,” Jackson said. “He is recognized for his innovation and leadership in attracting new tourism dollars to the St. Louis region.”   [09/13/18]

The Agent was watching an RFD-TV rerun of April 2017’s Mecum Gone Farmin’ Auction of farm equipment from Iowa (yes, he really wanted to) and saw this number pass in front of the auctioneer’s gavel.

Arnie Beswick, who really was a farmer in Morrison, IL, bought this Farmall 400 new in 1955 and used it until he retired from farming in 1993. For another 20 years the tractor was used at an Iowa dairy farm until it was retired in 2012. It was professionally restored in 2017 by Jim King and was offered at the Mecum Auction, the first time any of Beswick’s farm equipment was sold since his retirement sale.  (Mecum Auction photo)   [09/13/18]

Mary Barra, GM’s chairman and CEO, recently confirmed the fast-charging EV will be released soon to Delta Electronics as part of a research initiative with the U.S. Department of Energy.  (GM photo)

Electric cars developed by General Motors Co. may be able to recharge their batteries with 180 miles of driving range in less than 10 minutes, a quicker juicing up than drivers can get at Tesla Inc.’s superchargers.

The Detroit-based automaker and one of its research partners, Delta Americas, are developing the fast-charge system as part of a three-year project. GM has said it’s readying 20 electric cars for sale by 2023 that will be capable of rapid charging.

Are electric cars the wave of the future? The National Electric Drag Racing Association thinks so.   [09/13/18]