Veteran drag racer Shawn Reed and A-Fuel driver Josh Hart will join Bob Vandergriff Racing this season. The two drivers will join teammate Jordan Vandergriff competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Dom Lagana at last year’s return of the World Series to Cordova.  (Scott Bessee photo)

Cordova International Raceway announced the 2019 schedule highlighted by the 66th Annual O’Reilly Auto Parts World Series of Drag Racing on Aug. 23-25.

Other 2019 marquee events include the inaugural Nitro Nostalgia Nationals Pro Show, June 1, which will feature Nitro Front Engine Dragsters, Nitro Funny Cars and more exotic machines. The Original Super Chevy Show comes to Cordova, July 6-7. The first points race for the IHRA Summit Super Series is slated for Saturday, May 11. [01/18/19]

Leah Pritchett, 2018 Factory Stock champion driving a Dodge Drag Pak is featured in a new Dodge 30-second commercial.  (FCA photo)

Dodge and The LEGO Group have announced a partnership pairing the two iconic brands through a new multimedia marketing campaign. The campaign launches with a new 30-second television commercial “Metamorphosis”.

The initiative also includes a new LEGO® Speed Champions building set that features the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon features two sets of wheel rims, authentic design details and decorative stickers while the cool LEGO version of the Dodge Charger, an iconic American muscle car, has a removable supercharger and alternate engine cover.

The set also includes: Three LEGO minifigures: a Challenger driver, Charger driver and a race marshal; The race-ready, buildable 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon features a minifigure cockpit, removable windshield, wheels with rubber tires, 2 sets of rims, rear spoiler, dual exhaust, and authentic design details and decorative stickers; The muscular, buildable 1970 Dodge Charger R/T features a minifigure cockpit, removable windshield, wheels with rubber tires, removable supercharger and alternate engine cover, translucent light-style elements, and authentic design details and decorative stickers.   [01/18/19]

Darlington Dragway in South Carolina has renewed its sanction with the IHRA.

In 2015 the track was bought by Russell and Dee Dee Miller, parents of Pro Mod driver Tylor Miller and Jr. Dragster driver Brooke Miller. Since the Millers took over the track it has undergone a massive transformation. In addition to a complete overhaul upon purchasing the facility, a new drainage system was installed in 2017 and last year the first 750 fee from the burnout boxes to about 150 feet past the eighth-mile finish line was made all concrete.

Darlington Dragway hosted the IHRA Division 9 Summit Team Finals last October and their drivers took the overall team championship. Drivers Steve Hilburn (Top), Perry Green (Mod), and Hunter Rogers (No Box) all reached the final round of eliminations.    [01/18/19]

The Indianapolis-based IndyCar Series has named Japanese infotech and communications firm NTT as its new title sponsor in a deal that the series said would also bring digital innovations to the fan experience. According to sources the deal is comparable with the Indycar series five-year deal that Verizon signed in 2013 for a reported $10 million in cash and promotion.

Mark Miles, chief executive officer of IndyCar parent Hulman & Co., told the Indianapolis Business Journal the deal enhances long-standing efforts by the racing series to satisfy fans’ desires for more interactive technology during events.

“Motorsports and IndyCar, I believe more than any other sport, is data-driven,” he said. “This is data that is vital to our teams and engineers. … I see all that data, also, as really rich content for fans.”

He said NTT is working with IndyCar to develop technologies that are more “consumable, available and compelling” to racing fans.

The NTT deal might surprise some fans of IndyCar, which for its past two sponsorship cycles has paired with Verizon and Izod, two brands widely recognized by American audiences. However, NTT is a well-known brand overseas, particularly in Japan. It got its start as a phone company and has since grown to become a $106 billion-per-year company. It’s data-driven subsidiary, NTT Data, is based in Plano, Texas, and was mentioned in recent weeks as possibly being the title sponsor.

The new sponsor comes as IndyCar begins a three-year deal with NBC Sports to air all IndyCar races in 2019 on NBC and its cable-sports network, NBCSN.

The Agent wonders if that company knows about drag racing? You talk about a technology-driven sport!   [01/18/19]