Nick Johnson drives the “Prairie Fire” Funny Car. Can he win Thunder on the Prairie? (Reinart photo collection)

The Onawa Recreation & Events Complex will host a special Thunder on The Prairie event July 20-21 on their eighth-mile drag strip.

The Rocky Mountain Superchargers will take on members of the Midwest Wild Bunch in a special shootout. Pro Supercharged/All Stars, Top Supercharged Thunder, and Funny Car Rampage classes will be contested. In addition, a Bike Bash will be held both days at the new Iowa facility just north of Omaha.   [07/16/19]

VP Racing Fuels, Inc. and Thermo-Tec will sponsor Pro Mod turning Pro Stock racer Steve Matusek on the famed NHRA three-event Western Swing.

Matusek’s NHRA Pro Stock car, a 2019 Ford Mustang fielded by Elite Motorsports, will carry VP Madditives chemical and additive line and VP Small Engine Fuels logos along with the Mad Scientist®, VP’s mascot and symbol of the company’s relentless passion for developing products that outperform the competition.

“Steve Matusek’s highly regarded for his work in the racing industry with Aeromotive Fuel Systems and Waterman Racing Components, and we are glad to support his first endeavor in NHRA Pro Stock. VP will also provide support with VP Racing Fuels for his NHRA Pro Mod team for the balance on the 2019 season,” said Chris Wall, Senior Director, VP Racing Fuels. “We think Matusek and Madditives will be the talk of the tour out west and we look forward to showcasing our performance fuels and chemicals.”

“We’re excited to see him behind the wheel,” Thermo-Tec Director of Sales and Marketing Brian Prior said. “The talent and the equipment is there, and it’s a Mustang, so it’s going to be a great opportunity for Steve and it’s really exciting for us. With what Elite is doing in Pro Stock, there’s tremendously talented people working for (team owner) Richard (Freeman), and we have great people here. It’s big for us to be involved, it’s big for Steve and it’s all just a perfect match.”  (rendering courtesy Thermo-Tec)  [07/16/19]

Greg Anderson has won at the Mile-High Nationals three times (2004, 2008 and 2018) and is hoping to make that four wins after this weekend.

"We left Norwalk a few weeks ago knowing our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros were fast,” Anderson said. “Unfortunately, things haven't happened as we thought they would yet, but our focus is on performing at these next three races and coming home with a great reward. We all want that trophy, and this is a three-in-a-row opportunity to do it."

"Denver is a tough nut to crack, but we've done it before, and we have every reason to believe we can do it again. We've had some time to prepare for this stretch out West. Hopefully, we'll start the second half of the season even stronger than we started the first."

Anderson is the only Pro Stock driver to have ever swept the Western Swing (2004).  (Ron Lewis photo)  [07/16/19]

Donnie Couch and Darr Hawthorne will be talking with NHRA Hot Rod Heritage champs Jeff Arend, Tom Shelar, Billy Morris and Kevin von Burgess as well as taking a look at the UNFC-Goodguys event at Seattle tonight (July 16) on www.NitroReports.com at 6 p.m. (Pacific) or always on their Facebook page.  [07/16/19]

Checking our usual source for rating numbers for the NHRA New England Nationals from Epping, NH, on Sunday, July 7, the Agent finds that the numbers were too low to make the ranking list. (Minimum audience size is 300,000 to be counted.)

By comparison, the leading sports broadcast on that date was the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final on FOX, which had 13,990,000 viewers and a 7.67 rating.   [07/16/19]