Steven Whiteley debuted a new J&A-sponsored Pro Mod at Indy.  (Chris Haverly photo)

The NHRA has just released the 2020 schedule with two more national events added to make a total of 12 for the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service. The exhibition series will be contested at 12 races instead of the usual 10-race schedule, but once again doesn’t include a trip to Pomona. The series again ends its season at Las Vegas. (DRO refers to the NHRA Pro Mod class as exhibition because it isn’t part of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown that determines NHRA’s professional world champions.)

Several NHRA Pro Mod sources have verified to the Agent that the RPM (Real Pro Mod) group formed and funded by former Pro Mod racers and team owners Danny Rowe and Steve Matusek told the NHRA management team that RPM wouldn’t be participating in or funding the NHRA Pro Mod Series in 2020. That news didn’t surprise Agent 1320 since Rowe had quit before the 2019 season and Matusek made a move into NHRA Pro Stock racing in the middle of the season and will race in a Mustang with a Chevy powerplant (sounds like a Pro Mod to the Agent).

DRO has been told that the NHRA has agreed to fund the 2020 Pro Mod series with a points fund that our sources say pay the top two points gatherers $50,000 and $25,000 and quarantees $10,000 to the winner and $3500 to the runner-up at the events.

NHRA has not released or verified any official information regarding their funding of the Pro Mod exhibition series.

March 12-15: AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville, FL

April 24-26: NGK Spark Plugs NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, Charlotte, NC

May 29-31: Virginia NHRA Nationals, Richmond, VA

June 12-14: Menards NHRA Heartland Nationals, Topeka, KS

June 19-21: NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, TN

July 9-12: Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago

July 17-19: Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals, Denver

Aug. 13-16: Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, MN

Sept. 2-7: NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis

Oct. 2-4: AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis

Oct. 15-18: AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals, Dallas

Oct. 29-Nov. 1: Dodge NHRA Nationals, Las Vegas  [09/11/19]

With today being a national day of remembrance for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., we thought it appropriate to also pause to remember our former columnist, Jim Baker. Jim’s birthday would have been Sunday, Sept. 15. Please read Richard Kratz’s moving tribute at here.   [09/11/19]

After sitting out most of 2018, NE1 racer Chris Graves came back strong at the Southwest Heritage Racing Association season opener on March 16 at North Star Dragway in Denton, TX. Graves is also the promoter behind the Funny Car Chaos series. (Wes Ramsey photo)

The Southwest Heritage Racing Association will close out its season with a hectic three events in four weeks. Saturday, Sept. 14, will make up the rained-out June event in Denton, TX. The racers then will head to Wichita Falls, TX, on Sept. 21 for the annual Bee Godwin Memorial event. The series Finals will be held at Ferris, TX, on Oct. 5.

Leading the points going into the final events are: Ricky Marshall (NE1), Andy Voigt (NE2), Bob Scoggins (NE3), Michael Rhea (Old School No Electronics), Billy Key (Old School Electronics), and Ronnie Smith (Nostalgia Super Stock).    [09/11/19]

At times races are won and lost by small numbers and that was definitely the case for Parts Plus Top Fuel driver Clay Millican at the U.S. Nationals. Having qualified No. 9 in the quickest Top Fuel dragster field in the history of the NHRA, Millican and crew felt optimistic with the Straightline Strategy Group-owned, Parts Plus-sponsored dragster going into the Labor Day eliminations.

“Our chassis had been front-halved just before the event and everything was stripped, cleaned, and put back together with no testing prior to qualifying at the US Nationals,” explained Millican. “We knew it might take a few runs to get everything squared away and we were fairly content with the 3.706 we posted in qualifying.”

In Millican’s first-round match, Doug Kalitta took the stripe by a mere .003 margin of victory as both dragsters ripped 3.721 elapsed times with the slight difference only in reaction times. That race turned out to be the closest match up in Top Fuel eliminations as Kalitta went on for the class win.

“We took an hour to shake off the loss and went back to work on making our dragster the best for the upcoming Countdown to the Championship,” said Millican. “We feel confident and ready to turn on some win lights as we head to Reading, PA, for the Mopar Nationals.”

Millican and crew chief Mike Kloeber have arguably been the Cinderella story of the NHRA Top Fuel season as the Parts Plus team out-performed the expectations of most pundits.  (Ron Lewis photo)   [09/11/19]

The MOPAR Mega Block Party will rev up the MOPAR Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil race weekend for the fourth consecutive year. The free-admission fan event, set to roll into FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, PA, from 4-10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 12, will offer a jam-packed slate of fun activities, including a home run derby and autograph session, for MOPAR and Dodge//SRT enthusiasts.

“Every one of these Countdown races is so important. I feel like you have to win two or three of them to really have a shot at winning the championship. It’s just a matter of who’s going to get hot at the right time,” said Funny Car driver Matt Hagan. “In the last six events, we’ve won a race, been runner-up and been to four semifinals, so it’s clear our MOPAR Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody is running great. The confidence is there, our car is there, and I think we’re peaking at the right time. I can’t wait to turn on some win lights this weekend. I’ve done well at Reading in the past, I’ve even won it on fire which made it onto ESPN’s SportsCenter. I’ll try and stay off of SportsCenter this weekend, but hopefully still get the win for MOPAR.”  (Chris Haverly photo)    [09/11/19]

Can Steve Torrence repeat the six wins of last year’s Countdown to the Championship? He certainly hopes so.  (Ron Lewis photo)

For the past six seasons, the Top Fuel winner of the first Countdown event at Maple Grove Raceway has gone on to win the NHRA championship.

It started with Shawn Langdon in 2013 and continued with Tony Schumacher, Antron Brown (twice), Brittany Force, and Steve Torrence.  [09/11/19]