Nothing beats the thrill of launching your car down the drag strip. G-forces pin you back in the seat, you're grabbing gears, and need every advantage to stay ahead of the competition and keep your car under control.

While I’ve enjoyed a long run of modern muscle car performance, it has been a long while since there was a new performance engine from the factory.

While the Whipple Superchargers NMRA World Finals Presented by Scott's Trailer Sales has long been a fixture on the calendar of Ford fans across the country, the addition of the Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival turned the Blue Oval transformed the NMRA season finale into the Ford event of the year. 

If you’re an NMRA or NMCA racer who is serious about winning, then you probably already know the value of choosing quality components such as Diamond Pistons.

The 2023 NHRA racing season concluded in dramatic fashion in Pomona, California with a pair of popular first-time world champions being crowned.

Throughout his life, Joe Garcia has always somehow ended up with a Buick in his garage. After owning several, his current 1974 Buick Apollo GSX has taken him for quite the ride and he’s enjoying both the thrill of racing it as well as the peace of mind of the build being fairly maintenance-free.

Sometimes, things happen for a reason. In the case of HP Tuners, the company would never have existed without the enterprising minds of two performance enthusiasts across the globe from one another.

The New Jersey resident who has admired Mustangs for a long time, stands out in his, and is fresh off a second-place finish in 2023 in the high-winding NMRA Richmond Gear Factory Stock.

Although Stainless Works now manufactures its industry-leading stainless steel exhaust systems and headers for many different makes and models, the Ohio-based company was founded with a focus on Ford Thunderbird and Chevrolet Corvette applications.

When it’s last call and the lights come on, no one looks happy. No matter how much fun you are having, the dynamic changes.

Take a quick look at the most consistent winners in the Red Line Oil NMCA Drag Racing series and the Holley NMRA Drag Racing series and a common thread begins to emerge; many of the most successful racers in both series rely on Manley parts to help find the winner’s circle. 

Ever since he was born, Brett Saurbaugh was drawn to drag racing. As he got older, he stuck with Stock and Super Stock competition. His latest NMCA Micro Strategies Stock Eliminator 1967 Chevrolet Corvette has seen its share of successes.

Rising to the occasion and overcoming challenges has been a lifelong source of inspiration for Tripp Carter, better know

Daniel Watts, of Madison, Ohio, drove his ’03 Cobra to the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout title with a string of low nine-second runs at the season-ending Whipple Superchargers NMRA World Finals in Bowling Green, Ky.

Joel Rosen, aka Mr. Motion, Delray Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on October 9^th, 2023, after battling bladder cancer for more than a year. He was just two weeks shy of his 84^th birthday, and had been admitted to Hospice Care on September 30^th.

It was with grand fashion that the Holley NMRA All Ford Nationals concluded its 25^th Anniversary season in Bowling Green, Kentucky with a spectacle like no other in the Blue Oval universe.

To suggest that the Tremec All-Female True Street class was a success in 2023 would be a huge understatement. The AFTS, contested at select events in the Holley NMRA Drag Racing Series, not only showed steady growth throughout the year, but the quality of the competition improved dramatically as the season progressed. 

Running in the seven-second zone with a real honest-to-goodness street car is a tall order, but Mike Jovanis almost makes it look too easy. Jovanis drove his ’89 Mustang to a 7.83-second average after three consecutive runs during the 25^thannual Whipple Superchargers NMRA World Finals to capture the Circle D Specialties True Street title. 

As we get older it seems like time moves at a quicker pace. Whether it is because we already have a lot of years in the rear-view mirror or the distractions are more numerous as we age, there is no doubt that the years pass by like a race car hitting the third kit past mid-track.

This past weekend saw the 38th running of Pep Boys Nationals at the Koretsky family’s Maple Grove Raceway. Always one of the most popular races on the tour, the fans and racers turned out in force. The sold-out crowd was treated to exciting pro action, but for many northeastern fans, the real show was the wheels-up Muscle Car action in Stock and Super Stock.

Going strong for nearly 20 years, High Horse Performance is now highly respected for being the home of the world’s quickest Gen 3 HEMI-powered cars, but it wasn’t always Mopar muscle that filled the HHP stable.

Sitting serenely in the pits before it goes out to blast down the track in NMCA’s ARP Nitrous Pro Street category, Timothy Barton’s 1973 Chevrolet Nova looks much like any other big-tire doorslammer running in the pro ranks but it holds a secret beneath its back half — old school leaf springs.
 

Darrell Falk, a mechanic by trade, raised his son, Tommy, to follow in his footsteps. From the shop to the streets, Tommy showed an aptitude for racing and an affinity for performance. Now, the two generations of Falk men are campaigning their 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat in multiple categories.

As the 2023 Red Line Oil Synthetic Oil NMCA Drag Racing series races towards its final stop at the 22^nd annual NMCA World Street Finals presented by Chevrolet Performance, there are a total of 13 world champions that will be officially crowned at the conclusion of the event.

This past weekend, car enthusiasts from all walks of life made the pilgrimage to Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky for the Holley LS Fest East presented by eBay Motors

Winning Indy is a rare and treasured accomplishment, and it's at the very top of every NHRA drag racer's wish list.

It would seem that I am not the only one who is into fast street cars flexing their muscle on the drag strip.

Originating in 1999, Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts, Inc. became a leader in transmission parts solutions for both automatics and manual gearboxes, primarily thanks to its expert team of dedicated employee-owners.

America’s Racetrack, better known as Summit Motorsports Park, will once again be filled with modern and historic muscle cars as the Redline Oil NMCA Drag Racing series returns for the Mickey Thompson NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Mag, Aug. 24-27.

When Mike Roberts lets the clutch out on his Performance Blue 1970 Mercury, big things happen.

Growing up in Michigan with a family employed by General Motors, it was inevitable that Keith Seymore would follow the same path and that he would wind up campaigning a Chevrolet of his own. For more than four decades, he transformed his hand-me-down 1974 Chevelle into a consistent winner through a system of stead and continuous improvement.

Introduced to drag racing as a child, Chad Stephens always immediately had an interest, but gravitated heavily toward aspects of it that challenged him both intellectually and creatively. Now, Stephens is putting both sides of his brain to work in NMRA Fastest Street Car Coyote Stock as he campaigns his “Dirty Bird” 1987 Ford Thunderbird in the highly competitive class. &nbs...

After halting his drag racing program due to debt, Adam Cox promised himself that he would get back to the sport he loved

The last few weeks of July were tuff ones for the world of Drag Racing, as it saw multiple track closures including the legendary Atco Dragway in New Jersey and it was also announced that Bandimire Speedway in Denver would also cease operations at the end of 2023. In its 63 years of operation, Atco played host to multiple NMRA/NHRA/IHRA national and regional points events, as well as boasting a ve...

Following the successful conclusion of the TorqStorm NMRA/NMCA Power Festival presented by Paul’s High Performance in Martin, Mi., the Holley NMRA Drag Racing Series championship picture coming into focus.

If ever there was an all-encompassing Blue Oval extravaganza, it’s the Whipple Superchargers NMRA World Finals + Holley Intergalactic Ford Festival Presented by Scott's Trailer Sales. The event, which is coming September 28-October 1, features unlimited fun and entertainment for participants and fans.
 

While most of my time is spent dedicated to these pages, I keep busy with some extracurricular activities as well. Just before I sat down to write this column, I came off a whirlwind two weeks that included a car show, the NMRA/NMCA race in Michigan, and new-vehicle media drives on both coasts. 

What’s better than a good old American Muscle Car? How about a good old American Muscle Car that looks as though it just rolled off the Detroit assembly line but performs like a highly modified race car.

Racers figured out a long time ago that supercharging offers great potential for horsepower and there have been various types of blowers developed for street and track performance. In fact, head to any NMCA or NMRA event and see a slew of blowers on race and show cars and trucks, especially in TorqStorm True Street.

Having wheeled a wide variety of cars in an abundance of classes with a plethora of different partners, Steven Wardlow found one particular friendship that’s carried him straight down the groove. Together with Dan Kroll, Wardlow put together an unconventional yet seriously cool 1965 Chevrolet El Camino that he campaigns in NMCA Edelbrock Xtreme Street.

Nearly 40 years ago two friends tried their luck by going into business together to sell performance pieces for first-generation Ford Mustangs. Today their company CJ Pony Parts expanded into a comprehensive parts supplier with multiple locations stocking a massive catalog of components.

Although golf is his primary passion, Colin Smith needed something to fill the void when he’s not on the fairway. So, the 34-year-old financial advisor from West Chester, Pennsylvania, decided to honor his late father by building a drag car.

When the NMCA and NMRA team rolls into a racetrack, the parade is led by a pair of Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD trucks, which are the Official Truck and Tow vehicle of the NMCA Muscle Car Nationals.

I have to laugh at myself because I have become the old (read, experienced) guy that can look back and say the kids don’t know how good they have it.

After months of anticipation, the Mickey Thompson NMRA Ford Homecoming rolled into Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

As true fans of the sport of drag racing, many of our staffers spend down time back at tracks, whether it’s in the stands, behind the wheel or behind the wall with camera in hand.

Del Holbrook, former NMRA Limited Street racer and son of champion drag racer Chris Holbrook, secured the first No. 1 qualifying position of his career in the driver’s seat of the Varsity Ford / Holbrook Racing Ford Mustang Saturday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park.

NMCA, National Muscle Car Association, is home to everything American muscle and of the myriad of categories, Micro Strategies Stock Eliminator is one of the most time-honored.

If you were a Mustang fan in the 1980s and 1990s, it’s likely you were glued to the pages of magazines like Super Ford, 5.0 Mustangs, Mustangs & Fords, Cars Illustrated and of course Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords magazine. It’s likely you drove a Foxbody, and for many, modifying it was a must.

To suggest that the relationship between Red Line Synthetic Oil and the NMRA Drag Racing Series is far greater than a typical sponsorship would be a huge understatement