Nostalgia Eliminator 1, or NE-1 as it is often referred to had a large field, approx. 30 entries this year, from Canada, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and California. ...
Going Rounds
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – 7.0 Pro – Sherm Porter Photos
7.0 PRO is an exciting class, as an entrant or a spectator; 7 second passes at 200 mph are quick. Another interesting aspect of the class is that you will find a ’32...
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – Nostalgia Funny Car – Sherm Porter Photos
As in the past years the 27thCHRR drew a large contingent of funny cars, all with the goal of going home with the final Wally of the year for the NHRA Heritage...
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – Junior Fuel – Sherm Porter Photos
This is a tight class, with all entries running strong. First round action saw Matt Baldonado win over Michael Lardy, John Marottek besting Ken Mickey, Don Enriquez...
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – Nostalgia Top Fuel – Sherm Porter Photos
The first look at the entry list, thirteen top fuel cars from across the nation as well as Canada promised that this was going to be an exciting event, with the best of...
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – AA/Fuel Altered – Sherm Porter Photos
When the AA/FA’s line up in the staging lanes, you never know what’s going to transpire as these short wheel based flame spitting cars seem to have a mind of their...
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – A Fuel – Sherm Porter Photos
They say things happen in threes…well , it seems that the fuel long cars proved that this year, with Mendy Fry, Drew Austin and John Marottek not only cinching the...
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – Kim Fuller Photos
California Hot Rod Reunion 2018 – Bob Snyder Photos
Saturday Sunday
Top Fuel: An Essay
Drag racers tend to have their own idea of the “Golden Age” of drag racing. The truth is, each time period has its own appeal for different reasons. When drag racing...
Hilborn Injection: From Strip to Street and Back
True Individual Runner Manifolds for the Serious Enthusiast! HILBORN….THE FIRST NAME IN FUEL INJECTION As racers, our inner hot rodder will always...
Earning a NHRA Competition License
Since I am a racing instructor for Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School, “How can I earn my NHRA Competition License?” is a question I get asked all the time. So, I...
Gary Beck
Much has been written about 2-time NHRA drag racing champion Gary Beck’s storied career; I hope I can put a bit of a different spin on this legend of drag racing...
Built Ford Tough with Nitro Chevy Stuff
What is more exciting than a Big Block Chevy (BBC) powered by The Devil’s Fuel®, nitromethane shaking igniting mid-6s at 210+ mph with a stock block!? Wrapping up its...
Danny & Crystal Gerber’s ‘Wasn’t Easy’ Nitro Funny Car
Computer nerds, Danny and Crystal Gerber, have been drag racing together since late 2013 when they purchased a nitro funny car from an internet ad. During the first few...
I Just Want to Race
Al Heisley contacted me back in mid-September and asked if I would be willing to put together a couple of thoughts about being a female crew member in a male-dominated...
JDR – Jeff Diehl Racing – Nitro Funny Car
Our 2017 season was 19 out of 24 races long! Leeza & I had a rough start as we had been in a bad traffic accident in the Summer of 2016 – we were rear-ended...
Taylor Motorsports Products – Part One
Fifteen years ago, Dennis Taylor found himself telling his wife that his General Manager had decided to move on and that he was starting to look for a new GM. At the...
Hollywood Goes to the Darkside
By Hot Rod Jimmy – with Sherm Porter Kris Krabill, the vaunted 2016 champion in NFC cars, has made the move back into Nostalgia funny car racing. He is doing it...
Knox, Knox, Knox on Heaven’s Door
Eddie Knox Finds His Newest Direction Occasionally we hear that a boat racing team has made the transition to asphalt; Eddie Hill, Jerry Toliver, Shane Westerfield and...
Nitroholic Racing – The Wild Bunch
During a June call to Richard Townsend you can guess how blown away I was when he casually mentioned that they were building a Big Show funny car! I mean, I hadn’t...
A Tribute to My Friend, Gas Ronda
Not a hair out of place, he does not walk into a room, he glides. I can’t tell you a thing about Gas Ronda’s racing achievements…honestly, I...
Some Guys Just Need a Break
If It Was Easy, Everyone Would Do It The statement, “If it was easy, everyone would do it,” is such an overused axiom but it rings true to most things in life. If...
From the Beginning, “Big Al” Liebmann
Al Liebmann attended his first drag race at Englishtown in 1969. It was from that moment on that “Big Al” was addicted to the sport of drag racing; especially the...
Maynard Garritty’s First Top Fuel Ride
Getting set to drive a top fuel dragster for the first time, Maynard Garritty was living the dream. It was 1974, and the sudden purchase of Gary Egbert’s Don...
A Little of This and A Little of That and Pretty Soon You Have Keith Davidson’s Bits & Pieces Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car
The Bits & Pieces nitro funny car team is no stranger to the Northeast nostalgia funny car match race scene. In their 14th year together, the team has progressed...
Al Heisley as Interviewed
By John Hufcut Not long ago, we were wandering around Las Vegas and ran into Big Al Heisley. So I sat down for a conversation with the man who started Fuel Coupe...
Nick Arias, Jr
Founder of Arias Pistons and Nick Arias Jr. Racing Components Nick Arias, Jr, was born in January 1929 in Los Angeles, and like many young guys growing up in Southern...
Finding Courage in the Staging Lanes
By Courtney Mageau, Owner & Driver of the Girl Trouble Funny Car “Wow! You must be so brave.” That’s what I usually hear from people when they find out...
“Happy Hour” with Tim Boychuk
By Al Heisley, Editor, Nitro Hot Rods Magazine This whole racing deal started back in 1993. Tim’s Dad had recently passed away at a young age from a short bout with...
Shorty’s Summer
By Al Heisley The idea for this article came to me while sitting in the Mr. Explosive pits at the 2014 California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, California. On Saturday...
‘Face to Face’ with Ed ‘The Ace’
By Cindy Gibbs Photos Provided By Cindy Gibbs As a kid growing up in the world of drag racing, Funny Cars were always my absolute favorite. Long, smokey burnouts...
“Domestic Disturbance”
Rod & Jill Fazekas’ Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car Teams By Al Heisley – Photos By Rod & Jill Fazekas Jill and Rod Fazekas of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, are...
Brad Thompson, Drag Racer
By Al Heisley Brad Thompson was 5 years old when he regularly started going to Orange County. Sleeping on an open trailer, eating track food and knowing everyone, it...
Jim Henry’s Big Iron A/FXr
By Jim Henry, Owner with Al Heisley Jim Henry’s BIG IRON, Plymouth, was actually bought over 30 years ago when the owner called him because he’d heard that Jim was...