Long before firing-off what John Force has dubbed “The shot heard ‘round the world,” Bob Tasca III had considered the NHRA Funny Car icon an extended family member.
“I’ve described my relationship with John a number of different ways,” said Tasca, whose paternal Ford Motor Company roots in NHRA Championship Drag Racing run as deep as [...]

Antron Brown raced to the qualifying lead Thursday in Top Fuel at the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Auto Parts Winternationals presented by Valvoline as NHRA opened its 60th anniversary season at the birthplace of hot rodding, historic Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Johnny Gray and Erica Enders also were qualifying leaders in their respective categories at [...]

Three months after getting hit “square in the chin” by NHRA Funny Car icon John Force, Matt Hagan will begin the 2011 season with renewed accountability – and an unexpected endorsement.
NHRA’s 60th anniversary season will roll into the staging lanes at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., this afternoon for the first round of professional [...]

Among the enjoyable things for a reporter to do at a short track is trying to pick out the drivers with the potential to move on to bigger and better things.
Back in 2007, at Peach State Speedway in Jefferson, Ga., the track now known as Gresham Motorsports Park, a 16-year-old kid was in the grandstands [...]

In his role as entertainment TV reporter, Marc Istook has shared face-time with any number of Hollywood’s beautiful people. From a 45-minute sit-down with Cindy Crawford to on-the-fly chit-chat
with Jennifer Anniston, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Francis Ford Coppola, Istook knows glitterati.
“Not a bad job,” said Istook, whose resume includes reporting on the Oscar, Golden [...]

We at RacinToday.com hate to spoil today’s race and the rest of the season for readers, but we’re going to have to. Sorry.
As a season-opening, special edition of Race Day, the staff is offering its picks for the winner of today’s Daytona 500 and for the 2011 Sprint Cup championship.
We’ve hedged just a bit by [...]

Tony Stewart won the Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway Saturday afternoon and, of course, it was as a result of another round of Noah’s Ark racing.
Stewart edged Clint Bowyer by inches to get the victory in the Drive4COPD 300.
Landon Cassill, who pushed Stewart from 11th place to the victory over the final laps, [...]

Daytona Beach, Fla. – A few random observations from a Friday at Daytona International Speedway.
First, it was refreshing to walk through the garage and get a whiff of fresh Bondo being applied to a race car. Donnie Wingo and the crew of Trevor Bayne’s No. 21 Ford were in the far end of the second [...]

In racin’ news today, Wednesday, Feb. 16th: Pole-sitter Earnhardt Jr. crashes in practice; New plates mandated; Bill Elliott’s son signs with Hendrick.
A big wreck occurred involving Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. during Sprint Cup practice at Daytona International Speedway.
Both cars were damaged beyond repair. Earnhardt’s car was the one which qualified for the [...]

NASCAR’s new championship system is set to launch, and since every other life form in the known Solar System has waded in on it, here’s my take:
It’s essentially the same as the old system(s). Drivers are awarded a certain number of points based on their order of finish. That means that the driver who consistently [...]