Latest news with #MissionFoodsDragRacingSeries
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Leah Pruett In No Hurry to Get Back in NHRA Top Fuel Seat
New mom and Top Fuel racer Leah Pruett discovers 'two kinds of love,' has no timetable for return to dragster. Husband Tony Stewart says whenever Pruett decides to return to competition, he immediately will yield the seat. Pruett, however, says kicking Tony out of the seat is not as simple as it sounds. Raising a child in the NHRA trailerhood isn't anything new for a lot of families. But Top Fuel racers Tony Stewart and wife Leah Pruett are taking this brand-new experience in stride as the 2025 Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season starts this weekend at Florida's Gainesville Raceway. And credit for some of that ease goes to Dale Earnhardt Jr. 'When Dale Jr. had his first child, I remember I waited a couple weeks to congratulate him because I knew his phone was going to be flooded,' Stewart said, recalling that Earnhardt immediately replied, telling Stewart, 'This is what's missing in your life that you don't realize you're missing.' Today Stewart understands what his friend meant. Stewart said that he realized it when his now-four-month-old son Dominic was born last November, on the morning of final eliminations at the 2024 season finale. 'I realized it in the off-season while we were home. I'm realizing it even more in depth when we went to the PRO Shootout and now that we're at Gainesville and testing this week and having Dominic here. "It's like I didn't realize what this was going to mean until we got here and got to the track – and it's the best feeling in the world.' Pruett, he said, is 'the one doing all the work. That's the reality of it. We have help, but Leah has huge responsibilities, not only as a mom, and,' he joked, 'a babysitter for me. But now on top of that, she plays a very crucial role with the race team. She doesn't just sit around. "She's not sitting on her hands all day away from the kid. She's working in this pit. So she has a full schedule and we have help with Dominic here and it's gone really, really well. But if you have a bad run and you get a chance to go back to the bus just for five minutes and he's awake and you see him smile one time, that bad run doesn't seem so bad anymore. So I think this kid's going to play a really crucial role in this team.' Pruett said she has discovered that she's 'finding this balance between constantly comparing my love for racing and love for Dominic, and there's two different types of love. But I feel like I have won the absolute lottery (with) a beautiful baby, an incredible team on both sides, incredible partners, and I couldn't be happier. From a mother's standpoint, I'm learning all that, and I'm enjoying it because of what's surrounding us and the team and the support that we have and that we have right now. I'm absolutely loving it.' Tony Stewart Racing announced Friday it has reached a multi-year extension with Dodge/Stellantis. However, Pruett said she has no re-entry strategy to Top Fuel racing. 'There's not a strategy, by any means. This is the first day of the first race of my first season with a child,' she said. 'We had conversation at the end of last year about me getting back in the car, and I just had to be very truthful that I did not think that I could do a job for Dodge, for our fans, and be engaging with the team. And even though there's not a strategy for it, my heart says that I'll be back in a race car. I don't know which one it will be or what category, what class or what year, but it will be there, because I'm so involved with the team, specifically the Top Fuel team, on a couple projects. I've kept very busy so that I don't lose involvement. 'So when I do jump right back in, I'm even more equipped with what I've been working on. So I don't know,' Pruett said. 'And really, it's about kicking Tony out of the seat. I think I'd have a harder time dealing with that. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. But it is always exciting when you look forward to the future and you have something in mind. What that journey is like, I still don't know, but I'm enjoying it. As for Stewart, he stresses that he's just keeping the seat warm for Pruett's eventual return. 'Just for the record, and from Day 1 that we had our first conversation about starting a family and the topic came up of what if I drive while she is on this journey,... Make this 1,000% clear so there's no mistakes and I don't get my butt carved up on social media: That race car is her race car. And when she's ready to get back in, I will immediately get back out at whatever time, whatever event that is, or whatever event's coming up. If mid-season she says, 'I want to get back in that car,' I will gladly step out of that car for my wife.' He said the reason 'we started this program was for her, and obviously her and Matt [Funny Car four-time champion Hagan] and the synergy between the two. That's why we started this program. But at the moment that she's ready to get back in the car, I will promise everyone I will step out of that car and not blink. I'll probably be crying at the same time, but I will not hesitate to get out of that car. "That is her team, and I'm just the fill-in guy until she's ready to get back in that car.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Antron Brown Hopes Toyota Exit From NHRA Will Open Doors to Other Manufacturers
Antron Brown is not the only one brainstorming about how to attract more manufacturers into the sport. Brown says NHRA has benefits beyond 'bang-for-buck' value. Toyota has had connections with nine nitro-class teams. The NHRA is going to miss Toyota and the symbiotic relationship when the automaker leaves the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the end of the 2025 season, Top Fuel team owner/driver Antron Brown said. However, he said he's optimistic that 'there's a lot of auto manufacturers I think that could benefit from drag racing.' Brown didn't sugarcoat the impact of Toyota's decision that became public last December, saying, 'It's always going to be a challenge because they bring [a} wealth of knowledge. Toyota's going to be a hard, hard one to replace, because the difference of it is they were in it. They lived it, ate it, slept it, and they brought a lot of new tools and raised a bar for all the other manufacturers that are in NHRA, for sure.' The automaker has been working with the Top Fuel teams of Brown, Justin Ashley, Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, and the father-son operation of Billy and Steve Torrence, as well as the Funny Car teams of Ron Capps, Alexis DeJoria, and J.R. Todd. Brown's approach to this final season of Toyota, he said, is 'to celebrate what they've done for our sport, and then we're just going to figure out how we keep that same synergy amongst our teams. So, I think you're going to see a lot of collaboration with different teams and picking up on it and utilizing the tools that they gave all of us.' The relationship wasn't one-sided. 'It wasn't them just doing it by themselves. They were doing it with all of our teams. They learned a lot from us as we learned from them,' Brown said. 'So, I think it's going to make us all elevate to a new level. And then, hopefully, we all could go out and bring newcomers in our sport, not just one more manufacturer. Hopefully we could use that same model and bring back three more.' He mentioned Nissan, Honda, and Kia by way of brainstorming, but he said, 'There's a lot of auto manufacturers, I think, that could benefit from drag racing that fits their demographic and we could benefit from them on their technological side.' Brown said he has not had any conversations with any of the possible Toyota-alliance replacements but that 'we kind of got a big old whiteboard right now, just jotting it down right now, going through ideas on who we could solicit and we could bring new to the sport and educate 'em on our sport.' He said drag racing offers a lot of benefits to offer manufacturers. Moreover, he said, 'This is the highest-rate value [regarding] the bang for their buck.' Brown said Toyota's decision, which it has yet to explain, certainly couldn't have been based on performance. 'We could utilize what the information Toyota has and they've been assisting on that side of it too, saying, 'These are all the great things we got from drag racing.' Besides, we were their winning motor sport last year. They won, I forget how many races... it was like 18 races in drag racing last year in the Funny Car and Top Fuel ranks. They destroyed it last year. So it is kind of crazy how everything's transpired. It is just they're going in a totally different direction. So that was the plus about it. "It was all positive things, so we just got to try to bring that with somebody else new that needs it to help elevate their level.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
PPG and Tasca Racing gear up for 2025 drag racing season
PPG NITRO MUSTANG DARK HORSE Funny Car to appear in four events this year STRONGSVILLE, Ohio, February 06, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced that it has extended its sponsorship of the Tasca Racing team for the 2025 season. The eye-catching PPG NITRO MUSTANG® DARK HORSE® Funny Car will be on the track for four events this year, including three NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION® (NHRA®) Mission Foods Drag Racing Series races. The PPG Nitro Mustang Funny Car will debut Feb. 6-8 at the PRO (Professional Racers Owners Organization) Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Fla. At the inaugural event last year, driver Bob Tasca III made drag racing history in the PPG Nitro Mustang Funny Car. Tasca set a speed record the first day, then eclipsed it the next day by piloting the car to a record-breaking 341.68 mph, marking the first pass over 340 mph by a wheel-driven vehicle in drag racing history. In addition to the PRO Superstar Shootout, PPG will serve as the primary sponsor for the following races: NHRA Gatornationals Mar. 6-9 at Gainesville, Fla. NHRA New England Nationals May 30-Jun. 1 at Epping, N.H. Virginia NHRA Nationals Jun. 20-22 at North Dinwiddie, Va. Tasca Racing, led by Bob Tasca III, team owner and driver, is running the full schedule in this year's NHRA Nitro Funny Car division. The team's 11,000+-horsepower Nitro Mustang Funny Car will display the PPG logo in every race. Tasca is also vice president of the Tasca Automotive Group, a key customer of PPG's Automotive Refinish business. "I can't wait to get back behind the wheel of the PPG Nitro Funny Car," said Tasca. "PPG has supported us on and off the racetrack since the beginning. We've been working hard this off-season, and we've got big plans for 2025." "2025 is going to be an exciting year," said Bill Shaw, PPG global business director, strategic initiatives, Automotive Refinish. "Part of what makes PPG and Bob Tasca great partners is our pursuit of excellence. Bob strives for it not only in his dealerships and body shops but on the track as well. The team accomplished a great feat in 2024, so I know they'll aim for more this year." PPG and Tasca have built a strong partnership for more than 25 years. The Tasca Automotive Group operates multiple franchise car dealerships, collision centers and service centers that use PPG products. The PPG ENVIROBASE® High Performance paint system is the brand of choice in the company's collision centers. PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD® At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for more than 140 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $15.8 billion in 2024. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit Envirobase, the PPG Logo and We protect and beautify the world are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Horse is a trademark and Mustang is a registered trademark of Ford Motor Hot Rod Association and NHRA are registered trademarks of the National Hot Rod Association. View source version on Contacts PPG Media Contact: Samantha AllenAutomotive Refinish+1 440 334
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NHRA Adds Incentives for Racers, Promises $25 Million Prize Fund for 2025
The NHRA's U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis is the cutoff race for title-eligible racers, the one which determines seeding for the six-race Countdown to the Championship. But this time, after 18 years of the playoff system, the sanctioning body will award more than just a 10-point advantage after "The Big Go" to the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series leaders in the Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes. Although it didn't specify how the additional bonus money would be split, the NHRA did say Wednesday that the combined payout for those No. 1-ranked drivers would be nearly $400,000 as part of an overall $25 million fund this season. 'It is always our goal to incentivize our amazing racers at all levels, and we've been intently focused on introducing new ways to reward our drivers and race teams,' NHRA president Glen Cromwell said. 'We're excited to award $25 million to these incredible teams and competitors who race at such a high level and put on a tremendous show for our fans across the country. We are thrilled to introduce programs like a regular-season championship across our four professional categories, which provides added excitement to the regular season and the world's biggest drag race, the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals.' The '25 in '25' purse includes the event earnings for drivers in the Mission Foods and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on the 20-race national-event tour, as well as the year-end championship purse for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, payouts for the All-Star Call-out races in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in the four professional categories, and other incentive programs. The 2025 season will open March 6-9 with the 56th annual Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals at Florida's Gainesville Raceway, the first of 14 races that compose the regular season. The points will reset for the championship competitors during the last six races of the year. In 2024, Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) claimed championships in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Of the four, only Prock and Herrera entered the playoff as top seeds. Doug Kalitta was the Top Fuel leader by the end of the Indianapolis showcase event, and Dallas Glenn was atop the standings in Pro Stock. The Top Fuel class has produced the most champions from the No. 1 berth (10), with Steve Torrence earning three of his four straight crowns that way. The 2020 season did not have a Countdown because of the pandemic. Just four times did the Funny Car top-ranked driver become the champion, and Ron Capps did it twice (2016, 2021). In Pro Stock, it happened seven times—and Erica Enders (2015, 2022) was the lone competitor to do it more than once. Nine is the magic number in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with Matt Smith, Eddie Krawiec, Andrew Hines, and Gaige Herrera each doing it multiple times.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NHRA announces purse total and regular season championship for 2025
The NHRA will pay $25 million during the 2025 season through purse money and bonus programs, including a newly added regular-season championship. The payout includes the event purses for the Mission Foods and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series drivers on the national tour. The total also includes the year-end championship purse for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, the All-Star Callout and #2Fast2Tasty Challenge races for the pro classes, and other incentivized programs. Beginning this season, that will include the regular-season championship. The Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will reward the regular-season point leader in all four pro classes. 'It is always our goal to incentivize our amazing racers at all levels and we've been intently focused on introducing new ways to reward our drivers and race teams,' NHRA president Glen Cromwell said. 'We're excited to award $25 million to these incredible teams and competitors who race at such a high level and put on a tremendous show for our fans across the country. 'We are thrilled to introduce programs like a regular-season championship across our four professional categories, which provides added excitement to the regular season and the world's biggest drag race, the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals. From our specialty races and bonus programs to our battle for regular season and world championships, we are looking forward to a spectacular 2025 season.' The drag racing season begins March 6-9 at Gainesville Raceway with the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Story originally appeared on Racer
