Latest news with #NationalHotRodAssociation
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Father and son race Nitro Funny Cars together
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ)- The National Hot Rod Association is the governing body for Nitro Funny Car racing. This is a type of drag racing where vehicles are characterized by its short wheelbase and fiberglass or carbon fiber body designed to resemble a production car. It is powered by a twelve thousand horsepower supercharged, nitromethane-fueled engine, and these cars can exceed speeds of 330 mph in under 4 seconds, in just a 1,000 ft race. 'When I bought my first car I really didn't know anything and so I just went out looking on the market place and you know it took a few months and I came across a car I liked, didn't really know anything about it,' said Chad Green, a Nitro Funny Car racer. 'I liked the way it looked so I bought it, didn't come with a motor, anything like that so then I had to start the search for, I got to find a motor to go with this car.' In Nitro Funny Car Racing, vehicles compete head-to-head in a knockout format. Nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuel Dragsters are the fastest cars in the sport and the fastest accelerating vehicles on the planet. Chad Green said he is honored to compete at the national level he does, but especially because he get to do it beside his son Hunter Green. 'We've had a lot of crazy moments, we actually won a race together back in California in 2023,' said Hunter Green, a Nitro Funny Car racer. 'The NAHRA final, so final race of the year. I was driving a different category at the time, but me and my father both ended up in the winner circle and both ended up with trophies that day at the last race of the year. So, that was truly a special day.' Chad and Hunter are thankful for the memories they have made racing and learning from one another, and they look forward to expanding their team in the future with more racers and crew members. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Cape Cod's Jay Blake is the only blind crew chief in the NHRA; it's all due to an app
A phone app is helping the only blind crew chief in the National Hot Rod Association get his cars on the track and hitting 300 mph. Jay Blake is the founder of Follow A Dream, an NHRA race team that drives funny cars, dragsters with the body of a car. Soon, the team will move to the top circuit in NHRA Funny Car. Blake has been blind since he was injured in an accident in 1997. "That afternoon, a wheel and tire assembly off of a forklift exploded in my face, threw me 45 feet through the air," explains Blake. "Three-and-a-half weeks later, I came home with no eyes, no sight, no smell, no taste. A bad day at the office." He was taken to Mass General Hospital, where doctors spent 11 hours reconstructing his face and placing two prosthetic eyes. "Drag racing was my love, my dream," Blake said. After his accident, his friend took him to a race, and it inspired him to own his own team. "I wanted to motivate kids to get an education and to believe in themselves and to follow their dream. Hence, the start of Follow a Dream," Blake said. When he is working on the cars in his Marston Mills shop or out at the track, the area is a controlled environment that helps him to operate independently. At his Cape Cod shop, the radio is always on. The sound becomes his North Star and allows him to have a better understanding of where he is situated in the room. Navigating on his own can become difficult when he has to read or measure something. That is when he turns to an app called Be My Eyes. The app will contact a volunteer with the company who will have access to his phone camera. The volunteer can then help to guide him through the situation. "My eyes don't work, but I know what I am looking for, so all I need is someone else's eyes to tell me what is there," Blake said. The app was founded by Hans Jorgen Wiberg, a blind man from Denmark. "I met a young blind guy, and he was telling me how he was using FaceTime when he needed eyes, and then he said, 'But I always have to think about who to call,'" Wiberg said. The app now has more than 8 million volunteers who help the blind when they call. Soon, they will be partnering with Meta to expand the services to utilize special Ray-Ban sunglasses with cameras in the frames. "Now you can say, 'Hey Meta, ' and then say 'Be my eyes,' and then we make a call directly from the glasses, and volunteers will be looking through the camera," Wiberg said.
Fox News
23-03-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
NHRA star Ron Capps' funny car explodes, crashes during Arizona Nationals
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) funny car driver Ron Capps was involved in a scary crash during the Arizona Nationals on Sunday. Capps' vehicle came off the starting line fast and in the blink of an eye, the top of his car exploded. He careened across the dividing line and into the left guard wall. Capps was able to get out of his vehicle under his own power. The NHRA said he was examined by the on-site medical team before he was released. "It was an unfortunate first round, & we are thankful that @RonCapps28 was able to get out & walk away," Ron Capps Motorsports wrote on X. "The @NHRA Safety Safari was right there, & the safety equipment & chassis did its job. Thanks to our awesome sponsors like @theNAPAnetwork and Toyota we will be in Pomona!" Capps has 75 wins in a funny car and has made 151 final rounds. He had three wins and was a runner-up four times during the 2023 season. In 2024, he reached the final round in four events but failed to secure a victory. So far this season, he reached the final round in Gainesville, Florida, in the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Capps finished third in the funny car standings last year. He was behind champion Austin Prock and John Force, who suffered his own scary crash back in June. Force has been back at the track this season to root for his family members and drivers as he deals with a traumatic brain injury stemming from the crash. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Gene Winfield, ‘Blade Runner' Custom Car Designer, Dies at 97
Gene Winfield, a custom car designer for films such as 'Blade Runner' and 'Robocop,' died on March 4. He was 97. The news was confirmed via his obituary on Winfield became known as the 'King of Kustoms' after working on some of Hollywood's most iconic cars. He opened his first custom shop in the 1940s and his career spanned over eight decades. Over the years, he became the go-to man when Hollywood needed cars, especially futuristic ones. He worked on the 'Super Car' in a 1967 episode of 'Bewitched.' The car became known as the Retractor and appeared in an episode of 'Star Trek: The Original Series' as Jupiter 8 and an episode of 'Mission: Impossible.' It also became Catwoman's Catmobile in 'Batman.' Winfield also designed the vehicle used in 'Get Smart' and customized a Piranha for 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' His custom vehicles were featured in 'The Last Starfighter' and 'Robocop.' Perhaps his most recognizable cars were seen in 'Blade Runner' for which he created the flying cop cars known as 'spinners.' According to HotRod magazine, he was born in Springfield, Mo., and was the youngest of six children born to Frank and Virginia 'Ginny' Winfield. The obit says he bought his first car at age 15, a $75 1928 Model A coupe that he painted dark blue. He customized that and installed dual antennas and foxtails, even though the car had no radio. The hot-rod community bestowed accolades on him including the National Hot Rod Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
Daily Tribune
19-02-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Tribune
Kanoo Motors Rolling Drag Night to bring unique thrills to BIC strip tomorrow
Bahrain International Circuit (BIC), 'The Home of Motorsport in the Middle East', brings the excitement back to the drag strip on Thursday (Editor's note: 20 February) with the widely popular Kanoo Motors Rolling Drag Night. The event offers motorsport enthusiasts the opportunity to engage in head-to-head battles in their very own cars or motorbikes with fellow-speed lovers down BIC's world-class quarter-mile drag strip. Interested participants can invite their family or friends for an exciting one-on-one challenge. But instead of a traditional standing start, they will begin their run at a rolling speed of 80kph. Thursday's event is scheduled for 7pm to 12midnight. The cost to be a part of the Kanoo Motors Rolling Drag Night is BD22 for each driver or rider. Spectators can watch from the stands for a fee of BD2. Just as in all activities at the circuit, safety is paramount for all taking part. Cars and motorbikes must go through scrutineering before being able to hit the BIC strip, which is a part of the NHRA Worldwide Network of the U.S.-based National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Kanoo Motors Rolling Drag Night makes for a unique experience, putting fans into an engaging, yet friendly, duel. Both participants will be able to push their vehicles to their limit within the secure and controlled environment at BIC. Meanwhile, also available on Thursday is BIC's most mind-boggling passenger ride: the Dragster Experience. Known as 'The Fastest Ride on Earth', fans will have a chance to get a taste of pure speed as they are taken from zero to 100kph in just one second while in the cockpit of a 10,500cc Top Dragster. The Dragster Experience is available at BD44 for the first passenger while a second passenger can get 50 per cent off.
