In many ways, Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg Verizon IndyCar Series season-starter was the portent of a new era. In other ways it was a reflection of the open-wheel category’s past and present.
There was a time, with the Verizon IndyCar Series, when season starters posed the question of which Penske or Ganassi or Andretti operation would rise to the top. It’s fair to say that with a new, standardized aero kit for all teams for the 2018 season, and with new squads entering the series on both full-time and part-time bases, that this might be the first year with intrigue.
Sunday was not the first time John Force has crashed.
It happened again, for the second time in two NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races: A John Force Racing car had a huge, frightening accident in Sunday eliminations.
The 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season marks only the second time 2012 Funny Car champion Jack Beckman has started the year with the same Don Schumacher Racing crew with whom he ended the prior season.
Alan Prusiensky is one of the “little guys” in NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series competition.
Tanner Gray came out of the starting gate for last year’s NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series like a house on fire.
When beloved NHRA Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden passed away in 2017 at age 73, it was a huge loss for the straight-line racing community and for Ford Motor Co., with whom “Mad Dog” earned his 85 victories and 10 championships.
Dodge to sponsor NHRA Mile-High Nationals for 2018.
Bob Tasca is back in the NHRA game.
