Compiled by SEMA Editors
| |  Billy Torrence claimed his second victory in the playoffs, going 3.775 seconds at 319.67 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to beat first-time finalist Jordan Vandergriff in the final round. |
B. Torrence, Hagan, Anderson and Savoie Race to Key Victories at AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals
Billy Torrence powered to the victory at Texas Motorplex during the 34th annual AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals. Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won in their respective categories at the fourth of six races during the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs. It is also the 22nd of 24 events in during the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. Torrence claimed his second victory in the playoffs, going 3.775 seconds at 319.67 mph in his Capco Contractors dragster to beat first-time finalist Jordan Vandergriff in the final round. Torrence earned his fourth victory this season and fifth in his career, winning for the first time at his home track. He pulled to within 71 points of his son Steve, who lost in the opening round last Sunday. Hagan earned his third Funny Car win of 2019, going 3.909 at 327.59 in the final round in his Western Technical College/MOPAR CAP Dodge SRT Hellcat to beat Bob Tasca’s 3.928 at 323.12. In Pro Stock, Anderson beat longtime rival Jeg Coughlin Jr. in the final round, going 6.609 at 209.75 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro to slip past Coughlin’s 6.610 at 207.56. Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Savoie went 6.881 at 195.90 in the final round on his White Alligator Racing Suzuki to knock off Eddie Krawiec and claim his third win in 2019. Savoie also earned his second win in the Countdown to the Championship, closing to within 94 points of leader Andrew Hines heading into the final two events. The Mello Yello Drag Racing Series continues October 31–November 3 with the fifth of six races in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs—the Dodge NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 The Grand Champion Modern Class Winner was Michael Gallagher in his ’16 Ford Focus. |
2019 Intergalactic Ford Festival Results
The first Intergalactic Ford Festival is officially in the books after four days of non-stop Ford action. The Grand Champion event was split into three classes this year and featured a wide variety of cars and trucks. The Grand Champion Modern Class Winner was Michael Gallagher in his ’16 Ford Focus. The Grand Champion Vintage Class Winner was John McKissack in his ’66 Ford Fairlane and the Grand Champion Truck Class Winner was Ryan Harris in his ’13 Ford F-150. Visit Holley’s website for complete results.
4 Wheel Parts Signs Multi-Year Partnership With SCORE International as Official Retailer and Presenting Partner
SCORE International has announced that it has entered a new long-term partnership with 4 Wheel Parts (4WP) as the official retailer of the SCORE World Desert Championship and the Presenting Partner for the 2019 SCORE Baja 1000 race, as well as the 2020 and future SCORE Baja 500 and SCORE Baja 1000 races.
 Team Falken driver and defending Formula DRIFT champion James Deane became the first Formula D driver to win three championships in a row through his third-place finish at Irwindale Speedway, Saturday, October 19. | |
Team Falken’s James Deane First Driver to 3-Peat In Formula Drift Driver’s Championship With Third-Place Finish at Irwindale
Entering the “House of Drift” for Round 8’s title fight to the 2019 Black Magic Formula Drift Championship, Team Falken driver and defending Formula DRIFT champion James Deane became the first Formula D driver to win three championships in a row through his third-place finish at Irwindale Speedway, Saturday, October 19. Five Team Falken drivers advanced to the Top 16. Daijiro “Dai” Yoshihara, Odi Bakchis, Piotr Wiecek and Deane moved to the Top 8. Bakchis and Deane moved to the Top 4, where both went down to the two finalists, Deane having lost to eventual Irwindale winner Ken Gushi. The 2019 season complete, Deane finishes in first, Bakchis third, Wiecek fourth, Dai ninth, Pawlak 12th and Matt Field 14th.
Texas Racing Legend Billy Meyer to be Inducted Into International Drag Racing Hall of Fame
Among the 2020 inductees into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame announced last week by Don Garlits and the Hall of Fame selection committee is Texas Funny Car driver and racetrack developer Billy Meyer who, in his career on the NHRA pro tour, appeared in 22 final rounds, hoisted the trophy 12 times and his IHRA career appeared in 13 final rounds and won eight trophies. Meyer will share the podium at the March induction ceremonies in Gainesville, Florida, with fellow legends Lee Beard, Roy Hill, Larry Minor and Don Enriquez. Meyer’s legacy is defined as a driver, a drag-strip innovator and one-time sanctioning body owner and president. The Texas native began his racing career at the age of nine in go-karts before switching to drag racing as a teenager. He remains the youngest person to earn a Funny Car license at the age of 16. Still in his teens, he left home in 1972 six weeks after high-school graduation to pursue a full-time racing career, and that fall won the sport’s most prestigious independent Funny Car race—the 1972 Manufacturers Funny Car Championship at Orange County International Raceway in Irvine, California.
Two years later, after winning at Bristol, he dominated at Indianapolis, where he claimed the No. 1 qualifying position at the U.S. Nationals and had the quickest time in every round leading up to the final, where his Mustang inexplicably slowed from a quarter-mile best of 6.197 seconds, quick time of the event, to 6.467 in a loss to the most dominant Funny Car racer of that era. He finally won his first NHRA race three years later after a two-year hiatus to pursue the land-speed record at age 23, when he beat Jim Dunn in the final round of the 1977 Fall Nationals at Seattle. He won the last tour event in which he competed, beating Ed McCulloch at the 1987 Winston Finals at Pomona, California, before retiring at 33 to spend more time with family and diverse business interests.
 Design Engineering Inc. (DEI) has renewed support for the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) 67,000 plus members for 2020. |
DEI Wraps Up SCCA Sponsorship Program for 2019 and Re-ups for 2020
Design Engineering Inc. (DEI), in support of grassroots motorsports, announces a wrap up for 2019 and renewed support for the Sports Car Club of America’s (SCCA) 67,000 plus members for 2020. This year, DEI became a first-time sponsor for both the Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour presented by Hagerty, and the Tire Rack SCCA Solo® Nationals. SCCA reported that more than 200 Time Trials racers participated in DEI’s sponsorship program for the SCCA Time Trials, a national tour of several events culminating in a final three day event held in late September, where all participants received $25 off their entry fee by showcasing DEI decals on their vehicle. A combined prize amount of $3,600 was pledged to grassroots and sportsmen racers for top place finishes in the Summer Nationals for Solo. In celebration of the partnership, DEI is opening the program to the entire membership with a promotional discount code. Any SCCA member can use the coupon code “FUNWITHCARS” during checkout on DEI’s website to receive 15% off their order total.
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