Saturday evening thunderstorms at Bristol Dragway forced Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series officials to postpone the completion of the Thunder Valley Throwdown presented by Larry Jeffers Race Cars to the next race on the schedule. The series completed one round of eliminations in the professional classes and multiple rounds in the sportsman and Jr. Dragster categories before the rain hit. The rest of eliminations will take place in three weeks at the ProFab DragWars presented by PST Driveshafts at GALOT Motorsports Park.
“This is obviously not the ideal outcome, but we fought through rain storms earlier in the day and completed as much racing as we could before these forecasted thunderstorms rolled in,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. “More rain has moved into the area and is going to stay in the area throughout half of Sunday, effectively losing our back-up date as well. The remainder of the Thunder Valley Throwdown will be completed at GALOT Motorsports Park during the PDRA DragWars event on Thursday, September 11. We will post more detailed information as soon as possible, but the event is concluded for the weekend in Thunder Valley. We appreciate all of our racers and fans who came out to spend their weekend with us at Bristol Dragway.”The series completed one round of eliminations in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports, AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Allen Competition Engines PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters, PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling, MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines, Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, and Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams.Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products ran two rounds of eliminations, and MagnaFuel Top Sportsman 32, Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster 48 presented by Derrick Wolfe Trucking, and Paragon Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products ran three rounds. Virginia’s Dane Wood threw down the quickest pass of the opening round in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, a 3.761 at 199.82, to upset No. 2 qualifier John Vergotz, who ran a 3.760 at 201.52. First-round results: Tommy Franklin 3.907 (bye run), Brian Shrader 3.968 def. Tim Paap 5.524 (red), Marcus Butner 3.806 def. Fredy Scriba 3.779, Cam Clark 3.826 def. Amber Denton 4.208, Dane Wood 3.761 def. John Vergotz 3.760, Tim Molnar 3.825 def. Billy Albert 5.502 (red). Defending event champion Jason Harris set low E.T. in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive first round of eliminations with his 3.686 at 205.51 next to a red-lighting Don Tolley. First-round results: Preston Tanner 3.688 def. Bubba Greene 5.269, Ed Marx 3.715 def. Kurt Steding 3.727, David Monday 5.202 def. Johnny Camp 3.714 (red), Melanie Salemi 3.709 def. Cameron Hensley 4.55, Jason Harris 3.686 def. Don Tolley 5.928 (red), Steve King 3.732 def. Frank Falter IV 3.803, Randy Weatherford 3.714 def. John Doc 3.722, Ty Tutterow 3.734 def. Raymond Matos (broke). In a marquee matchup with championship implications in Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports, No. 12 qualifier Ethan Steding advanced with a 4.138 at 186.00 while No. 1 qualifier and points leader Blake Denton broke on the starting line. That opened the window for No. 2 ranked Steding to gain ground on Denton. First-round results: Ethan Steding 4.138 def. Blake Denton (broke), Mikey Sasina 4.178 def. Ty Kasper 4.160, Ron Green 4.092 def. Chris Tuten 4.086, Fletcher Cox 4.144 def. Bill Devine 4.375, Richard Reagan 4.143 def. Adrian Herrera 4.201, Bill Riddle 6.665 def. Scott Kincaid (broke). AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Allen Competition Engines saw the No. 2 and 3 drivers in the points standings lose in the opening round. Two-time and defending world champion Chris Powers lost on a holeshot to Dave Hughes, and recent first-time winner Jeremy Huffman lost to young gun Jordan Ensslin. First-round results: Elijah Morton 4.237 (bye), Dave Hughes 4.179 def. Chris Powers 4.174, Alan Drinkwater 4.153 def. Steven Boone 4.238, Jordan Ensslin 4.218 def. Jeremy Huffman 4.284. First-time PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters No. 1 qualifier Nicole Liberty continued to set the pace in the first round of eliminations, as she set low E.T. of the round – 4.239 at 166.66 – on a bye run. First-round results: Nicole Liberty 4.239 (bye run), Carson Hoyle 4.262 def. Kyle Salminen 6.866, Jeff Pittman 4.262 def. Ed McLemore 4.384, Lexi Tanner 4.259 def. Brian Clauss 4.358 (red), Jeff Melnick 4.245 def. Gary Hood 11.013, J.C. Beattie Jr. 4.247 def. Jason Ventura 4.295. In PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling, defending event winner and No. 1 qualifier Connor McGee charged to the quickest pass of the opening round, a 4.635 at 156.59, to defeat Brad McBride and his 6.155. First-round results: Connor Mcgee 4.635 def. Brad McBride 6.155, Dan Whetstine 4.760 def. Grant Breaud 4.800, Austin Vincent 4.692 def. Matt Schalow 4.757, Carson Perry 4.715 def. Brooks McMath 4.759. For complete results, visit www.PDRA660.com.The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will now move on to the penultimate race on the 2025 schedule, the ProFabrication DragWars presented by PST Driveshafts, Sept. 11-13, at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, North Carolina.
This story was originally published on August 23, 2025.
After years of racing out of residential garages, take a look inside Ricky Thornton Jr’s new race shop
Ricky Thornton Jr won 31 races in the 2025 season. He went on to finish 2nd in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series standings.
He’s has been racing since 2005. And until now, he has only used residential garages outside of other teams he’s raced for.
400+ wins and 30+ championships later, he has opened a new shop in Iowa. Koehler Motorsports will continue to use their shop in Mount Airy, NC. But, the Iowa shop will also be used when the team is in the area.
Take a look at the photos of the Ricky Thornton Jr Racing shop below.
Ricky Thornton Jr Racing comments
The team shared the following update:
“After a career of racing out of residential garages, (and some beautiful shops of others) Ricky finally has his very own personal race shop. A true dream come true,” the team opened via social media.
“Graystone Companies- thank you Troy for the time you put into this project. Deadlines & expectations were heavily exceeded! If you’re looking to build anything in the Des Moines metro, Graystone Companies is what you’re looking for! Thank you to Ganoe Excavating, Inc. for the dirt work, D and E Outside Services for the tree removal, and Matt Allen for the floor finish!”
“Our Koehler Motorsports team will continue to race out of their Mount Airy, NC shop, but our Iowa shop will be a frequent stopping point throughout the summer!”
The 2026 season is set to begin. Thornton Jr is heading to Central Arizona Raceway for the Wild West Shootout beginning on January 10th.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series removes playoff format for 2026
Ricky Thornton Jr Race Shop (Photos)
Ricky Thornton Jr Race ShopBathroom – Ricky Thornton Jr Race Shop – IowaRicky Thornton Jr Race Shop – IowaFormer Shop – Ricky Thornton Jr Race Shop – Iowa
The 2026 season will be a special one for Team Penske, which made its first foray into the racing scene in 1966. Whether it’s NASCAR, IndyCar or IMSA, Team Penske has enjoyed plenty of success and plans to savor many more victories in the future.
Team Penske cars in all three major series will sport special retro livery at select races, while the team will also introduce an anniversary identity that will appear across its race cars, uniforms, digital platforms and merchandise, with the first items available online and in the team store beginning in January.
“Our 60th anniversary is a tremendous milestone for our organization,” Roger Penske said in a team release. “The 2026 season will give us the opportunity to celebrate the people, partners and fans who have helped shape Team Penske since 1966, while also looking ahead to the future. This year ahead is a meaningful one with many terrific moments for our team and story still to come.”
Few teams can match the Penske programs when it comes to success on the track. The team has 20 Indianapolis 500 victories, three Daytona 500 wins and has won at least one major championship for the past 14 years, including last season’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sweep of the team, drivers and manufacturers titles. It was the second straight season Porsche Penske swept the awards and last season saw the team become the first since 2017 to win Daytona and Sebring in the same season.
With the team not competing in the World Endurance Championship in 2026, Team Penske will focus all of its sportscar racing attention on IMSA. Despite winning the GTP title the past two seasons, there will be some new faces on the team in 2026.
The team will see Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor move from the WEC to drive the No. 6 Porsche 963, while the No. 7 will be in the hands of Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer. Matt Campbell, one of the championship drivers this season, will serve as the endurance driver for the No. 6 car at Daytona, Sebring and Road Atlanta, while Laurin Heinrich will serve in the same role for the No. 7 Porsche. All six are Porsche factory drivers.
Porsche Penske will begin its 2026 season in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 16-18. The Rolex 24 At Daytona begins Saturday, Jan. 24.
MANAMA: The director of the Kuwaiti Motor Sports Club, Sheikh Sabah Dawood Al-Sabah, praised the outstanding results achieved by the club’s racers in the second round of the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship on Saturday, emphasizing that they reflect the advanced level reached by Kuwaiti champions in this sport. The team director stated that the racers delivered a remarkable performance in the competitions held at the Bahrain International Circuit’s drag strip.
Abdullah Ali Al-Aqab secured first place in the Pro 29.5 category, while Ahmed Zaman took second place in the 8.5 Index category, and Fawaz Al-Awadhi finished third in the same category. The remaining members of the participating delegation also achieved high rankings in the eight rounds.
Al-Sabah affirmed that these achievements are the fruit of the continuous efforts exerted by the racers and the technical and administrative staff.
He noted the club’s commitment to providing all means of support and care to raise Kuwait’s flag high in regional and international events, wishing them continued success in future competitions.
The second round of the Bahrain National Drag Racing Championship, the most popular drag racing championship in the region, kicked off over the past two days at the Bahrain International Circuit’s drag strip. The new season of the Bahrain Drag Racing Championship is scheduled to run until March, with the third and fourth rounds taking place in January and the championship concluding in March. — KUNA
It’s the biggest motorcycle drag racing grudge race of the year, Kings of Grudge Grinchmas from Orlando Speedworld Dragway and we cover this shocker as a fast mini bike calls out a stretched Suzuki Hayabusa grudge bike on the opening day of this event. We also see some motorcycle drag racing gone wrong as a fast Suzuki Hayabusa and GSXR 1000 suffer engine damage. Enjoy some thrilling motorcycle drag racing from Kings of Grudge
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
It’s episode No. 3 of the Racing Jack Show and we sit down with media mogul “Bubba The Love Sponge” to Talk about what’s really hurting the racing business and what the sport must do to bring fans back to NHRA, NASCAR, Dirt Races and a whole lot more. After an in-depth discussion on the state of motorsports and racing the leader of the Bubba Army shocks us when he calls his good buddy and motorsports legend Tony Stewart.
We ask Bubba how the next generation of race fan has changed, how difficult it is to run a track and an organization and how racing organizations can follow the successful formula of WWE and UFC. We also discuss the controversial decision by the NHRA to cancel its final race of the season and discuss some of the interworking of NHRA drag racing and how it functions as a not for profit organization. Bubba also talks about what it’s like to climb the ladder in NASCAR in today’s climate compared to how it once was in the days of greats like Dale Earnhardt Sr. Finally we discuss Bubba’s reporting on the untimely death of Hulk Hogan and how the wrestling legend’s passing changes the way Cycledrag operates.
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
We head to the biggest motorcycle drag racing grudge race of the year where we unfortunately see one fast racer on a Suzuki GSXR blow an en engine and suffer a big top end crash at Orlando Speedworld Dragway. It’s motorcycle drag racing gone wrong as this veteran driver suffers an incident but the good news is he was alert and awake and the Orlando safety team was right on top of it. We also see some unbelievable motorcycle drag racing as nitrous and turbo Suzuki Hayabusa and GSXR 1000 and Kawasaki ZX-14 stretched bikes go for big money win at the biggest Grudge race of the year, Kings of Grudge Grinchmas from Orlando, FL
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
