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Sunday

The 2014 Top Fuel Shootout at Dome Valley Raceway in Wellton, AZ featured amazing sand drag racing action from start to finish. Dennis Rieck and the Hammer Down Hemi used a pair of solid 2.2-second ET’s during Sunday’s Eliminations to take the Top Fuel Shootout title. Robert Skidmore made more history as he recorded the first ever 2.6-second ET in a Fast Fours Dragster. Robert ran a 2.684, but unfortunately red lighted away his chance at the Final Round victory by .009 as Mario Tavares took the class win with a 2.81 ET. The Top Eliminator class saw an epic final round as two of the strongest competitors from across the country met up for the first time. The win light in this battle would go to Texas racer Courtney Stidham as he defeated Billy Morris on a hole shot 2.97 to 2.96. Rod Trower certainly didn’t take it easy as he soloed to the Top Alcohol class win while recording his Personal Best ET of 2.42. The Pro Bracket classes were extremely entertaining as well. The Durning Racing team had a huge day as Craig Durning took the Pro 1 victory in “Eugene The Jeep” and Brad Olson scored the Motorcycle Pro 1 class win. Jeeps swept the Pro Bracket classes as Jose Beas (Pro 2) and Kenny Hayes (Pro 3) won their respective classes. MPC Racing’s Mark Ratliff took the victory in the Motorcycle Pro 2 category. **Run Sheets are now posted. (1-28)**

Read more: NSDN Daily Race Coverage - Dome TF Shootout Jan '14

Cronin Racing is looking to make some noise at Dome Valley Raceway’s Season Opener in the Fast Fours class. The Cronin team’s Meltdown dragster driven by Art Cronin received a turbocharger upgrade in the two months since last season’s finale. The 2011 class champion Meltdown ride made big steps late in 2013 getting back towards championship form and this move hopes to put them at the front of the pack. Cronin Racing's Dragster driven by John Cronin is ready for action as well coming off a nice outing at last year's Season Finale. Follow along with NSDN’s coverage this weekend of the Dome Valley Top Fuel Shootout to see how Cronin Racing and the always competitive Fast Fours class fares at the 2014 Season Opener. Click “Read More” to view more pics of the Meltdown upgrades.

Read more: Cronin Racing Meltdown Offseason Upgrades

Avenal Sand Drags in Avenal, CA is currently undergoing a massive track surface improvement project for the 2014 race season. The plan is remove the existing water sensitive track surface & replace it with a lighter soil that will be more forgiving while allowing for optimal traction. As you can see in the photos posted, the current track soil is in the process of being moved off. Not only will the soil be different, but the track prep equipment will be different to provide a quicker show & more consistent surface. This is a huge undertaking and the Avenal Sand Drags crew would like to thank all who have donated or chipped in to this project. They will keep us updated here on NSDN as the project continues leading up to the Avenal Sand Drags Opener on April 26-27. Click "Read More" to view photos.

Read more: Avenal Track Improvements Underway

Albany Motorsports Park in Albany, OR will be hosting the 2nd Annual Sand Storm event on Aug 15-17. This race will feature some of the best sand drag action in the Northwest. For more information call, (541) 908-3501 or visit the Albany Sand Drags page on Facebook. Click “Read More” to view the full event flyer.

Read more: Albany Sandstorm 2014 Event Announced

Santa Maria Speedway in Santa Maria, CA along with the Sand Outlaws group has put out their 2014 race schedule. These races will be held on March 29, June 14, August 23, and November 29. The events feature bracket racing classes. For more information, call 805-315-2023.

Update 3: Chassis work is ongoing on this project, check out the latest pics. Click "Read More" to view... (1-12)

It’s a busy off-season at the Trower Racing shop in Tonkawa, OK with three race car projects underway. Dee Trower’s Pauter-powered entry that she debuted at the Atoka Fall Fest event is undergoing some upgrades, including new wiring & the addition of a Racepak with Dash. Dee’s car will also have a new front end with modern-style A-Arms on the front. Frank Martuscelli’s new ride is under construction at the Trower shop. Frank’s car is being put together to run in the Fast Fours class with his 2800cc Pauter Nitro combination. Rod is also putting together a new car for himself to run at the monthly Atoka Motorsports Park races with an identical 3500cc Pauter Alcohol combination to what is in Dee’s car. This team is busy preparing for the Season Opener at Dome Valley, where Rod will have his Thunder TA Dragster; Frank’s Nitro Four-Cylinder Dragster is slated to debut; and most likely Dee’s Pauter-powered Dragster. Thanks to Rod and Frank for sending in progress photos, they will try to keep us posted as things come together. Anyone out there with a project underway, feel free to send photos and descriptions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Read on to view the photos.

Read more: Trower Racing Off-Season Update