The Aeroflow Nitro Hot Rods recently thrilled fans at Willowbank Raceway and the pair of nitro ‘open wheelers’ will be back on track to entertain the Sydney Dragway crowd with both cars and driver combinations set on running a 5-second pass at the Cruzin’ Magazine Nostalgia Drags and Hot Rod Reunion.

When the 62nd Annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals roll around at the end of the month, most Aussie fans will be looking for names like Richie Crampton, Wayne Newby and Shane Tucker. While we’ll all be cheering them on, keep an eye out for Mathew Leonard in Competition Eliminator.

Mopar fans are going to get a kick out of issue 19 of Drag News Magazine with three stunning Australian examples from one of the strongest automotive cults in the world. Taking the cover for this edition is Lee Bektash’s 200mph Dodge Avenger. We chat with Lee about his Pro Stock career and what’s ahead – could it even be retirement?Our tough street car quota is filled with Peter Selby’s awesome Valiant Charger, a nine second runner that can easily switch from street to strip. Fantastic photography thanks to Jordan Leist.Mark Chapman runs arguably the most beautiful Mopar-based Top Doorslammers in the country and we check out the Plymouth Fury up close and personal.Our intrepid editorial team made the long journey to the Northern Territory for the opening rounds of the ANDRA season in Darwin and Alice Springs, check out the event reports from Nitro Up North and the Desert Nationals. Meanwhile, in Sydney it was Grudge Kings making all the headlines and we interview winner Gina Bullians.The Mopar mega issue is not finished yet – we talk exclusively with NHRA Pro Stock driver Allen Johnson and our retro story from the early 90s Dodge days is one you have to read to believe.Plus Junior Dragster hitter Dylan Leo and all our regular content sections – you’re going to be reading this one for a while. Order Drag News Magazine single issues or subscriptions here.

Robert Schwab left Australia to pursue a dream of racing Nitro Funny Cars in the USA and it has been a career full of highs and lows. His greatest high was perhaps reaching the semi final round of the Mile High Nationals in Denver in 2004, but the lowest moment was a firey crash in Utah during testing of a brand new car in 1999. Schwab recently remembered this moment when he saw video of a crash by Courtney Force in Seattle. He has kindly allowed Drag News to share his thoughts on what was a horrific moment for a new racer. “Seeing Courtney’s headers brought back a lot of memories. This is a piece of my history that I have never told in my own words or had a way to share it. It’s a story that has been hidden away for so many reasons and I just wanted to tell it before I lose my memory,” Schwab said. “There are so many people that helped me come back from this tragic day that I will always be so thankful to including DRAW, the Rocky Mountain Raceway safety team and family, my own family, Mathew Leonard who changed bandages on me, the doctors and staff at the UofU burn unit, and all the people who helped us put the new car together and my race crew that never gave up. “This happened for a reason, not sure what it was, but I do believe there was a reason.” Schwab had spent four years building his pride and joy, proudly emblazoned with the Southern Cross. “It was immaculate, more like a show car than a race car, a life long dream and labour of love,” he said. The team was licencing the car to compete in Phoenix at a 32 Funny Car show and were on their fourth run of the day when the tyres started spinning shortly before the 60 feet mark. Schwab was off the power and already counter steering. The spinning momentum of the drivetrain kept the wheels moving and drove the car towards the wall.  “At this point I am still driving but not much is happening, the momentum has the control,” Schwab said. The front of the car hit so hard that the back of car was two feet off the ground when it hit the wall. It’s easy to forget just how fast a nitro car is moving even when it has only travelled 60 feet. Schwab was knocked unconscious by the impact and the worst was yet to come. The body was knocked on to the throttle.“She goes wide open, the car is on bare concrete with no traction, I am asleep dreaming about Adelaide beaches. Look at the tyres smoking!” The free-revving motor kicked the rods out, contributing more oil and fuel to help the fire. Schwab can joke about what was a very scary moment now. “Surely that is some sort of record – longest unconscious fire burnout? The rubber fuel lines on the hat have now burnt off and are spraying fuel around like a sprinkler head! And they are still legal!” You can see Schwab’s time and speed up on the read out boards. Unconscious, on fire and scraping a wall, he clocked a 9.13 at 150mph. “You can see the tyre tracks, she was still trying to go and kept hitting the wall,” he said. “Bit hard to see but if you look down past the ambulance you can see a big hot fire burning. I am still in there, my foot is tangled in a gauge hose that was zip-tied in. Roy the suited fire diver has gone down and the other divers are still trying to get me out. Suzie Wells, who had run before me, comes running down in her full firesuit to help. Her daughter Jen has the cutters that will free my foot.” The bent headers were aimed right at the cockpit. They melted through the body and the car panels to reach Schwab’s face. “I had molten aluminium mixed with a blowtorch aimed at my helmet.” What the inside of a torched Funny Car cockpit looks like.  “The butterflies were still wide open as the barrel valve had melted, she only stopped here after running out of fuel. The fuel had burned off quickly after the lines melted.” Schwab’s safety gear laid out in the braking area. Many of the layers of his boots and firesuit were burned off and the helmet was in very bad shape. “The Simpson fresh air systems were new at the time and not yet required, but for some divine reason we not only had installed one but had it turned on. This saved my life and worked well till the visor was melted off.” Schwab in hospital recovering from his burns.  “I am only smiling because of the morphine, the other pictures are a bit too graphic to show on here. Lisa never left the hospital, slept in a chair for a week. Don’t know how I got so lucky, she even helped Mathew order a new body and that was before they would even commit that I was going to make it. So many people helped over the next months untill we ran again.”

Drag racing is more a team sport than most people imagine. It takes a small army of dedicated souls behind the scenes to bring a race vehicle to the track – especially if it happens to burn nitro.

Benny Phillips is one of the many FIFO workers in Darwin, far away from his home in Victoria. But he has taken advantage of his work situation this year by bringing his Holden Torana with him to go racing at Hidden Valley Drag Strip.

Drag racers have complained about traction on drag strips for years – normally the lack of. But this little guy was left very upset by too much traction at Sydney Dragway.