Half a dozen years ago, Canberra’s Rick Chilton had new Bob Book engine power. In qualifying for the 2013 Winternationals he went from the outhouse to the penthouse after dropping a 7.001 at 195.59mph. The personal goal of the team’s first six second pass seemed tantalisingly close.

Modified is one of Australian drag racing’s most popular brackets, if not its most diverse.

Brad ‘Fox’ Cullen might not be a Mopar fan himself, but he certainly has the attention of the faithful. When the Pro Radial Valiant VC ute rolled out last year at Sydney Dragway looking like a mix of 90s Wild Bunch, Australian muscle and Pro Street, all Mopar eyes were on him. But he admits that he isn’t a lifelong member of the cult.

Sydney chassis builder Craig Burns made a family project out of building a wild Ford Mustang destined for radial tyre racing. Look at this beautiful car up close for the first time in Drag News Magazine #38.

When Anthony Begley stood on the throttle pedal inside the Chemical Warfare Nitro Funny Car, he knew something was wrong almost immediately.

Drag racing’s accessibility remains one of its most appealing qualities. The sport is still within range of privateer teams, even with professional teams spending huge budgets to go quicker.

They say one of the secrets to a successful relationship is to have shared interests – and what better interest could you have than drag racing?

When Russell Mills unveiled his Pro Alcohol ‘Funster’ for the first time, it’s fair to say the response was mixed. This hybrid of a dragster, funny car and altered was looked on with scorn by some, questioning why Mills would build such a freak.

Swedish furniture giant Ikea is famous for its flat packed furniture, using inspired design to create stylish household items that you can build yourself, often with just their famed allen key. There is a drag racing version of this.

Two words can summarise Phil Penny’s Honda S600 – genre-defying. The body shouts nostalgia, but the turbo poking out of the bonnet argues an outlaw of some description. Between the chassis rails the Toyota 2JZ motor is all sport compact, but on the tyres it’s a 10.5. The conflict is just how Penny likes it.