■ Just a few short weeks ago , the nose of Michael Cordova ’ s rail was steam-rolled by a pickup truck in the staging lanes , causing major front end damage . The wheels , A- arms , tie rods , steering box , and carbon fiber nose were completely destroyed , with the final Outlaw Diesel Super Series race mere weeks away ! Many would have thrown in the towel , but Cordova , aka The Ninja , used speed , stealth and indomitable spirit to push forward against all odds . Since creatures of the night do not sleep , Cordova was able to get the car patched up in time for the season finale at Wagler Motorsports Park .

It was a tough two rounds of qualifying for the team on Friday . An aborted pass in Q1 and a low-pressure fuel leak in Q2 left the Cordova Clan with one more shot at qualifying on Saturday . Fortunately , they hit the mark with a 3.95-second , 1 / 8th- mile pass that put them right to the top and earning a buy for first round of eliminations . Being a solo run , the stars were aligned for a record pass , so S & S MoTeC specialist , Andre Dusek , loaded up the spicy tune for E1 . Short on mercy and full of power , Michael “ The Ninja ” Cordova slayed the outright diesel 1 / 8th mile ET record by running a 3.877 at 191.08 MPH !

Wrecked to World Record in under a month is a huge accomplishment that would have not been possible without the support of Hammertech Race Cars , 1X Precision , Wrenchworkz , and many others , including Michael ’ s wife , Lauren Cordova . Records are great , but winning is better , and the team did just that by moving on to win the Pro Dragster class of the Wagler Fall Nationals .

S & S Diesel Motorsport is honored to be a small part of their program by providing fueling , electronic control , and calibration support for the Freedom Racing Engines Cummins power plant !

■ The World Drag Racing Alliance announced today that Summit Racing Equipment has renewed their commitment to the WDRA and their sportsman racing programs for 2024 . The Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series ( SSDRS ) will again be the WDRA ’ s centerpiece of bracket racing programming at WDRA member tracks . The 2024 WDRA Summit World Championships will be hosted by Montgomery International Dragway next season .

“ Summit Racing Equipment has a long history of supporting their drag racing customers and we are very excited that we have Summit ’ s continued support to continue our work bolstering our member track network and all the bracket racers that call those tracks home ” said WDRA ’ s Skooter Peaco . Year number two of the Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series will begin January 1 , 2024 and the goal of the program is to find the best racers at each WDRA member track and gather them together in head-tohead competition at the Summit World Finals in October .

“ Sportsman racers along with the facilities and entities that support them will always remain as a keystone of the Summit Racing Equipment family ,” said Motorsports and Events Manager Jim Greenleaf . “ The opportunity to work with the WDRA , the facility owners and operator , and every racer in the program is a point of pride for us .

Over 3,000 racers registered to compete in the Summit Sportsman Drag Racing Series in its inaugural season , and a select few will gather in Darlington South Carolina this October to race for the first ever WDRA Summit World Championship .

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98 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 185