The cackle count in Australia is set to get bigger and louder when round 1 of the Outlaw Nitro Funny Car series hits Sydney Dragway this November.

No fewer than 14 Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars will be on-hand to entertain the fans, an indication of just how popular this new class of racing has become in a fairly short amount of time.

Headlining the Australia v USA show will be NHRA legend Ron Capps driving the L.A. Hooker Nitro Funny Car, with Willy White flying the Kiwi flag in the “Back to the Future” Plymouth Satellite.

The brainchild of Aussie drag racing icon, Graeme Cowin has helped engineer a category designed to bring relative affordability back to nitro racing and ramp up the entertainment value for fans.

This Sunday's brand new GM Mania event at Willowbank Raceway (15 September 2013) signals the beginning of a new approach by the facility's management.

Willowbank Raceway President Tony Wedlock said the event – which celebrates all things General Motors through drag racing, judged show and shine events, dyno competitions, club and manufacturer displays and more – is part of the Management Committee's commitment to delivering "something different" for motoring enthusiasts.

"This Sunday's GM Mania event is certainly shaping up to be a great day out for all the family," said Wedlock.

"I am pleased to report that GM Mania is not 'just' a new event for Willowbank Raceway.

"In actual fact, it signals the beginning of a new approach by the Raceway and its Board to offer something different from Queensland's premier drag racing facility to a wider group of motoring enthusiasts.

Have you ever dreamed of taking a ride in a top fuel dragster, to feel the power that only nitro methane can deliver?

Well now you can!

In an Australian first, Michael 'Gup' Gilbertson rolled out his new 2 seater Top Fuel Dragster at Queensland Raceway for Powercruise #43.

Gup's 2 seater Top Fuel Dragster is the real deal. In fact it's the 2011 Championship winning car of Top Fuel ace Darren Morgan.

The car was put through its paces with a media representative from Channel 7 and Channel 10 taken on the ride of a lifetime.

Young Aussie Steve Easton goes Nostalgia Nitro (Photo courtesy Darrell Conrad)Queenslander Steve Easton is set to steer Bob Godfrey's "Burn'n Money" Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car at the 2013 NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion in October.

For the 29 year old Aussie it's a dream come true after coming to the US in December 2011 to live and work full time. "I've vacationed here twice a year since 2007. I've spent plenty of time at Bakersfield and started out by crewing on a Nostalgia Nitro funny Car for fun," said Steve.

"A good friend of mine Dennis Holtz encouraged me to try for a full time gig on a Nitro Funny Car. So when I came back in 2011, I headed to Vegas to speak with a few crew chiefs and after the interview process came away with a job with John Force Racing."

Steering a 3500 horsepower, supercharged Top Doorslammer down a narrow strip of bitumen and accelerating to 400kmh in just six seconds might be the second most intense thing Queensland drag racer Stuart Bishop has ever done in Adelaide.

The Lady Daly Hotel Springnationals at Adelaide International Raceway will mark the first time Bishop has raced in the ANDRA Drag Racing Series in South Australia but he is by no means a stranger to the region, especially its waters, having spent a lot of time there in his competitive sailing days.

"I love Adelaide and we used to have a lot of the Olympic sailing trials there, so all around Brighton and Seacliff is my old stomping ground," he said.

Team Bray Entertainment is set to bring a 'triple-treat' burn-out show to the fast approaching Bathurst 1000 (7-10 October) V8 Supercar event thanks to the addition of a brand new car and driver to their line-up.

The new car – a 2000hp 1963 Corvette – will be piloted by Ben Bray and is being built with both burn-out and drift events in mind. Currently under construction at the Team Bray workshop, the car will make its debut at the renowned Mount Panorama circuit.

With Ben set to take the wheel of the powerful new Corvette, his Formula Tech/Walkinshaw Performance/Sidchrome 440 ute will now be found in the hands of Perth's Brett Stewart – pilot of the number 73 Dunlop V8 Supercar Series entry and the newest edition to TBE.

"I am super excited to get on-track with the brand new TBR 1963 Corvette," said Ben Bray.

John Zappia is used to late season charges to earn his five Top Doorslammer titles but says for this season it is points leader Peter Kapiris' championship to lose with just two events remaining.

The Top Doorslammer field heads to Adelaide International Raceway (AIR) from September 20-21 for the Lady Daly Hotel Springnationals and Zappia says his Fuchs team will need nothing short of perfection to be in the running.

"I need to do everything possible to win it and it's all in Peter's hands to lose it," he said. "If Peter doesn't do anything wrong he can't lose.

"I'd rather be on top but there's many of our championships we've won coming from behind. A couple of first round loses for anyone can turn it all around."

NOTE TO ALL COMPETITORS: The Aeroflow Championship round scheduled for October 26 and 27 has been CANCELED, contrary to information provided to Just Drag Racing.

Back in April 2013 Just Drag Racing reported that Sunset Strip was closing for repairs to fix the damage flooding had caused to the track.

Intentions were for the track to be ready by June 30th. Unfortunately the repairs didn't go to plan when the asphalt was lifted off the track and the contractors found a substantial amount of what is known as "reactive clay".

Reactive clay swells on wetting and shrinks on drying causing 70 to 90 millimetres of movement and would have a significant impact on the new racing surface.

"When the original contractors pulled out everything came to a screeching halt until a decision could be made about how to proceed," explained Jenni Gledhill, Infrastructure Support Officer at the Mildura Rural City Council.