This is the second of four profiles of the 2016 IHRA Drag Racing Series champions. Billy Harper pulls to the starting line in his sinister-looking, jet-black Dodge Viper, vents the nitrous oxide over and over in a cloud of vapor that makes the Viper seem almost like something alive.With Sonny...

Above: Jason RupertThe tally is in for the IHRA Drag Racing Series four Pro categories – Pro Stock, Pro Mod, Nitro Motorcycle and AMSOIL Nitro Funny Cars. Here's how the season shaped up:PRO STOCK: It came right down to the final race, the Northern Nationals at US 131 Motorplex in...

It was clear early on that no one was going to take the first IHRA Pro Modified championship away from Billy Harper and his black 2000 nitrous-injected Dodge Viper.But in the 2016 points battle for the IHRA Drag Racing Series, Ruben Tetsoshvili came closest with his second-place finish, one spot...

Despite intermittent rain that cut Friday's two Pro qualifying sessions to one, that single session at the IHRA Northern Nationals suggested that Saturday's racing is going to be a suitable season finale for the IHRA Drag Racing Series.Billy Harper has already locked up the Pro Modified championship, which is good...

Above: Pro Stock's John De Florian could break his own ET record this weekend at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.Nitro Motorcycle racer and current points leader Jay Turner really likes the site of the final IHRA Drag Racing Series event of the season: U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan."It's one...

The preliminary entry list for the IHRA Northern Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorplex at Martin, Michigan, is out, and judging from who's coming to the final points race in 2016, the championship order in all four classes will be decided in this event.The closest battle is in Pro Stock, which...

Billy Harper's sinister-looking black Dodge Viper is driven by a guy who is anything but sinister-looking. The Paducah, Kentucky resident is cheerful, amiable and approachable anytime – except when he's behind the wheel. Back home, Harper is president of Harper Industries, a holding company for eight construction-related companies that do...

What makes it possible for an IHRA Drag Racing Series competitor to set a new record?Lots of variables – it's almost a perfect storm. It takes a competitor and a crew who are on the top of their game, and a machine – two-wheeled or four – that has been...

Billy Harper and that glossy black 2000 Dodge Viper, with its 903 cubic-inch, nitrous-fueled engine, make up one of the most feared entries in the Pro Modified ranks. Harper is quick on the trigger at the starting line, and the car is usually dead reliable through eliminations.But two weekends ago...

Frequent bridesmaid Trevor Eman, the 29-year-old driver of the Aruba.com Ford Mustang Pro Stock, put it all together Sunday in the IHRA finals for the Mopar Canadian Nationals Presented by Williams Racing at Grand Bend Motorplex in Ontario."It feels great," said Eman about his first ever IHRA win. "It was...