Darren Morgan managed to sway the Top Fuel points balance slightly in his favour during qualifying for the 2013 Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway, taking top position ahead of race day.

Qualifying for the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship was completed on day one of the Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway with many racers running sub-record passes in the cool weather.

Racers have come from around the nation to be at Sydney Dragway for this weekend’s Nitro Champs – here’s what they’re telling us about this weekend!

He might have spent 11 months out of the driver’s seat of the world’s fastest accelerating vehicles, but three times Australian Top Fuel champion Phil Read doesn’t have nerves ahead of his return at this weekend’s Nitro Champs, just a pure desire to win.

The Nitro Champs this weekend at Sydney Dragway will feature round four of the ANDRA Pro Stock championship and again Jason Grima will field two cars with the return of the USA’s Brandon Huhtala behind the wheel of the second Ford Mustang.

Team Bray Racing and ANDRA will be having a display at Vek Tools, McGraths Hill in Sydney this Thursday with appearances and autograph signings from Victor and Ben Bray, Victor’s Top Doorslammer on display and plenty of red hot Sidchrome tool deals.

Mopar factory driver Lee Bektash says Pro Stock is likely to become a six second free for all with cool, clear conditions forecast for this weekend’s Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway.

Team Bray Racing’s Victor and Ben Bray will line up amongst a field of 19 world class Top Doorslammers for this weekend’s Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway.

The Nitro Champs is one of the most popular professional drag racing events in Australia and draws the best competitors from across the country for all of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series pro categories as well as the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

When it comes to international experience driving 8000 horsepower nitro Top Fuel dragsters, few have more runs under the belt than Avon, Indiana-based Tommy Johnson Jr.

The nine times NHRA event winner has raced in the US, United Arab Emirates, England, Sweden and Finland during his career and is looking forward to adding Australia to the list when he drives for the Rapisarda Autosport International team at the Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway.

The question of who will drive the second Rapisarda Autosport International Top Fuel dragster at the 2013 Nitro Champs has been answered with veteran driver Tommy Johnson Jr flying to Sydney to compete.

Johnson Jr will be driving the same dragster that last month reset the Australian national record for Top Fuel to 4.503 seconds with three-times world champion Larry Dixon at the wheel.

Rapisarda Autosport International crew chief Lee Beard confirmed Johnson Jr in an article on CompetitionPlus.com.

Northern Territory Minister for Sport and Recreation Matt Conlan has announced that Alice Springs and the town’s dragway will be beamed into television screens around the country later this year, putting the Centre on the drag racing map.

Mr Conlan said the Territory Government had provided $17,000 to the Central Australian Drag Racing Association to help with presenting The Desert Nationals on the SBS television program, Speedweek.

“This support will provide terrific exposure for the Centre with thousands of viewers around Australia to watch the show,” Mr Conlan said.

“The two-day drag racing event will be filmed and then presented in a one hour show on ‘Speedweek’, a motorsports show aired on SBS around Australia on Sundays.

“This will help to grow the sport here in the Territory while showcasing the Centre as a tourist destination to viewers around Australia.”

Sydney Dragway will be seeing more nitro than ever before at the Nitro Champs on May 3-5 with Top Fuel dragsters, Nitro Funny Cars and Top Bikes all on track and all burning motorsport’s most famous fuel.

Among the three drivers performing in Nitro Funny Cars will be Australia’s quickest active female drag racer, Queensland’s Christine Steffens.

At the conclusion of the scheduled final round at Portland for the Southern Super Gas Series, the series remained tied with Kym Oberauer and Matt Forbes on the same points.