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Your daily guide to Texas Motorplex's pulse-pounding Stampede of Speed

Rev your engines for more than a week of heart-racing action at the 37th annual NHRA Texas Fall Nationals, aka the Stampede of Speed.

Fans from across the country will descend on Texas Motorplex, just 35 minutes south of Dallas and Fort Worth, October 2-10.

"We will be hosting events for diehard motorsports fans, non-traditional motorsports fans, and people that have never even heard of the Texas Motorplex," says Andy Carter, Texas Motorplex general manager.

The Stampede of Speed event calendar features both ticketed and non-ticketed events leading up the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals. Here are some highlights:

Saturday, October 2: Night Lights
This celebration is a reminder of how precious special moments together are. Attendees send a decorated lantern into the sky to join thousands of others adorned with hopes, dreams, and messages.

Sunday, October 3: Stampede of Speed Beer, BBQ, and Dustin Lynch Concert
Hot 'cue and even hotter music is the theme of the day, as some of the best grillmasters show off their tasty delicacies paired with refreshing cold beer from DFW-area breweries. Dustin Lynch, Flatland Calvary, Wade Bowne, and Kyle Park will entertain the crowd from the afternoon into the evening, leading to the first of the week's many fireworks displays.

Monday, October 4: The Stampede of Speed Nitro Side Show
This ticketed event features some of the wildest race cars on the planet as they try to set speed records by roaring down the track. The pits will be open for fans to get up close and personal with some of the world's most exotic race cars.

A massive fireworks display caps off an eye-opening, pulse-pounding evening of racing.

Tuesday, October 5: Inaugural NHRA Texas Stampede of Speed Shootout
Competitors from across the region will race in the Stampede of Speed Shootout featuring Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, and Pro Mods. The top 16 sportsman and Top Dragsters will battle it out with a winner-take-all shootout to end the day. Pro Mods from every association including NHRA will face off in a first-ever, no-rules, anything-goes race to be the quickest at the Stampede.

Wednesday, October 6: NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Invitational (9 am-6 pm)
Pub Crawl and Movie night with The Snake (6 pm-10 pm)
See these powerful race cars make test laps in advance of the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals. The stars of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will be onsite preparing for the fourth race of the NHRA Countdown.

This first-ever-for-NHRA open schedule test session is a chance for curious motorsports fans to get a taste of the ground-pounding excitement that will play out Friday-Sunday.

Join the stars of the NHRA as they sample local brews and eateries in Waxahachie on a walking pub crawl followed by an exclusive showing of the film Snake & Mongoose, featuring drag racing legend Don "The Snake" Prudhomme hosting an in-person Q&A and autograph session.

Thursday, October 7: Texas Fall Nationals Sportsman Qualifying (9 am-6 pm)
Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie (6 pm-9 pm)
The racing action continues at Texas Motorplex as the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals officially begins with sportsman qualifying action.

The wildly popular and free Fan Fest event highlights race cars, interactive games, live music, and family fun. A massive driver autograph session will be the highlight of the evening, which will conclude with a fireworks show.

Friday, October 8: Friday Night Live at Texas Motorplex
For the second year in a row, Friday Night Live is turning the traditional qualifying schedule on its head with music, exhibition runs, and a special guest DJ. It all will surround the Friday night NHRA pro qualifiers as they try to top their respective categories at speeds of over 330 mph in under four seconds.

The night ends with a free after-party on the starting line.

Saturday, October 9: Final Qualifying for NHRA Texas Fall Nationals
Teams will only have two chances to make the show or be relegated to spectator status, so tension will be high as teams vying to be one of the lucky 16. The annual DRAW auction accompanied by a concert will begin following the racing action.

Sunday, October 10: NHRA Texas Fall Nationals Race Day
Following a massive opening ceremony, the top drag racers from around the country will be racing to get one step closer to a world championship at the only playoff race in the state of Texas. Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be on the line, as well as the chance for racing immortality.

As always, the pits will be open for fans to mix and mingle with the racers throughout the day. At the conclusion of the event, fans are welcome to join the winner’s circle celebration on the starting line where the Stampede of Speed will finish with the largest fireworks display of the week.

Get your tickets and learn more here.

Enjoy more than a week of activities and events.

Stampede of Speed

Photo courtesy of Texas Motorplex

Enjoy more than a week of activities and events.

concerts races promoted

Movie Review

The Invite delivers smart, sexy laughs with an all-star cast

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film - which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century - has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples - the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis - turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights - and occasional bawdiness - make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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