Photos by Brian Losness
Tim Boychuck and Tyler Hilton led qualifying Saturday at the 54th Nightfire Nationals at Firebird Raceway, part of the NHRA Heritage Series. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday.
Boychuck topped the Funny Car field with a 5.619‑second pass at 255 mph, ahead of Jerry Espeseth’s 5.730 at 255.15. Michael Peck qualified third with a 5.738, followed by John Capps at 5.740 and Drew Austin at 5.747 in his 1979 Mustang.
The Funny Car division, the only nitro category to start eliminations Saturday, saw first‑round wins by Nathan Sitko, Drew Austin, Mike Peck and Bobby Cottrell. The biggest upset came when Shane Harper, driving Dave Benjiman’s car, defeated Espeseth after the favorite left the starting line late.
Hilton, the defending nostalgia Top Fuel champion, earned the top spot with a 5.769 at 248.25 mph. Pete Kaiser was second with a 5.847 at 249.39, and Hilton will face Sean Van Horn in round one.
Kyle Hough led Fuel Altered qualifying with a 6.053 at 214.89. Greg Leahy was second with a 6.276.
Eliminations in all divisions will conclude the three‑day event for the Wally Parks Heritage Series.
