When the Nitro Jam series traveled to Rocky Mountain Raceways for the first time in the spring of 2009 to test a brand new format little did the IHRA, or RMR, know it would turn into one of the largest motorsports events in Utah history.

Fans poured into the beautiful Rocky Mountain Raceways facility Saturday night during the annual “Night of Fire,” some walking more than a mile to reach the track as cars lined both sides of the highway for miles and multiple lots surrounding the track reached capacity by mid-afternoon.

Charlie Westcott Jr. had hopes that hard work in the offseason would pay off Saturday night in the finals of the Mopar® HEMI® Challenge Series at the 8th Annual Holley NHRA National Hot Rod Reunion at historic Beech Bend Raceway.

Despite giving up a .64-second advantage to David Barton of Robesonia, Pa., off the starting line, the Parma, Mich. native used some of the horsepower he built into the engine of his new ’68 Plymouth Barracuda last winter to drive around at the finish. Westcott’s 8.512 pass at 157.63 mph bested Barton’s ’68 ‘Cuda run of 8.633 seconds at 153.51 mph for the win.

As temperatures soared today, teams battled a tricky track at Bristol Dragway.

Consequently, no one came close to challenging Ashley Force Hood’s Friday night run of 4.151 second and for the second year in a row Force Hood will enter the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals as the No. 1 qualifier.

The tricky conditions baffled just about every Funny Car team all day and Force Hood knows that the first round tomorrow could be a toss-up if conditions are as hot as today.

Force Hood, Brown also top respective qualifying fields

Top qualifier Mike Castellana defeated Joe Baker in the first round of eliminations Saturday in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the 10th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

Castellana left on Baker (.033 to .061) in his Al-Anabi Racing ’69 Camaro and he never looked back with a 6.002 at 238.30 mph to Baker’s 6.112 at 235.56.

Ron Boggs, a noted Pro Comp and Top Alcohol Dragster racer, passed away on Monday after a lengthy illness.

Boggs, 63, of Hilliard, Ohio, suffered from complications associated with diabetes.

“He fought as best he could but in the end he just ran out of steam,” said nephew Steve Boggs.

Boggs, along with his brother Steve, fielded a series of cars together. Their finest moment of their partnership was in winning the 1977 Springnationals Pro Comp crown.

Tony Pedregon looked like a fish out of water. Admittedly he felt like one.

Pedregon, a two-time NHRA Funny Car champion, stood in the Bristol Dragway media center as cars made their first qualifying runs down the drag strip. This was nothing new for Pedregon but what was different was standing amongst the media as his class ran without him.

“Never in my career,” said Pedregon, when he reflected on the last time he sat out a qualifying session to save money. “I’ve been racing professionally since 1996 and for most of my career I’ve had the good fortune of driving for someone else. This is the first time in my career that I’ve sat one out and I have to say that it’s a little awkward. But, I took a lot of things into account and I took into account all the variables on the business side, and what we do on the track. And with sixteen cars, we’re afforded the luxury of not having to make all the runs. If there we seventeen or eighteen cars I would take a different approach but I’ve still got to be smart about it.”

When you’re a race car driver you’ll get advice from random drivers.

Friday afternoon, after his first day of driving a race car in 15 years was complete, Roy Johnson took a phone call from a longtime friend.

Johnson, who is the father of Pro Stock standout Allen Johnson, is racing in this weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Stock Eliminator. The call was from drag racing school instructor Roy Hill.

“Hold it wide open. Go fast. Don't leave to early,” said Johnson when asked what advice he received.

Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson proclaimed during the NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce, Ga., that his team had effectively caught the defending series champion Mike Edwards in terms of power and performance.

Friday night in Bristol, Tenn., during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Johnson’s hometown Bristol Dragway, Edwards performance proved Johnson's comments might have been a bit premature.

Edwards cranked out a 6.725 elapsed time at 204.94 to claim the provisional pole, and if it holds will mark his tenth of the season, 32nd career and second consecutive in Bristol.

So much for the hometown advantage.

Charlie Westcott Jr. will lead a strong contingent of Mopar® HEMI® Challenge Series competitors into Saturday eliminations for the first time ever at the NHRA 8th Annual Holley National Hot Rod Reunion at historic Beech Bend Raceway.

The Parma, Mich. native was able to hook up his ’68 Plymouth Barracuda in Friday’s first qualifying session to pace the field with an 8.619-second run. Larry Perkins Sr. of Collegeville, Pa.., qualified his ’68 ‘Cuda in the No. 2 spot with an 8.716-second run, with David Barton of Robesonia, Pa., third at 8.718 seconds, also in a ’68 ‘Cuda.