Hot Street features high-winding, max-effort naturally aspirated cars. This weekend it was all about ROUSH power, as defending Hot Street champion Robbie Blankenship took the top spot on Saturday with an 8.63 at over 151 miles per hour. In eliminations Blankenship sliced through the field with the precision of a surgeon, to meet former class champ and teammate Ben Mens, who races Blankenship’s old car. The race would have been a tight one, except that Mens had transbrake issues and left the line before the tree activated.

EFI Renegade is always an action-packed class. Dan Rawls piloted his nitrous-breathing Foxbody to the head of the table with the quickest pass in Renegade history, an 8.40 at over 163 mph.

However, leaving the line early in the first round gave Chris VanGilder the opportunity he needed to drive his 7-up ‘vert into the final round. There he faced three-time class champion Brian Mitchell. In a close 8.61-to-8.64 battle, Mitchell, in “Wizard II,” came out victorious, starting his season off right.