Fans and crewmembers gasp as Jim Sweet heads for the moon during qualifying; the Hoosier pilot’s 9.54 missed leader Robert Pettit by only three hundredths but his 145.19 mph clip was Top Speed in the heads-up Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod division and less than a half mile per hour from the World Record!

LEFT: Washington state rider John Breckenridge gives a graphic illustration of the massive torque produced by his 200-cubic inch Top Fuel behemoth on a 6.65/209.01 qualifying shot, which took as much muscle as balance to control.

In the second (and what eventually became the final) qualifying session, Screamin’ Eagle Top Fuel rider Julian Seamon attempted to better his early 7.27/197.62 qualifier. A strong launch was followed by silence but, as the disappointed Kansan dismounted to push his steed back to the pits, a crewmember discovered the weak link was, indeed, a weak link!