Mike Price and Sean Loboda squared off in a traditional Chevy vs Mopar contest as the first pair in the match race. The advantage seemed to be with Loboda since Pierce had only one test run on his combination and essentially was racing having had no sleep the night before while thrashing to repair the car.

Sean Loboda’s Duster.

The track personnel sprinkled "gold dust" (powdered rosin) on the starting line and broomed it in while the cars and drivers waited in the bleach box. Spectators crowded around both cars until the pair simultaneously erupted into 8000+ RPM burnouts. Then came the dry hop duel, followed by wheels-up practice launches through the rosin, with Mike hitting second gear in mid-air and Sean bouncing the wheels two feet off the ground with the second gear shift. Each car stopped around the 300-foot mark and backed up to the line. A 10-second “rev war” ensued as the cars were staging. You could have sworn it was 1970 and not 2010.

Mike Price’s Camaro.

On the green, Sean was caught sleeping and just couldn't make up the difference as it looked as though his slicks were slightly in fresh rosin when he launched, causing his tires to spin. He also got loose in third gear down track, ending any hope of a comeback. Price took the win 10.04 to Lobado's losing 11.22.

The next pair in the box were the  "Al Gary" Vega and the "Hawk's Nest" Camaro of Jim Hawkins.

The “Al Gary” Vega was original campaigned as a small block-powered D/Gasser on the East coast by Al Gary before being bought and stored away in the mid 1980s by Dan and Dave Timosyzk. Prior to this race, the car had not made a pass for 25 years.
Hawkins' Camaro is currently an NHRA legal AA/AS modified Super Stocker. He switched the single 4-barrel combination for a dual quad tunnel ram and added the "Grump Lump" scoop weeks prior to heading east from Colorado for this event.