Hawkins’ unfamiliarity with the rosin would enter into play as his tires were slightly out of the tracks and partially in the fresh gold dust.  On the launch, the Camaro made a fast break for the centerline,  however, the driver  fought  the Camaro back into the groove and actually caught the Vega in the other lane about five feet from the finish line! The "Hawk's Nest" won with a 10.34 to the Vega's losing effort of 10.51.

Closing out the first round of qualifying were the two fastest cars in competition. The "Canned Heat" Camaro and the Marfizo and Fermanchik Mopar Duster thrilled the crowd with an incredible show of dry hops and rosin launches.

As the cars staged with a fierce revving duel, the edge seemed to go to the Marfizo Duster as he had gotten in one last launch through the rosin, keeping his tires hot.
On the green, both cars came off in unison, wheels up and bouncing between gears with each shift. At the finish, it would be the top end charge of the rat-motored Camaro that decided the race. "Canned Heat” turned in a 9.54 with Marfizo running a close 9.64.

Second round qualifying pitted Chevy vs Chevy as Mike Price's small block Camaro out ran the Timoszyk brothers’ small block Vega. The next pair was Mopar vs Mopar as the "Pain Killer" would face the Marfizo and Fermanchik entry.  Loboda in the “Pain Killer” would have to cut down the tree to have a chance against the black Duster of Marfizo that was faster by a tenth or more. In the end, Jerry Marfizo cut the lights a little too close and gave Sean the win via a redlight.

Clearly by now "Canned Heat" was the favorite to win. Jeff Gardner did not disappoint as he outclassed the "Hawk's Nest" 9.48 to 9.72

The Chicago-style final was to be an all-Camaro affair, with "Canned Heat" pitted against Mike Price. But with the 3 a.m. finish fast approaching and a heavy dew settling on the track, it was decided for safety's sake to scrub the last run.

The very first Nostalgia Pro stock race is now in the books. More than 5,000 spectators were treated to some of the best drag racing in 35 years. Hopefully, in the near future, Nostalgia Pro Stock will become as popular as Nostalgia Funny Car is now.