“We were so nervous in the weeks leading up to this race and the weather only added to the pressure as we waited for our chance to clinch the title,” Manners said. “It was such a relief to just get out there and do what we needed to do to win it. It was also such a thrill to have Kristen here with us this weekend and her win just completes a perfect weekend for us. 

“Our hats off to Bill and his team for another great year. It was certainly a weekend to remember.” 

Evans came into the event just three points behind “The Shredder” team, but a loss to Manners on Friday and a run just shy of the finals on Sunday allowed Manners to seal the title. 

While Pro Fuel provided plenty of drama, the person with the most hardware collected over the course of the weekend was Peter Gallen. Gallen, who had already sealed the 2011 Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car championship entering the event, added two additional wins, a new world record and the quickest pass in nostalgia nitro funny car history to his resume in Martin. 

Gallen set the record with a 5.709 lap on Friday and amazingly ran even quicker on Sunday with a mind-blowing 5.557, 251.67 pass in Sunday’s final round win over Laurie Cannister. While the lap won’t count as an official record, it was an impressive statement from the “Poverty Stricken” team as they continue to make their claim as nostalgia racing’s top dog. 

“We came here to set the record and break into the 60s. We had the championship already locked up before we ever loaded the car on the trailer and coming here we just wanted to put icing on the cake with a statement run this weekend,” Gallen said. “We left a lot on the track on Friday and knew we could better those numbers, which was our goal today. Even I was blown away when I saw what we ran. That thing carried the front end nearly half the track and was really getting after it. What a way to end the season.” 

In addition to the 5.557 lap on Sunday, Gallen added two more laps in the low 70s to wrap up an unforgettable weekend. 

“This championship means a lot to us. I took nearly 20 years off from racing and a few years ago I decided I wanted to see if I still had it,” Gallen said. “To turn that challenge into a championship really is a great feeling.”