Steve Dorn was another driver who doubled up on Sunday with a championship and a victory in the Nitro Harley category. Dorn entered the Nitro Jam finale with his championship sealed up, but that didn’t stop him from putting together another great weekend culminating with a victory over Jake Stordeur in the Nitro Harley final. Dorn ran a 6.527, 218.80 in picking up the win, one of his best laps of the year. 

“This has been a great year racing with the IHRA. We really enjoyed ourselves and had a great time competing against some of the best riders in the country,” Dorn said. “I am just so thrilled to get this trophy. It represents a lot of hard work and sacrifice from a lot of people.” 

Wrapping up the professional categories was Tom Padilla who picked up his first career IHRA Ironman with a victory over Jason Richey in the Nostalgia Fuel Altered final. Padilla ran a 6.326, 220.15 in the win.
In the consolation pairing Ron Maroney and the “Nanook” team topped their season with their first Fuel Altered championship, a monumental feat for a driver who had long dreamed of having an opportunity to drive such a legendary machine. 

“When I was a kid I idolized ‘Nanook’ and that team. So when I got the call asking if I wanted to drive it decades later I was beside myself,” Maroney said. “And to turn that dream into the first ever championship for this incredible car truly is a dream come true. You will have to pinch me to make sure this really is happening.” 

In sportsman competition, Lisa Bolton of Mechanicsville, MD claimed a victory in one of the richest sportsman races in the country, besting Cameron Manuel to win her share of the Moser Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown. Bolton bested a field of 32 of the best sportsman drag racers in the country to take home a cool $22,500. 

Sunday’s final wrapped up a long weekend for everyone involved at the Nitro Jam season finale as two days of rain and a few lightning strikes to the tower threatened to ruin an exciting weekend of racing. But after plenty of long hours and late nights put in by IHRA and track officials, the weekend concluded on a high note with a thrilling evening of racing at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.