IHRA Nitro Jam at Martin, Michigan

Nitro Jam champs ride out the storm

Words and photos by Larry Crum / IHRA

Just moments after drying the track Friday, Aug. 10, for the start of the CarSafe Northern Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, the skies opened up for a second time during a hurricane-like storm that swirled between the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron with the Martin, Michigan, track caught in the middle. Due to that persistent wet weather, Friday’s action was rained out.

After seven stops, nearly 10,000 miles logged and a ton of racing, the chase for Nitro Jam’s professional championships all came down to Saturday’s competition at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.

After Friday’s event was rained out, Nitro Jam’s professional teams had one less day to make up ground in the championship chase making for a frantic – and very exciting – showdown in front of a packed house as a near capacity crowd watched Bill Evans (Pro Fuel Dragster), Peter Gallen (AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car), Kyle Hough (Nostalgia Fuel Altered) and Jay Turner (Nitro Harley) seal the 2012 Nitro Jam professional championships.

Of the four champions only Turner turned Saturday into a double, winning the event in addition to clinching the championship. Saturday’s other event winners included Kristen Dennis in Pro Fuel, Greg Jacobsmeyer in AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car and Mike Hilsabeck in Fuel Altered.

Evans and Turner sealed their championships trophies prior to Saturday’s grand finale and Gallen did the same after just one pass, but 19-year-old rookie and third generation racer Kyle Hough had to go a different route.

Mike Hilsabeck took the event win in Nostalgia Fuel Altered in his “Arizona Thunder.”

Holding a nine-point lead over Ron Maroney entering the weekend, Hough was left in a precarious position when he lost first round and Maroney advanced. That first round mishap left just enough room for Maroney to make it interesting and control his own destiny.

But in the final pass of the night Maroney smoked the tires and Hilsabeck drove to the win with a 6.236/204.43, giving Hough the championship by the slimmest of margins – a single point.