In the mix were 10 Chrysler Hemis and one small block Chevy, with the balance being a mixture of big block Chevy motors and two KB Olds blocks.

With Chamber of Commerce weather, Saturday’s action drew in the largest crowd ever to witness the event. The public was invited to visit with the owners, drivers and crews of the Fuel Altereds in the pits, watch them warm up the cars, purchase t-shirts, collect hero cards and visit the annual car show on the spectator side of the track.

Veteran driver and heavy hitter, Mary Reep from Austin, Texas, was a new contestant this year, but had to be satisfied with interviews and autographs as her car “The Grim Reaper” was having transmission issues.

Constant contestant John Dunn of Monticello, Ill., made a hero’s effort to assemble a completely new AA/FA for the event, getting very little sleep in the weeks leading up to the Nationals. His efforts were thwarted by a connecting rod exiting the block of the Hemi while making a single run on Saturday’s qualifying run (shown). He replaced the damaged block and returned to competition on race day and earned the Victory Performance “Best Package” award while competing in the events  “B” field for cars that weren’t quick enough to make the A field.