Top Fuel Returns to Texas Nitro Jam

Words by Larry Crum
Photos courtesy IHRA

FRIDAY

After a one-year hiatus for Top Fuel at San Antonio Raceway, the fans of the Alamo City welcomed the world’s fastest machines back to the famed facility in overwhelming fashion as Bruce Litton topped the charts and took home the Ironman Friday night, April 5, at the San Antonio Nitro Jam presented by CarSafe and Good Vibrations Motorsports.

Other winners during the opening night of the San Antonio Nitro Jam included “Mr. Explosive” Mark Sanders in his brand new 1970 Mustang-bodied Funny Car in AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car, Ron Hope in Fuel Altered and Jay Turner in Nitro Harley.

Litton, driving the bright orange “Nitro Jam” Top Fuel machine, topped the speed charts during Day 1 of the San Antonio Nitro Jam, taking home the win in a very close race against protégé Kyle Wurtzel. Litton won a close race on the tree with a .101 to a .128 and used that advantage to nip the driver of the “High Yield” rail with a 4.914 to a 4.913 with Litton topping out at 283.02 miles per hour.

“We had a few issues in round one, but we figured it out and had a great race against Kyle,” Litton said. “We were side-by-side the length of the track and it was very close at the line. That was a very exciting race and we were glad to take the win.”

Neither driver had much luck in the opening tilt, with Wurtzel actually topping the round with a 5.250, 198.15 pass.

Mark Sanders had perhaps the most rewarding win of the day as he bested Peter Gallen in a true showdown of east versus west. Pennsylvania’s Gallen had the best pass in round one – and the best pass of the night – when he posted a 5.800, 250.98 to advance to the final against the Seattle, Washington, native, but Gallen’s car lit the tires in the final and he was forced to shut it off as “Mr. Explosive” blasted across the line in his 1970 Mustang with a 5.952, 239.23 pass to take the Ironman.