IHRA at San Antonio

No Lone ‘Star’ at Texas Nationals

Words and photos by Jeff Burk

Ron Hodgson in the AAFC that has caused considerable controversy this season among NHRA Heritage racers.

The Good Vibrations Texas Nationals was scheduled to be a two-day race for IHRA Pro and Sportsman racers but a steady 30-35 mph wind blowing directly across the San Antonio Raceway quarter mile contributed to at least one sportsman car crash on Friday, April 1, and IHRA officials correctly canceled Friday’s racing, setting up a spectacular Saturday of qualifying and eliminations. The result for the pro teams was all qualifying and racing squeezed into one remarkable day and evening.

There were 20 nitro racers and nearly the same amount of Pro Stock and Pro Mod entries at this event and those racers didn’t disappoint the fans with record and near record setting performances.

The IHRA fans were rewarded with a first in all Pro Stock history when neither of the finalists were U.S. based teams. Veteran Billy Harper reset the IHRA Pro Mod elapsed time record in his Viper and the Nitro FC’s delivered a record 5.87 bump spot.

The IHRA team and its professional and sportsman racers put on a tremendous qualifying show, making two qualifying laps and then three rounds of eliminations, plus the IHRA crew oversaw a completed a Summit Sportsman Series race all in one day.