A pair of records — one national and one international — were broken in the Pro Modified category at the Orlando Speed World Dragway over the weekend during the annual World Street Nationals, by two vastly different types of race cars and engine combinations.

Video credit FreeLifeFilms

Isiais Rojas, a familiar face in the fast doorslammer ranks at events in the Southeast, delivered the biggest shot of the race (and one of the top runs of the year by any measure) when he drove his Toyota 2JZ-powered, turbocharged Toyota Scion to the first-ever 5-second run in the United States by an import-powered vehicle, going 5.98 at 241 mph during qualifying. While still a few-thousandths of a second shy of EKanoo Racing’s barrier-breaking 5.97 run earlier this year, Rojas’ run is nonetheless an impressive feat considering the difference in resources and testing time.

On the complete opposite end of the cubic-inch spectrum from Rojas’ is two-time NHRA Pro Modified world champion Rickie Smith, whose 903-inch Pat Musi powerplant could swallow up the little 2JZ in one gulp. Smith, already the owner of the quickest and fastest nitrous Pro Modified run in history, one-upped himself during qualifying at Orlando, scorching the Florida facility with a 5.760 at 250.18 mph. That run, which came by way of a .951 short time and a 3.799 to the 1/8-mile clock, qualified the North Carolinian atop the raceday field.

It was nearly a year and a half ago that Smith had set the nitrous record, with his 5.778 recorded at the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta in 2014. After being sacked with a 50-pound trophy of lead for his efforts, Smith hadn’t been able to topple that mark since. That was, until the World Street Nationals…