This is the house excitement built! That’s the phrase on the Norwalk track shirts in the gift shop this season, but that phrase is as close to the truth as possible. Night Under Fire is everything you would think, and then some. Fire, flames, nitro, jets, gassers, back-up girls, great racing, and a huge crowd!

This was my first trip to Norwalk in close to 15 years. That year at Night Under Fire, Dean Skuza drove the Cornwell Tools Funny Car, Tony Pedregon had yet to win a championship, and the bracket race itself continued all night long after the pros finished the show. The 2014 version of Night Under Fire lineup comprised of arguably our sport’s biggest stars. John Force, Ron Capps, Antron Brown and Brittany Force were the headliners.

Throw in two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon and Dale Creasy to mix things up and you have a pretty meaty nitro show, even it was just a ‘show’. Now add to the mix eight AA/GS Gassers, four jet dragsters, two Nitro Harleys, Bob Motz’ Jet Kenworth and a $100,000 fireworks finale, and you have the makings of a very special race.

And for the hard-core fans of drag racing, there were well over 600 bracket racers battling it out for Summit Series points and NuF bragging rights. For complete final round results of both days, go to SummitMotorsportsPark.com.

A special hats-off to the Bader family and staff at Summit Motorsports Park, as the event truly lived up to its name. The entire day Saturday, you could just feel the excitement in the air, the stands were packed and the racing was great. And after racing concluded, Bob Motz in his Jet Truck, at the command of Bill Bader Jr., “BURNED THE DAMN SIGN”! I remember Motz doing it 15 years ago, and this time it was even better! And after that, it was the most spectacular live fireworks display all orchestrated with music! Then, with the smoke still clearing and the house lights turned back on,  Bader invited EVERYONE in the stands onto the track to meet the stars of the show again for autographs and photos!

If you attended the event and didn’t say “WOW!” all the way home, then you’re probably not a drag racing fan. Unfortunately, this photographer had an eight hour ride home and couldn’t stay for the finals Sunday. The gallery below is a taste of this two day extravaganza of speed and power called Night Under Fire. Enjoy the gallery!