The IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series put on a show Friday night at Darana Raceway (formerly National Trail Raceway) in Hebron, Ohio. The big story, besides nitro vehicles roaring down the track for the first time in 19 years in central Ohio, was the heat. Everything was hot: the air, the track, and the racing action.

With track temperatures dancing in the 135+ degree range, the nitro teams had their hands full trying to get down the track. In Top Fuel, Scott Palmer had a rough first session and he didn’t make a pass due to a mechanical issue. However, in the second session, Palmer rocketed to the top spot with a 3.955 at 267 mph. Ohio native Mike McIntire used the second session to claim the number one spot in Funny Car with a 4.073 at 309.24 mph. Top Fuel Harley rider Bob Malloy wrestled his bike to the top of the qualifying sheet thanks to a 5.398 at 190.38 mph.

Pro Mod is split into boosted and nitrous classes in the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series. Dale Brinsfield found himself in the top spot for Pro Nitrous after qualifying was finished, thanks to his 3.750 at 202.48 mph run. The boosted cars in Pro Modified kept things very interesting during qualifying. Pro Mod legend Frankie “The Mad Man” Taylor stamped his top qualifier ticket thanks to a 3.699 blast at 199.91 mph. 

If you like naturally aspirated doorslammers, there was plenty to check out during qualifying. The 500 cubic inch Pro Stock class saw Derrick Reese take the top spot with a 4.299 at 162.92 mph. Mountain Motor Pro Stock racers really powered through the hot conditions and laid down some impressive runs. Jeremy Huffman recorded a 4.129 at 174.57 mph to take the top spot. 

A unique class that’s contested at the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series isn’t something you’d typically see on pavement. The Snowmobile class really showed out with the boosted sleds ripping off some impressive runs. Anthony Mini clocked a 4.698 at 160.08 mph to lock down the number one qualifying spot. 

Top Alcohol Funny Car (TAFC) and Top Alcohol Dragster (TAD) classes both drew top teams that ran well during both rounds of qualifying. Sean Bellemeur rolled over the TAFC field with a 5.579 at 264.60 mph to go number one. In TAD, Megan Linger smashed the scoreboards with a 5.233 274.66 mph pass in the heat of the day to take the number one qualifying spot.