(Photos by Darr Hawthorne) • The new NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series has begun with the fifty-plus Top Fuelers, Nitro Funny Cars and Fuel Altereds spending Thursday afternoon adjusting new cars, new combinations, new drivers and a few new owners to take on the Famoso Dragstrip Quarter mile for the 63rd Good Vibrations March Meet.
If there’s going to be a triumphant pass of the day it was Geoff Monise, driving the Quarter Pounder Firebird, who nailed a booming 5.632 ET at 254.09 miles per hour late in the day. As one of his excited crewmen said on the Top End, “So I guess we won testing?” Co-owner Keith Clark is celebrating his 50th year in drag racing, this year with some help from veteran tuner Bob Devour.
During qualifying over the weekend, a special event will be contested between the ’23 Heritage Series Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car Champions. On a single qualifying pass, two-time Top Fuel Champ Tyler Hilton and six-time Nitro Funny Car Champ Bobby Cottrell will decide who’s the “Real Kings of the Sport”, racing each other for a set of Sander Wheels and a pile of contingency sponsor prizes.
Tyler Hilton in the Great Expectations Top Fuel Dragster will race Bobby Cottrell in the “Northwest Hitter” Nitro Funny Car (below).
Past March Meet Fuel Altered Champion and NAPA Funny Car owner/pilot Ron Capps is getting comfortable in the Burkholder Brothers Fiat Topolino, making his first pass in the Altered prior to Friday’s first qualifier.
There are over 350 racecars who already started Gasser and Nostalgia Eliminator qualifying on Thursday as well. Those galleries and elimination photos will show up here over the upcoming days.
Enjoy this first Gallery from the 63rd March Meet from Bakersfield, California. There’s more to come!
