(Photos by Rick Bain, Ken Hughes, Darr Hawthorne) • The 68th annual Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet at historic Famoso Dragstrip in Bakersfield, California kicked off the 2026 NHRA Heritage Racing Series. If you’re going to attend one nostalgia drag racing event the March Meet is it, with nitro qualifying and eliminations under sunny, near-perfect conditions with packed grandstands and Nitro Loving spectators.
The March Meet features a mix of nitro-burning classes Nostalgia Top Fuel, Nitro Funny Car, AA/Fuel Altered as well as all the numerous sportsman and nostalgia eliminator categories. This event starts off the NHRA’s 75th anniversary with winners receiving the coveted March Meet trophy plus a special NHRA 75th Anniversary Diamond Wally.
In Top Fuel Tyler Hilton defeated his uncle Mike Hilton in the final round with a 5.714-second pass at 265.09 mph (Top Speed of the Class). It was a family matchup, and this marked Tyler’s first March Meet victory despite the team’s four consecutive NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series. Hilton, driving his “Great Expectations III” is a 2016 McKinney Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster from Cincinnati, Ohio. He won the Family Final as Mike Hilton red-lighted handing Tyler the victory.
Tyler Hilton defeated Bret Williamson in Round 1, and arch rival Pete Kaiser in Round 2.
In Nitro Funny Car Mike Peck in his family run “Instigator” ’70 Camaro defeated Canadian Nathan Sitko driving the Hodgson Racing “Bubble Up” Firebird with a 5.581-second run at 261.70 MPH to Sitko’s 5.620 ET at 260.19 MPH. Peck defeated Derrick Moreira, Drew Austin and past Champion Bobby Cottrell in earlier rounds in Jim Broome’s “Speed Sport” Camaro.
Peck’s funny car sits on a McKinney chassis, as well. Mike Peck and his family have been involved in NHRA drag racing for over 43 years, competing in various classes, having secured consecutive Heritage Series 7.0 PRO Championships in 2015 and 2016.
Of note is Todd Plate’s 5.485 Elapsed Time, driving Eddie Knox’s “Problem Child” Camaro nitro funny car. Off the trailer he posted a jaw dropping 5.485 ET at 253.23 MPH, earning Knox the ARP Quickest Fuel Car at the March Meet $1,000 bonus!
Eily Stafford has already proven she can handle the competition, winning the 2023 March Meet in a Nitro Pro Comp rear-engined Top Fuel dragster. She’s wheeled supercharged nitro and alcohol Fuel Altereds, hustled front-engined alcohol Dragsters, and now driving Don Nelson’s “California Hustler” Firebird. Eily qualified eleventh and lost to Ryan Horan in round one.
AA/Fuel Altered Brandon Seraphine won the Fuel Altered class title in his ’32 Bantam-bodied Fuel Altered. In the final round, he nailed the win with a solid 6.144-second elapsed time at 206.89 mph on a bye run. Dylan Winefsky, driving Johnny West’s “Plan A” Fuel Altered could not return for the final after an engine failure in the Semi’s.
Seraphine’s ET consistency in Qualifying put him into the #3 position. He described his March Meet as “honestly one of the best weekends of my life”. He previously won in the AA/Fuel Altered class back in 2016, and he returned in 2024 and is tuned by nostalgia racing veteran Jake Sanders.
Wayne Ramay defeated Kin Bates Sr. in the March Meet Pro Comp final. Ramay took the Holeshot win with a strong pass 5.996 ET at 223.65, despite Kin Bates Sr. having a slightly quicker 5.942 ET at 226.41 MPH. In the Semi’s Bates ran a killer 5.905 to defeat Eric Krume.
In the Junior Fuel final eliminations Montana’s Alan Hull defeated Ritchie Fenton from Livermore, California. Alan Hull ran 7.082 ET at 164.56 MPH. Fenton fouled, so Hull took the win light without issue.
Steve Faller, from Lake Havasu, won the 7.0 Pro class title in the final round at the Good Vibrations March Meet. Faller, driving his ’32 Bantam, defeated Jason Vanderpool from Redding, California, also in a ’32 Bantam, with a run of 6.988 seconds at 190.39 mph. Vanderpool fouled with a -.018 reaction time, resulting in the win for Faller.
Hans Jakob took the victory in the final elimination round of Nostalgia Eliminator 1 (7.60 Index) over Bakersfield’s Jason Barta, who broke out with his 7.589 ET.
Eric Warner defeated Sam Hughes in the final round of Nostalgia Eliminator II (8.60 Index) at the March Meet. Warner, from Redding, Calif. won with a pass of 8.598 seconds at 153.45 mph. Hughes, from Washington ran 8.552 seconds at 152.80 mph but came up short in the final.
In Nostalgia Eliminator III (9.60 Index) California’s Don Mallory, driving his 23-T Ford ran 9.623 ET at 127.46 to defeat Mike Munson, from Lake Trapps, WA, in his ’27 Chevrolet Roadster running a slower 9.707 ET at 128.57 MPH.
The A/Gas trophy was won by Bakersfield’s Keith Morovich in his ’67 Chevy II over Tom Huggins’ ’63 Vette on a double breakout.
In B/Gas, Neal Westbrook from Pixley, CA defeated Chris Diyco out of Buena Park in a close one, running a 8.617 to Diyco’s 8.612, Westbrook cut a solid .001 Reaction Time starting line advantage.
Ojai’s Brian Smith drove his C/Gas ’69 Mercury Cougar to a victory on a double breakout over Eric Hopkins in his ’69 Camaro.
In the D/Gas (10.60 Index) Final Round, another double break out as Porterville’s Tim Mulvihill in his ’68 Camaro ran 10.572, 128.33, defeating Dan Schrokosch from San Marcos, CA driving his ’71 Camaro, 10.540, 124.51.
Nearly eighty entries in the Hot Rod Class made for seven tough rounds of eliminations with El Segundo’s Jesse Howe driving his ’67 Dodge Coronet to a victory over northern California’s Frank DeSousa’s ’63 Nova.
Thanks to JEGS for supporting the Good Vibrations March Meet, they distributed 10% Off Coupons over the length of the event. Of course, ripping off the banners from the Staging Lanes overnight was sport for the fans!
The timeless appeal of NHRA Heritage Racing at Famoso Dragstrip, one of its most legendary drag racing venues is unrivaled. From packed stands to thunderous nitro runs, finishing with Jet Cars, the Good Vibrations March Meet once again proved why it’s the must-attend event for any fan of old-school, nitro action, and it sets an ultra-competitive tone for the rest of the 2026 season.
