The CARSTAR Car Show is open to any make, model or year of car.  There is no additional cost to enter.  Car Show registration is from 5pm-10pm.  Trophies will be awarded at 11pm.

Drag Racing 101 will begin at 9 pm.  The class size is limited so be sure to sign up at Kimberly’s Kafé when you arrive.  You will learn the basics of drag racing, how to better your reaction time and become familiar with what’s needed at tech to run your vehicle and many other racing tips and terms.  This class is free, (gate admission only), fun and the perfect opportunity to heighten your drag racing skills.

Gate admission from 5pm-8pm is $12 and $20 to race.  The gates open Friday at 5pm, open test & tune begins at 6pm and CARSTAR Midnight Madness starts at 8pm where the gate entry is only $5 and $15 to run your vehicle until 1am.  Children 6-12 are only $5 and children under five years of age are free with a paid adult.

Martin, MI – Twenty-seven year old Rusty Baad of Mattawan, MI is on the longest winning streak US 131 Motorsports Park has seen in its Lane Automotive Bracket Series history.  This two-time track champion has his sights on capturing his third track championship having won the last 21 consecutive rounds of racing in the VP Racing Fuels Top ET class.  Not only has Baad won the last 21 rounds in a row, he has seen the win light in 29 of the 56 total rounds in the eight points races that have been completed.

Although Baad is currently 120 points ahead of second place, there’s no relaxing yet, especially when it’s your Dad, Rick Baad also of Mattawan, MI, who is tied for second place with Randy Nellis of Muskegon, MI.  What does the father and son team talk about when in the pits?  “We are a team and we want each other to succeed,” stated Rusty.  As far as when these two find themselves up against one another, Rusty was adamant in saying, “It’s all about racing.  We raced each other earlier this year. That was the first time Dad beat me and he went on to win the race.”

Racers have taken notice of Rusty’s success and now a bounty has been put up for this Saturday’s race.  The racer who can stop Rusty’s winning streak will take home a cool $100 cash.

The championship isn’t the only thing Rusty is trying to achieve this year.  He wants to upgrade to a bigger motor and hopes to accomplish this by winning the Engine Pro/Dart Machinery Engine Giveaway during the 6^th Annual Funny Car Nationals on September 11 at US 131.  This 565 cubic inch Big Block Chevy engine has been built by Performance Engineering of Jenison, MI and will be awarded to one happy racer thanks to the many sponsors who have made this possible.

Top ET – 16

Modified – 20

Street – 6

Motorcycle – 4

Jr Dragster – 4 (3 Advanced, 1 Beginner)

If you are interested in participating please be sure to sign up at Customer Service/Souvenirs during the final upcoming Lane Bracket races.

Because of the terrific support from all of our bracket racers our sponsors have taken notice.  Thank you for making US 131 Motorsports Park successful and please consider our sponsors when making your next purchase if you aren’t already customers of theirs.

US 131 Motorsports Park hosts its 4th Annual Fall Bug Run this Sunday, August 29, 2010.  This exclusive VW event features drag racing, judged car show, swap meet and vendors.  There are three drag racing classes, Pro, Super Pro and Modified.  Racers may also enter into a Gambler’s Race or just have fun driving down “The Fastest Track in Michigan!” with Fun Runs for only $15. 

Gates open for vendors and those selling parts in the swap meet and car corral at 7:30 am.  Gates open at 9 am for all participants and spectators.  Time trials for racing begin at 11 am with the race starting at 1 pm.  Car Show awards will be presented at 3 pm.

Admission is only $12 per adult with free entry to participants into the car show, swap meet and vendor spaces.  Drag racing is an additional fee and Fun Runs are only an additional $8 for unlimited runs.  Children ages 6-12 are $5 and children under five years of age are free.  Each admission includes a free pit pass and includes all the events at the track.

The payout and times for each class running 1/8th mile are as follows; Pro 7.50-9.49, winner $300 with 15 car minimum, Super Pro 7.49 and quicker, winner $750 with 20 car minimum, Modified Street 9.5 & slower, winner $150 with 10 car minimum.  Gambler’s Race is $20 to enter with buyback 1st round.  Time runs and Fun Runs are on the ¼ mile.

Join us Saturday night at 6 pm for a cruise in and cookout at the track.

For more information please call the track office at 269.672.7800.

US 131 Motorsports Park is hosting its second $2000.00 to win in its Top ET and Modified classes with $350 going to the winner of the Street category.  This the second increased payout for the Lane Automotive Bracket Series that was put into place for the 2010 racing season courtesy of Lane Automotive and Edelbrock.  The first increased payout event was a huge success and US 131 Motorsports Staff is expecting nothing less with a great car count and an entertaining day of racing.  Tech card prices for the race are $60 for Top ET and Modified, $35 for Street and $25 for Jr Dragsters.  Spectator gate fees are just $12.  Gates open at 11am with Jr Dragster on the track from 12noon to 2pm, race cars are on the track at 2pm.  First round of eliminations estimated to be at 6pm.

Lagana sweeps for third time this season; ‘Madman’ Manners, Gallen cap wild weekend

MARTIN, Mich. (August 14, 2010) – Unpredictable racing, 300 mile-per-hour dragsters and jets, daredevil wheelstanders, the world’s best drivers and the single biggest payout of the year.

Just another weekend on the Nitro Jam tour.

Fans at Michigan’s U.S. 131 Motorsports Park were brought into the new world of Nitro Jam over the weekend and the debut certainly did not disappoint as drivers pushed their machines to the limits and produced arguably the single most exciting weekend of racing yet this year.

From the breakout weekend by the new Pro Fuel class to the weekend sweep by Top Fuel veteran Bobby Lagana Jr. and everything in between, the Northern Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park certainly lived up to its reputation as one of the biggest and brightest stars in the Nitro Jam sky as more than 15 different drivers took home IHRA hardware from Saturday’s grand finale.

“What a great crowd and what a great weekend for everyone. Jason and Stephanie do such a good job with the help of IHRA and Jim and his crew do an awesome job with the track. It was just a great effort on behalf of everyone this weekend,” said Saturday Top Fuel winner Bobby Lagana Jr. “We always look forward to our time spent in Michigan.”

After a slow start the Pro Fuel class finally came into its own over the weekend as Michael Manners became the latest winner in the class that is slowly becoming a fan favorite, while Bobby Lagana Jr. swept the weekend in Top Fuel and Peter Gallen rallied for a huge win in Prostalgia Nitro Funny car all during Saturday’s “Night of Fire” at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.

In addition to a great weekend of pro racing the Northern Nitro Jam also hosted the single largest payout of the year with the Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown. With 32 cars vying for their share of the $51,000 purse up for grabs, only one could come away a winner and on Saturday night that person was Bo Upton.

Having already won the largest IHRA tournament of the year and a championship back in the spring, Upton added the richest tournament to his already impressive resume over the weekend in a year that has seen the South Carolina native win just about every big race drag racing has to offer.

“This means the world to me. To have the opportunity to come out and get to run for $22,500 in a five round race is incredible. These guys at Moser are a quality act,” Upton said. “We towed 14 hours to get here and to have it pay off like this is a dream come true. What an amazing weekend and what an amazing season. We truly feel blessed to get to do what we do and be a part of such an amazing program.”

In other sportsman action Sheldon Bissessar returned to his dominating ways in the Harland Sharp Elite 8, winning the Top Dragster category for the fourth time this season, while Curt Fredrich won in Top Sportman over Matt Sam.

Not to be outdone sportsman national event winners from Saturday’s Northern Nitro Jam included Gilmer Hinshaw (Burlington, N.C.) in Top Sportsman, Rob Moser (Portland, Ind.) in Top Dragster, Joe Bauman (Chesaning, Mich.) in Super Rod, Dave Elrod (Harrod, Ohio) in Quick Rod, Kenny Underwood (Tampa, Fla.) in Hot Rod, Brian Clayton (Port Perry, Ontario) in Super Stock and Nick Folk (Durand, Ill.) in Stock.

Each of the seven drivers also punched their ticket to the end of year Tournament of Champions to be held at Virginia Motorsports Park in October.

While the entire weekend was certainly filled with good old-fashioned drag racing action, nowhere was the desperation to win more evident then in Top Fuel.

With a remarkable seven of the last eight Top Fuel World Champions having won at the Michigan facility the same year as their title, the annual summer tradition has become a must-win for drivers seeking a championship. And on Saturday night Lagana hopes that he added his name to that list as well.

Coming into the weekend just three points behind Bruce Litton in the Top Fuel title chase Lagana swept both nights of the Northern Nitro Jam for his sixth and seventh wins of the season and put himself in a prime position to potentially capture his first career title with only three races remaining.

“We made a huge leap in the right direction this weekend and look forward to building on this momentum in two weeks,” Lagana said. “This is what we needed to get steered back in the right direction.”

After a Friday night win over Mitch King, Lagana kept his streak alive with a dominating victory over Del Cox in the opening round before taking down Litton in the championship bout. Despite expiring an engine on the run, Lagana still ran a 4.652 elapsed time at 317.19 miles-per-hour to drive around Litton and his 4.826-second pass.

“The puke tank came off the valve cover so it burned up a piston and put oil on the track instead of the tank,” Lagana said. “It wasn’t pretty, but I guess we still got the win.”

With seven wins in an astonishing 10 final rounds, Lagana leaves Martin with all the momentum entering one of his favorite tracks in Budds Creek, Md. later this month.

In Saturday’s consolation matchup Mitch King, Friday’s runner-up, defeated Cox.

After being shut out of the finals on Friday Litton returned with a vengeance on Saturday with low E.T. of the opening round at 4.770/309.27 in a first round victory over Cox. Lagana was second with a 5.106, his second final of the weekend. Both Cox and King ran into big problems on their runs and were forced to shut it off early.

After a wild and wacky opening night for the Pro Fuel class things calmed down a bit on Saturday, but the racing remained some of the best seen all year.

Newcomer Dave Hirata made his second final of the weekend on Saturday, but he could not overcome a near record pass by Manner as the Texan put down a 5.360/267.48 lap to Hirata’s 5.607/251.95 in Saturday’s Pro Fuel final.

“We had a really good day today. We had the car worked on in the six weeks we took off and when you have an old chassis and you go to a brand new chassis it changes the tuneup,” Manners said. “Yesterday we were fighting all sorts of gremlins, but today we were able to adjust to those things and get down the track. We will only get better from here.”

Manners won for the third time this season and his first time since sweeping the Spring Nitro Jam back in May. The win also gives him a momentum boost as he attempts to chase down series leader Jeff Hamelink.

In the consolation rounds Bill Evans and Jared Dreher came away victourious.

Hirata punched his second ticket to the finals in two nights with a first round win over Jeff Hamelink, running a 5.647/248.84 during the round.. Despite that effort low E.T. of the first round actually went to fan-favorite Manners in “The Shredder” machine as he absolutely attacked the track with a 5.340/267.32.

Gallen wrapped up the pro sessions with a big win Saturday night over Mike McIntire in Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car.

While most of the year has been centered on the Gallen-Nichols rivalry, the matchup didn’t get to play out in the finals Saturday because the two were instead paired up in the opening round. In that round Gallen got the best of his opponent, opening the door to get back some ground after a disastrous Friday night.

Gallen severely hurt his motor Friday night in a winning run and was unable to make the call, knocking him out of the championship and giving Nichols a chance to extend his championship lead.

“There was nothing enjoyable about last night, but I guess we made up for a little bit of it tonight,” Gallen said. “We certainly had hoped for another big weekend and it didn’t go exactly as planned, but we still came away with a win and we will take it. Now we just have to keep pounding away and catch that yellow car before its too late.”

In the final Gallen ran a 6.011/234.61, although he didn’t need much as McIntire went red.

In the consolation matchups Nichols beat Greg Jacobsmeyer, John Dunn beat Aaron Armstrong and John Lawson won on a bye.

After thrashing away on his motor throughout the morning and afternoon Gallen returned in a big way Saturday night in punching his second straight ticket to the finals.

Gallen ran a blistering 5.977/236.05 in an opening round win over the points leader while McIntire filled the other final spot with a 6.163/230.53 in a win over Jacobsmeyer. Saturday’s opening round win placed McIntire in his first final in over five months.

Wrapping up the Saturday evening show was the Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown in which South Carolina native Bo Upton took home a cool $22,500 for just five rounds of work. The win is Upton’s second big money IHRA victory of the season as he continues his run of wins at Nitro Jam’s crown jewels of sportsman racing.

Upton defeated Myron Piatek in the eighth-mile final, running a 4.662 on a 4.64 dial. Piatek was just off his mark with a 7.296 on a 7.30 dial.

Upton defeated Piatek, David Elrod, Gilmer Hinshaw, Allen Constantine and Stuart Smith on his way to picking up the richest payout in Nitro Jam competition. Upton did it all from the Quick Rod category.

Next up for the Nitro Jam series is a trip to Maryland for the Maryland Nitro Jam at the beautiful Maryland International Raceway in Budds Creek August 28-29. Don’t miss another exciting addition to the Nitro Jam schedule as the season winds down.

About Feld Motor Sports℠

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in outdoor and specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam^®, IHRA^® Nitro Jam^®, SuperBull℠, Monster Energy^® Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠ and Gravity Slashers℠. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

MARTIN, Mich. (August 14, 2010) – Just four months ago Bo Upton was just another ordinary racer with a dream and a racecar.

Upton loved to race, but knew he didn’t have the means to chase a championship. Upton loved to win, but knew that his hobby would never be much more than that.

Now, two big wins and $32,500 later, Upton is a prime example of just what can happen when a person doesn’t give up on a dream and continues to chase after the things that matter most.

Upton, already with one big win in his pocket this year and a World Championship to go with it, continued his run of IHRA’s crown jewel events with a victory in the Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown during the Northern Nitro Jam event at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park Saturday in Martin, Mich.

Upton hauled his car all the way from South Carolina to be a part of this weekend’s big event and walks away $22,500 richer for his troubles, taking down many of the best drivers in the business along the way to claim his second big win of the season.

“This means the world to me. To have the opportunity to come out and get to run for $22,500 in a five round race is incredible. These guys at Moser are a quality act,” Upton said. “We towed 14 hours to get here and to have it pay off like this is a dream come true. What an amazing weekend and what an amazing season. We truly feel blessed to get to do what we do and be a part of such an amazing program.”

Placing 32 of the best drivers from around the country on a ladder regardless of class with the winner taking home their share of the $51,000 purse generously put up by Moser, the Moser Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown is one of the biggest events on the sportsman calendar each year and big part of each Nitro Jam that has been lucky enough to host this prestigious event.

Now Upton can add his name to the list of drivers that have hoisted the unique trophy presented by Moser and the check declaring him the winner of one of the biggest races of the year.

“This is the biggest weekend for us from a racing standpoint,” said Rob Moser, president of Moser Engineering. “To get together 32 of the best sportsman drivers in the country is a pretty amazing feat and this event, with the help of the IHRA, went off great as it always does.

“What can I say about Bo? Bo has been in this shootout before and has never been able to get it going. He certainly changed that this weekend.”

Along with the big win this weekend in the Moser Axle-Mania Showdown, Upton also claimed a win in the Tournament of Champions back in April to take home another big prize and the title of World Champion in the Quick Rod class.

Now, after Saturday’s win, Upton can say that he is not only a champion in Quick Rod, but one of the best regardless of class.

“I have never chased points or a championship before, I just couldn’t do it. Now the IHRA has stepped up and made it possible to be a champion by proving it on the track and stuff like that carries over to a big program like the Moser deal and it makes for a lot of fun opportunities for sportsman racers in the IHRA,” Upton said. “And for me to win both of these things in the same year is simply unbelievable. You have to be lucky in this business to get a win and I feel very fortunate to have won the events I have won this year.”

With $22,500 on the line, Upton defeated Stock racer Myron Piatek in the final, running a 4.662 on a 4.64 dial in the eight-mile final. Piatek was just off his mark with a 7.296 on a 7.30 dial.

Upton defeated Piatek, David Elrod, Gilmer Hinshaw, Allen Constantine and Stuart Smith on his way to picking up the richest payout in Nitro Jam competition. Upton did it all from the Quick Rod category.

Piatek defeated Brandon Peterson, Brian Folk, Nick Folk and Terry Taylor on his way to a runner-up finish.

“Me and a buddy of mine made the haul up here splitting driving time. I just knew that if I am going to make the trip I am not leaving anything on the track,” Upton said. “Thankfully we didn’t really run into any issues this weekend. I had to get back in the groove today because my driving was not up to par today like it was yesterday, but I was able to regroup and focus. You definitely don’t want to tow 14 hours and not show up on the track.”

Immediately following his big win Upton rushed to call his father and family who were unable to make the trip to Martin.

“I can’t wait to call my wife and my dad. My dad travels everywhere with me and was with me when I won at Rockingham earlier this year. He just can’t ride long trips like this,” Upton said. “But I know he is sitting at home by the phone just waiting for me to call.”

Upton also wanted to thank Moser for everything they have done to put on this exciting and one-of-a-king program.

“They really don’t know what a program like this means to the racers. It is huge just to get to come race for the money so you can imagine how big winning this thing is,” Upton said. “I hope the IHRA and Moser continue to offer this awesome race. It was a ton of fun and I look forward to possibly coming back and defending my win next year.”

Adding to the excitement this weekend is the fact that the entire Moser family was on hand to witness Upton’s win and be a part of the race itself. Nearly everyone in the Moser family competed in this weekend’s event with Rob Moser actually coming out on top in the Top Dragster category Saturday afternoon.

So with another big payday and big win in his pocket, what are Upton’s plans for an encore?

“Well, I really don’t know. I mean, how do you top what we have done so far this year,” Upton said. “Who knows, maybe I will just retire. My boy wants to go junior racing so who knows. Maybe I will just retire on a high note and go junior racing with my boy.”

About Feld Motor Sports℠

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in outdoor and specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam^®, IHRA^® Nitro Jam^®, SuperBull℠, Monster Energy^® Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠ and Gravity Slashers℠. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com.

Lagana, Nichols add to win totals

MARTIN, Mich. (August 13, 2010) – Talk about making a good first impression.

Having never made a pass in Nitro Jam competition before Friday night Dave Hirata entered this weekend’s event hoping for a solid showing in the brand new Pro Fuel class and instead walked away with his first career victory on opening night at the Northern Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park

Hirata swept both of his opponents Friday night in front of the rambunctious Martin crowd, joining fellow professional winners Bobby Lagana Jr. (Top Fuel) and Steve Nichols (Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car) in taking home Nitro Jam’s top prize – an Ironman trophy – while gaining the immediate respect of his fellow competitors in the new Pro Fuel category.

Hirata also claimed a win in his first try at the brand new format which was also making its debut at the Michigan track Friday night.

“It is cool. We got invited here tonight and we know the track and the personnel is awesome so we thought why not, lets go give it a try,” Hirata said. “It is a whole different style of racing, but we still race hard. We race as hard as if it were traditional racing so it is still all of the fun, but without a lot of the hassles.”

Hirata defeated fellow first-timer Tony Myers in the final, making for an all freshman finale in a class that has seen its share of different winners this season. With the win Hirata becomes the 13th different winner this season in 25 finals.

“This is very cool. It is a whole different thing over here with IHRA, but a win is still a win,” Hirata said. “We had fun and look forward to doing this all over again tomorrow.”

In the final Hirata ran a solid 5.623 elapsed time at 251.11 miles-per-hour to edge Myers’ 6.009 E.T. Now, with a win already in his pocket, Hirata will return Saturday with a rare opportunity only present in Nitro Jam to win twice in the same weekend.
“If we do it again tomorrow that is just cool. It is great to have an opportunity win twice in one weekend and doing something not many people can say they have done. I am looking forward to it,” Hirata added.

While Hirata will be credited with the win, Myers will go down with the distinction of literally leaving it all on the track. Myers gave all he had in trying to chase down his opponent, but came up short – and a little long at the same time. Unable to slow down Myers ran off the end of the track deep into the sandpit. He was alright, but Myers will have plenty of work to do if he hopes to come back and try for his first career win Saturday night.

In the consolation rounds Bill Evans finished up a tumultuous night for the Pro Fuel class with a win after nearly flipping his dragster in the opening round, joining consolation winners Jared Dreher and Michael Manners.

Hirata reached the final with a first round win over point leader Jeff Hamelink, while Myers defeated Dave Hill. Hirata, in his first career Nitro Jam event, had low elapsed time of the round at 5.638/251.95, while Myers was just behind with a 7.696.

The first round produced plenty of excitement as two newbies reached the final in their first Nitro Jam events, Bill Evans came inches from putting his Pro Fuel machine on its top and Jared Dreher, also in his first career Nitro Jam event, erased a potential championship qualifying pass when he left before the tree.

But the most excitement of the night was produced by Evans.

Evans’ near disaster came in the opening round against Michael Manners as Evans’ car tipped onto two wheels when he overcorrected during the run, taking out the 60 foot cone in the process. Once Evans got the car back on four wheels he hit the throttle and came back across the track, coming inches from the wall. When Evans finally crossed the line he had somehow avoided any significant damage and still managed to return to make the second round.

In Top Fuel Bobby Lagana got back on track with his first career victory at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park and sixth total this season Friday night, taking over the Top Fuel points lead in the process.

“We were really anxious about this particular race. There is a lot of history at this track and it is known for being kind to champions so for us to come out here and not only get the win, but take over the points lead, is just incredible,” Lagana said. “We had a lot of fans that signed this dragster and were with us this evening as a part of this crew. This win is for them.

“Now we gotta get this car ready for another go-round tomorrow and hopefully we can do this all over again.”

Lagana defeated multi-car team owner Mitch King in the final, preventing King from claiming his first career Top Fuel victory with a blistering 4.732 elapsed time at 313.95 miles-per-hour. King still ran a respectable 5.067/278.75.

In the consolation matchup Bruce Litton, who was upset by King in the first round, finally found the track and nearly produced low E.T. of the night on a 4.764/313.22 in a win over defending race winner Del Cox Jr.

Friday was an important night in the battle for the Top Fuel championship as Lagana once again pulls ahead of his friend and opponent in the championship standings and in win totals, posting his sixth of the season.

Lagana reached his ninth final of the year with a first round victory over Cox while King drove around a smoking Litton to place himself in his second career final. Lagana had low E.T. of the first round with a 4.859/284.99 just ahead of King’s 5.105/286.44.

With Lagana’s opening round win and King’s victory over Litton Lagana was able to overtake the ’07 champion for the Top Fuel point lead following Friday’s event. But with another race to go on Saturday anything can happen.

In Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car Steve Nichols joined Lagana in making a bold statement in the hunt for a championship with this second win in the last three races. With rival Peter Gallen beginning to close the championship gap Nichols produced low E.T. of the opening round and went on to win Friday’s event over John Lawson to further his points lead.

To make matters worse for Gallen Lawson filled the final round spot after Gallen severely hurt his motor in the opening round and was unable to make the call. While the motor problems were certainly costly for Gallen financially, it was even more costly in his efforts to close the sizable gap Nichols has now opened up in the category.

Nichols ran a 6.015 elapsed time at 229.70 miles-per-hour in the final to Lawson’s 6.547.

“We certainly don’t like to take advantage of a situation like this, but we will take what we can at this point,” Nichols said. “We came into this weekend hoping to have some fun and find some consistency and we certainly did that this evening. We had two great laps and were fortunate to win both rounds. Now we just have to keep this going and hopefully string together a few more of these things.”

Nichols’ victory was his third of the season, one behind Gallen’s series leading four.

In the consolation rounds Mike McIntire defeated Rick Krafft and Greg Jacobsmeyer drove around Aaron “Army” Armstrong.

Nichols had low elapsed time of the opening round, running a 6.040/232.11 in a first round pairing with McIntire while Gallen was just behind with a 6.177, but a hurt motor prevented him from making the call.

Instead Lawson’s 6.227 bumped him up to the final round.

Wrapping up Friday’s big opening night at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park were the first two rounds of the Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Sportsman Showdown. With this weekend’s winner taking home a share of the $51,000 up for grabs courtesy of Moser Engineering, the Axle-Mania competition is always a highlight of the event as the best 32 sportsman drivers in the world come together to decide one true champion regardless of class.

After two rounds the final eight competitors in the Moser Axle-Mania competition are Brian Folk in two separate classes, David Elrod, Myron Piatek, Brandon Peterson, Bo Upton, Chip Johnson and Gilmer Hinshaw.

Action will continue at the Northern Nitro Jam Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. with sportsman eliminations. Fan Fest will get underway at 5:30 p.m. and the second night of Nitro Jam, along with the finals of the Moser Axle-Mania, will get underway at 7 p.m.

About Feld Motor Sports℠
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the world leader in outdoor and specialized arena and stadium-based motor sports entertainment.  Feld Motor Sports, Inc. productions include Monster Jam®, IHRA® Nitro Jam®, SuperBull℠, Monster Energy® Supercross, AMA Arenacross Series, Nuclear Cowboyz℠ and Gravity Slashers℠. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a division of Feld Entertainment, the world’s largest producer of live family entertainment.  For more information on Feld Entertainment, visit www.feldentertainment.com<http://www.feldentertainment.com>.

When it comes to IHRA championships and Michigan’s beautiful U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, there is just something magical about the place.

With the exception of a single season in 2006 when T.J. Zizzo won the event and Clay Millican the championship, every single Top Fuel driver that has won the Nitro Jam at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park has gone on to win the championship that same year. From Millican’s incredible title run during the early part of the decade to the rookie winners over the past two seasons, there has been a unique correlation between championship success and a good outing at the Michigan track.

And with that omen hanging over the facility you can be certain that the Top Fuel title fight will reach a fevered pitch when the Nitro Jam series returns to Martin for the annual Northern Nitro Jam August 13-14 at the recently repaved U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.

“U.S. 131 is, to me, one of the crown jewels of the IHRA. It is one of the nicest tracks we go to with awesome crowds and great racing,” said ’07 winner Bruce Litton. “And of course it is a pivotal race for points because of where if falls on the schedule. Over the years the championship history has shown that people who have done well there have done well in points and, while that all may be a coincidence, it sure wouldn’t hurt to add another win or two that weekend.”

Litton is one of four Top Fuel drivers vying for the crown at this year’s Northern Nitro Jam, joining ’09 winner and defending world champion Del Cox Jr., Cox’s team owner Mitch King and the surprise of the season Bobby Lagana Jr.

Of the group only Cox and Litton have won at the Michigan facility, but Lagana has been to the finals twice, most recently in 2009. Lagana, also the only driver of the trio to have never won a championship, hopes that this year, his most successful to date, will finally be his year to add a victory at U.S. 131 to his resume and hopefully a championship as he trails points leader Litton by only three points entering the event.

“We have been close before, including finishing runner-up here last year, and we really hope we can turn the corner and finally get a win at this track,” Lagana said. “We are right in the thick of the championship and we really need a good weekend in Michigan to get back the ground we lost in Canada. We are really looking forward to this event.”

While the current contingent of Top Fuel drivers are no strangers to the Martin facility, for some this year’s race will feel almost like a brand new event. This past year owner Jason Peterson extended the concrete on the track from the 660 foot mark to the 1,000 foot mark leaving drivers like Litton anxious to hit the track and see what they can do with the new surface.

“We ran our second fastest lap ever there and now that they have extended the concrete we are even more excited,” said Litton, the track speed record holder at over 328 mph. “We are really looking forward to it. It is almost like going to a new track all over again. Plus this is our closest track so I really can’t wait. It should be as good as any track we have raced on all year.”

Another driver exited about this weekend’s event is defending race winner Del Cox Jr. Cox used a victory at Martin last year to help spur his efforts to claim the ’09 Top Fuel championship as he climbed back from a nearly triple-digit deficit to put himself within striking distance following the Martin event.

“Last year there were so many highs and lows, but this race really stood out to me. It is a really nice facility with a lot to see and do. It is also a very nice track and we put down some good numbers last year,” Cox said. “The whole team is looking forward to this race and hopefully turning things around.”

Cox hasn’t had the kind of season he had hoped for following his championship year, but he hopes that this will be the turning point he and the team are looking for.

“It has been a few races since we last won so hopefully we can change that at Martin,” Cox said. “We found a few problems on the car that were bugging us earlier and hopefully that will fix some of what has been plaguing us.”

Cox also hopes to repeat the luck experienced at Martin the past two seasons. At the 2009 version of the Northern Nitro Jam Cox’s team parked in the same spot that friend and teammate Spencer Massey parked the year before when he won the race and eventually the championship. While Cox doesn’t put too much thought into the coincidence, he does believe that any luck can only help.

“Hopefully we can get there early this year and get the same spot again. I am not too superstitious, but we haven’t had that good of a year so anything that can turn our luck around we will take,” Cox said.

Massey, who will miss the upcoming race at Martin due to prior commitments, knows that if his teammate is going to get things turned around, this is the race to get it done.

“The last two years we have won with that same car. Obviously in ’08 I started to wrap up the championship and the same thing with Del last year, it just seems like there is something with this place,” Massey said. “Martin seems to always be a turning point for us and hopefully that will continue.”

While Cox and team owner Mitch King, filling in for Massey this coming weekend, will be looking for a turnaround to their year, Litton and Lagana will look to continue their dominance of the class. Through six events the duo have combined to win 10 of 12 races and are running away from the field.

For both Martin could prove a turning point as Litton battles for his second career championship and Lagana his first.

“We are coming down to the wire and we are in the hunt,” Lagana said. “If there was ever a time to really make a move, this is it. Martin is a big race and we want to continue that streak of Martin championship winners.”

The ninth edition of the Northern Nitro Jam, the seventh race on the 2010 Nitro Jam schedule, will feature one of the biggest races ever held at the Michigan facility as the series brings in a brand new format, all new classes and one of the most anticipated shows ever at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.

Featuring nearly two dozen nitro-burning machines in three classes and a number of extras, this year’s Northern Nitro Jam promises to be one of the biggest events of the year. From 320 mile-per-hour Top Fuel dragsters, to the news stars of Nitro Jam in Pro Fuel and Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car, the new Nitro Jam is all about competitive nitro racing packaged in one of the most entertaining presentations in motorsports today.

In addition to the trio of nitro classes the two-day event will also feature the wheelstanding “Cool Bus”, two-wheeled Nitro Harley action, the Michigan debut of side-by-side jet trucks producing over 60,000 horsepower, the “Night of Fire” fireworks spectacular, Fan Fest and more as the annual summer tradition takes on a whole new life this season

And all of that will be in addition to the biggest and richest sportsman race of the year with two full days of sportsman racing including the brand new Harland Sharp Elite 8 Top Sportsman and Top Dragster heads-up shootout and the $51,000 Moser Engineering Axle-Mania Shootout.

Featuring 32 of the best sportsman racers in the country in seven classes plus one wildcard, this year’s Moser Axle-Mania Shootout promises to be one of the biggest and best competitions ever.

Don’t miss a minute of the action, get your tickets today!

Whether you crave the smell of nitro, the rush of four-second passes, fast doorslammers, flaming jet trucks, quick bikes or are just looking for a nice getaway on a beautiful weekend, the Northern Nitro Jam has something for you