August 08-10 - Boise, ID - For Firebird Raceway's signature event it was a weekend of warm weather, huge crowds, record runs, upsets and heart stopping drama as the 37th edition of the Boise Nightfire Nationals concluded Sunday night under the dark skies of Idaho.

All in all it was a good weekend for the Nitro Thunder cars as Brett Harris marked his return to the drivers seat of the Top Fuel car by going to the semi-finals after carding some great numbers. Jack Harris went to the second round in his trouble plagued Funny Car but vows to finesse it into submission.

Actually, Harris knows what the problem is but hasn't had enough testing opportunities to correct the ongoing traction problems the high powered Firebird has been fighting. Being the only Nostalgia Fuel Funny Car running a Donovan engine, there is no data bank to withdraw from so seat time is the only cure.

Nonetheless, the Nitro Thunder plastic fantasia did qualify for a tough field and manage to advance to the second round. If Harris could get the car to run as strong on the bottom end as it does up top the growing pains would be long forgotten.

 

Photos and full results below.

 

 

This annual event at Boise is different than most in that the majority of the featured action happens in the evening into the night. With the first qualifying session not scheduled until 7 PM, the teams have the luxury of doing things in the morning. Thus the Harris pit wasn't a bevy of activity in the AM.

 

 

 

 

Friday - Qualifying Session One

8:11 p.m. A late start for the festivities but the day time was taken up with a bracket race that paid some serious change to win. The Pepsi NightFire Nationals are a lot more than Top Fuel and Funny car. There are bracket races all four days of the event and today they staff of the raceway had to play catch up as the final three rounds got 'winded out' yesterday evening.

Weather conditions: air temperature 94 degrees, relative humidity 26 percent, barometer 29.75 inches.

 

With the sun set in the west, Harris made his first qualifying pass burnout with Jeff Bennett in the other lane.

 

 

Harris just blazed the tires for the first 100ft and then the car took off like a rocket carding a 6.693 at 225.67. Impressive numbers considering the bleak start.

 

 

 

Saturday had two qualifying sessions and the Firebird was ready early so the team could get some kick back time in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2:40 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 86 degrees, relative humidity 18 percent, barometer 29.80 inches, adjusted altitude 5,400 feet.

Engine fired, body comes down for a shot at the track in the heat of the day.

 

 

 

Loren Tyrrell backs Jack up from his burnout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hot track or not, amid tire shake Harris improved to a 6.280 at 229.94.

 

 

Back to the pits - get ready for the last session Saturday night.

 

 

Saturday afternoon Jack had a lengthily interview with a local TV reporter that aired that night.

Following the TV interview, Jack partook in what has become a welcome tradition for the drivers and fans at the Nightfires is the Saturday afternoon autograph session. This year some of the Funny Car shoes joined the Top Fuel guys to sit in 90 degree sun to sign everything from their handouts to T-shirts.

9:15 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 85 degrees, relative humidity 18 percent, barometer 29.95 inches, adjusted altitude 5,600 feet.

 

 

For the last session Harris tried yet another clutch/tire combination and yet again, the results were not what he wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

Don Tyrrell activated the data computer as Jack rolled in.

 

 

Harris left hard but went into violent tire shake before the 60' clocks and shut off.

 

 

 

Saturday night left the team scratching their heads about how to approach the first round of eliminations on Sunday.

 

 

 

With the first round not going off until 2 PM, Sunday morning was pretty low keyed. The car was warmed up an hour before the call.

 

 

 

 

Jack and photographer, Pam Schavrien.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prior to the first round of eliminations six of the elite seven members of the Top Fuel 260 MPH Club were recognized. From L to R: Jason Richey, Jack Harris, Brett Harris, Don Ewald (for sponsor WDIFL.com), Brad Thompson, Troy Green and Adam Sorokin. Missing was Pete Kaiser.
260 MPH CLUB

 

 

Sunday Eliminations Round One

In the first round Harris was paired with Mark Sanders in the Mr. Explosive flopper.

 

This was a wild one. Harris went up in smoke in the first 20 feet. Incredibly, his opponent blazed the tires as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In what turned into a classic pedalfest, Harris proved to be the best throttle merchant and got to the finish line first with a 7.664 at an impressive 217.23. Jack really dodged a bullet here as these were the only two cars in the round that had traction problems.

 

 

 

 

Following an eventful first round, the car was serviced from the bottom up. With the Top Fuel car ready for round two, its crew jumped in as well.

 

 

 

In round two Harris would have to face one of the upset winners from the opening stanza, Mike Halstead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harris left first but before the 60' mark his Pontiac went into a classic sake, rattle and roll all over the lane but still ran a 6.405 at 234.80 which was not enough to catch Halstead.

 

 

At last report, the funny car is done for the year as the team will focus on the Top Fuel car at the final race of the season, the California Hot Rod Reunion at Bakersfield in October.