Bakersfield, CA—In a season-ending final round between two Top Fuel titans nearly deadlocked in points, Tony Bartone snagged the 2016 Heritage Series Title for the third consecutive year by posting a stellar 1/4-mile recording of 5.60 seconds at 247 mph to upend rival Jim Murphy’s own Points Championship hopes. In that heat, Murphy stayed with Bartone until 300? when his mount shook and lost fire.

Afterward, when asked when he knew he had his third consecutive title won, Bartone responded: “When the (mother-lovin’) win light came on.

“A few minutes ago, I received a text,” Tony said. “And the text said ‘You’re the man,’ and I instantly responded: ‘No, we have the team—all capital letters.”

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Bakersfield, CA – The Auto Club Famoso Raceway hosted the NHRA Heritage Racing Series final two events for Group 2 competitors with a separate points race each day along with their Good Vibrations Saturday Night Nitro. With eight championship titles up for grabs, there would be plenty of points available for the racers to earn and shake up the standings. And juggle them they did. Only three of the leaders in first place coming into the event, made it to the Famoso Raceway winner’s circle Sunday afternoon.

Dale Taros beat some big odds and tough opponents to make up seventy-five points on NE 1 leader, Brandon Seraphine, and claim the 2016 class championship. To do it, Taros won both Saturday and Sunday’s races, leapfrogging past Seraphine as well as then number two Steve Schoenfeld. On Saturday night the La Mirada drag racer defeated Sabrina Capps for the first of his two needed wins. Schoenfeld was in the lane across from Taros for the Sunday final round. Dale took a .015 advantage at the light with Steve in hot pursuit. With the likelihood of a DQ high, both drivers jockeyed back-and-forth in an effort to “take the stripe” without breaking out. It would turn out to be Taros’ finest weekend in his thirty-five years of racing as Dale won the race decisively.

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WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – “Hollywood” Kris Krabill wrapped up the 2016 NHRA Heritage Series Nostalgia Funny Car Championship Saturday night in the rain-delayed “Summer Kick Off” event held at Rocky Mountain Raceways.

Krabill (Kent, WA), wheeling the “Austin and O’Brien” ride, topped Utah’s Scott Stanger and 2014 Series Champ Dan Horan Jr. on the way to the money round. In the final, facing Canada’s Ryan Hodgson, Krabill left first and never trailed, running a 5.977 elapsed time to Hodgson’s trailing 6.057. For Kris, the championship has been 8 years in the making. He picked up victories earlier in the season at the Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet and at the Ignitor at Firebird Raceway in Idaho.

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The 45th edition of the Pepsi Nightfire Nationals returns August 11-14 to Firebird Raceway. The “signature event” of the western Idaho facility will mark a key stop in the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series for both AA/Funny Car and AA/Fuel Dragster. Currently, both Adam Sorokin (Top Fuel) and Kris Krabill (Funny Car) lead the standings heading into the Nightfire weekend.

The Nightfire event is rich in history. Former champions have included the likes of John Force, Don Prudhomme, Ed McCulloch, Raymond Beadle and many others. Defending Nightfire champions include Tony Bartone in Fuel Dragster, Kris Krabill in Funny Car, and Jeremy Sullivan in Fuel Altered

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GLENDORA, CA – The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series event for Group 1 classes from Rocky Mountain Raceways that was canceled due to rain will not be rescheduled for the 2016 racing season. Group 1 classes include A/Fuel, Jr. Fuel and 7.0 Eliminator.

Officials reviewed several options, along with input from many racers. With consideration to possible locations, dates and costs to racers, the decision was made to not reschedule the event.

The year-end championship will be based on five events with the last and final event being the California Hot Rod Reunion presented by Auto Club of Southern California at Auto Club Famoso Raceway, Oct. 21-23. The first race of the double header weekend at Rocky Mountain Raceways was completed and will count toward the points championship along with the Nostalgia Drags (Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park), Good Vibrations March Meet (Auto Club Famoso Raceway), Nostalgia Reunion (Sacramento Raceway) and the season ending Hot Rod Reunion.

GLENDORA, CA – The NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series event for Group 2 classes from Rocky Mountain Raceways that was canceled due to rain, has been rescheduled for Auto Club Famoso Raceway during their Nostalgia Fall Championships, Sept. 17-18, which will make the event a double event – Two separate events in one weekend.

Auto Club Famoso Raceway will host a test-n-tune event on Friday, with one event taking place on Saturday followed by their Good Vibrations Saturday Night Nitro feature show. The second event for Group 2 will be held on Sunday. The event car count will determine the number of qualifying runs. Two events – Two entry fees (car and driver) – one fee for crew/team members.

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Eagle, ID – In a titanic AA/Funny Car final, the two quickest cars of the weekend met up in the NAPA Auto Parts Ignitor Opener final round. Presented by Peterson Chevrolet, Kris Krabill knocked out a .100 reaction and muscled to another superb 5.69-245.27 to stop Dan Horan Jr. (following a .107 reaction), who endured tire shake early in his run, lifting early, finishing at 7.55-122.88. For the “Northwest Hitter” team, it was two-straight Firebird major event titles (including the 2015 Pepsi Nightfire Nationals) coupled with two-straight NHRA Heritage Series wins (both the March Meet and Ignitor) to keep their “perfect” season alive thru the opening pair of races in 2016.

The Firebird track record books took a pounding, too. Competing at the high-altitude facility, Krabill claimed the overall e.t. mark at 5.67 in the opening round, while Dan Horan Jr., set the speed record at 259.76 (old marks 5.76-251 mph by J. Rupert-4/2012). Horan matched the Krabill e.t. record to the thousandths of a second during his semi-final victory.