Billed as the fifth annual Thunder Under the Lites, Redding Motorsports Park played host to the NHRA Heritage Series tour and the great American, one-day Top Fuel showdown. With nitro in the house and a smorgasbord of all nostalgia classes in the pits, thunder did indeed rule under the lights.
The Top Fuel showdown lived up to its billing as current points leader Tyler Hilton and the man giving chase, Pete Kaiser, resumed their nitro battle and run at the 2026 NHRA Heritage championship. Also making the trek to the land of Shasta were Funny Car legend turned Top Fuel rookie Bobby Cottrell and his No Inheritan$e entry, Kyle Hough and the fresh inked “Nanook” machine, and the living legend himself, Mr. Brendan Murry and the “Running Wild” fuel ride.
Tyler Hilton and the “Great Expectations III” team dominated qualifying, running a 5.83 at 255 MPH to lead all contenders, followed by Kaiser’s solid 6.01 at a booming 258 MPH to hold down the second spot. Hough, a third-gen nitro ace, making his 2026 NHRA Heritage Series debut, qualified an all-time best third with a nice 6.30 blast at 242 MPH.
Eliminations became the war of attrition for the nitro teams. Hilton, looking to lock up the 2026 NHRA Heritage championship with a final round win here, blasted a 5.86 on his bye run, but suffered a torn rear tire on the top end. It would not be the end of this top end adventures on the day. Kaiser responded with his best pass of the weekend, a 5.89, to take out Cottrell, which set up the big round one match – Hough vs. Murry. At the green, Hough was out first and had Murry covered, but tire shake, an all-world pedal, and a top-end charge could not save him from the cagey Murry, who turned a costly 6.59 into victory. Murry could not make the call for the semi against Hilton due to parts attrition.
The top final was an epic heavyweight showdown. A Hilton win and he’s the 2026 points champ. A Kaiser win and he’s stayin’ alive. At the green, Kaiser was away first as Hilton smoked the tires, pedaled, and chased. At the stripe, Kaiser scored the win with a 5.96 to Hilton’s hard-charging 6.32 at a big-time 253 MPH.
But that ain’t the end of this story. Past the stripe, there is a cloud and it’s not piston smoke. Hilton’s rear tire has blown out and he’s riding the dirt next to the 1320, trying to keep the car straight and off the K-rail. There’s a big explosion of dust as Hilton hits a k-rail chicane, sending Hilton and the car across the track, scraping the car on its side and upside down at one point. Kaiser, who has won the race, exits his KFR dragster at the top end, rights the car, and helps pull Hilton out of the car. The steel steed of all steeds, the stud of all Top Fuel cars, the “Great Expectations III,” is seriously injured. Hilton on the other hand, emerges unscathed. The McKinney chassis has done its job. Team Hilton, a team forged on hard work and maximum efforts, vows to rebuild and return in time for the final race of the year at the fabled California Hot Rod Reunion. They will be there to fight for their fifth straight NHRA Heritage Top Fuel title, just one round win away. Kaiser, yes, he will be there too.
The always entertaining 7.0 Pro class, the mixture of Funny Cars, Altereds and front-motored dragsters, once again delivered as Steve Faller and his crowd-pleasing “Bad Moon” wheels-up Bantam downed Tony Trimp’s “Rough and Ready” ’65 Mustang Funny Car. Trimp was there first, but a little too first, breaking out with a 6.94 to a less-breaking 6.99 on a 7.0 index.
In the newly named, but cars remain the same, Pro-Comp class (formerly A Fuel), the two heavy hitters, Doc Bates and Wayne Ramey, were again duking it out for the victory in the final. At the green, Bates was away first with a .125 light. Ramey ran a 6.01, but his .519 light spelled doom as Bates’ slower 6.11 run took the win.
In the racing world of the wild, wild West, the West Coast Outlaw Pro Mods put on a spectacular show. In the end, Dan Martin beat the unbeatable in the final with a 3.90 over a tire-smoking Bret Williamson, proving that even Superman himself is human.
Nostalgia Eliminator winners included Dustin Lee (NE1), Tony Citro (NE2), and Mike Munson (NE3), while the Gas class winners featured Brian Rogers (A/G), Kevin Riley (B/G), RJ Simrock (C/G), and Ken Parks (D/G). The hotly contested Hot Rod winner was Craig Renke in his blue Chevy II.
Next year, same place, same thunder? Count on it…
This story was originally published on September 22, 2026. 
The post Kaiser Family Racing Thunders to Top Fuel Victory at Redding first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
