One of the most anticipated independent drag racing events of the year, the 28th annual Haltech World Cup Finals – Import vs. Domestic presented by Wiseco is set to take over Maryland International Raceway this weekend, Oct. 30-Nov. 3. More than $200,000 in cash and prizes are on the line for racers in several diverse classes, but many of the drivers and teams pouring into Budds Creek, Maryland, from across the U.S. and beyond have their eyes on world records, personal bests, and the bragging rights that come with winning the World Cup Finals.
As of Monday around noon, a three-wide line of race rigs sat outside the gates at MIR ready to get parked for this week’s festivities. On top of Import vs. Domestic drag racing, the World Cup Finals will also include Halloween costume contests and trick-or-treating, a bikini contest, a live DJ, and more, attracting a nearly sold-out crowd of spectators from the U.S., Puerto Rico, and beyond. “This year is gonna be epic in so many ways!” said Jason Miller, event promoter.
The finely crafted World Cup Finals lineup is headlined by Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels Outlaw vs. Extreme, with entrants including defending winner Mark Benston Jr. in the “Blackberry Rocket,” Street Outlaws star Chuck Seitsinger in his “Second Amendment” Mustang, and multi-time WCF winner Cleetus McFarland in his brand-new “Eagle” ’69 Camaro, which just recently made its on-track debut testing at Bradenton Motorsports Park and ran the required minimum E.T. to enter the class.
Atomizer Racing Injectors Renegade vs. Modified is another highlight of the event, featuring a diverse pre-entry list of drivers, from newly crowned PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion Chris Powers and PDRA Pro Street standout Ty Kasper to the imports of Joel Olivio and defending event winner Derick Santiago.
The lineup continues with Precision Turbo & Engine X275 vs. Hot Rod, Competition Clutch Warriors vs. Tres Cuarto, Grannas Racing Stick Shift, JPC Racing Street Fighter, Faster Motorsports Wild Street, Turbosmart Limited Street, Real Street Performance XFWD, Brava Lubricants All Motor, and Platinum General Services Pro Street Bike.
José Gonzales and Isaias Rojas are also expected to run a special quarter-mile Pro Mod exhibition, with Gonzales rumored to be eyeing the overall doorslammer world record.
Click here for a full list of classes and locked-in competitors.
The defending event champions are Mark Benston Jr. in Outlaw vs. Extreme, Derick Santiago in Renegade vs. Modified, Eric LaFerriere in X275 vs. Hot Rod, Brett LaSala in Warriors vs. Tres Cuarto, Jon Lund in Street Fighter, Ronny Rhodes in Wild Street, Cleetus McFarland in Stick Shift, Patrick Estevez Jr. in Super Street, Steven Zsigray in Mean Street, Teddy Weaver in All Motor, and Mark Rendeluk in Pro Street Bike.
On-track activities kick off with testing on Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Qualifying will include one session on Thursday at 12 p.m., two sessions on Friday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., and two on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Classes with 32-car fields will start eliminations Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Eliminations will continue Sunday starting at 10 a.m. For the full schedule, click here.
Visit the FloRacing World Cup Finals event hub here to catch up on past WCF replays, to view this year’s highlights, and to stream the entire event starting Thursday at 12 p.m. EDT.
This story was originally published on October 30, 2024. 
The post Anticipation Building for 28th Annual Haltech World Cup Finals – Import vs. Domestic first appeared on Drag Illustrated.