The weather tried to ruin the Mid-West Drag Racing Series debut at the storied Northern Nationals at US-131 Motorsports Park, but there was just too much fun and too strong of competition to keep the MWDRS down. A rainy forecast gave organizers no option but to condense the event into one day, running two rounds of qualifying and all eliminations on Friday. In the end, champions were crowned in all but four classes, with just four pairs of cars remaining in the lanes when Mother Nature finally claimed the track for the weekend.
Stroud Safety Pro Mod was strong, featuring an incredible 26-car field after some breakage in testing and attrition in the shops. The field saw Peter Norton qualify No. 1 with a blistering 3.592-second pass in over 3,000 feet of DA, and the bump spot would go to Greg Blevins Jr. at a stout 3.639. Heavy hitters like Kallee Tally (Mills), Jeff Rudolf, Robert Costa, and more were left on the sideline in a brutal qualifying session that saw the No. 1 through No. 23 spots separated by just six-hundredths of a second.
In eliminations, championship hopefuls Shawn Ellington and Ran Martin went out in the first round, guaranteeing a points shake-up. Jacob McNeal saw a first-round victory over Craig Sullivan but suffered from a cracked fuel line at the line in round two of eliminations. In the end, it was Eric Dillard and Paul Gargus headed to the finals after wins over Peter Norton and Johnny Camp respectively. Unfortunately, the two would not be able to square off due to rain in the evening at US-131, electing to split the pot.
The Slammers class saw Kallee Tally and Greg Blevins Jr. in the finals, competing for an additional $2,000 in prize money on top of the usual purse courtesy of the generous Peterson family at US-131. This pot would also be split after rain shortened the final round.
In other happenings, Blake Housley set a personal best in the Dustin Hart-owned, Harts Charger-equipped Pro Mod Camaro, running his first ever 3.50s pass with a 3.59, becoming the quickest car in Slammers and only the fourth and final car of the day to run in the 3.50-range.
The UEM Pistons Top Dragster final round featured Bobby Churchill and Tim Kish, but the pair would be left in the lanes as well when rain moved in. Terry Long, who featured a new Danny Nelson dragster, would make his way to the semifinals running consistently in the 3.80s all weekend. Championship leader Tim White would go out in round three of eliminations of the now five total rounds, after the MWDRS adjusted the rule set to include up to a 32-car field.
Compressed Air Supercharging Top Sportsman saw the possible return of a king. Rod Moore, the three-time champion extraordinaire, came up short against Brian Stuitz in an odd final that saw Stuitz break at the light and Rod Moore red light. Despite that, the most decorated Top Sportsman driver in MWDRS history felt very much “back,” running consistent 4.50s passes in the Holliday Distillery Chevy. Jon Vesper, who won 3 out of the last 5 events at US-131, was eliminated in the first round.
Ean Guenthardt would beat Ellie Vesper in the finals of Race Star Wheels Pro Junior Dragster, cashing in on the $250 extra prize. Aspyn Kuapa took the prize in Zimmerman Sportsman Junior over Harley Davidson.
The MWDRS will be back in action September 24-27 for the Double Smackdown at Flying H Drag Strip in Odessa, Mo.
This story was originally published on August 3, 2026.
The post Northern Nationals Delights Despite Condensed Schedule for Mid-West Drag Racing Series first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
