The insane, 1600+ horsepower Top Fuel Motorcycles (TFM) are back on track this weekend, June 19-20, at IHRA’s Triple Crown race at Darana National Trail Raceway, Hebron, Ohio.
With eight supercharged, nitromethane-burning bikes, it will be the biggest field in many, many years for these mythical beasts known as the Kings of the Sport.
Larry “Spiderman” McBride will start the run for his 25th title as the favorite. He and brother/tuner Steve McBride have spent their careers being nearly unstoppable in their quest for wins and records, and this season doesn’t start out seeming any different.
Or does it? Eighth-mile racing doesn’t play to the McBrides’ natural advantages, but that’s what they’ll be running this year with the IHRA. That gives the other seven bikes in the field for this weekend’s $30,000-to-win extra hope – not that these guys are lacking in confidence as they pursue two-wheeled nitro glory.
Racer Mitch Brown also owns Monster Race Products, which produces a brand new, billet cylinder head for inline 4-cylinder nitro bikes. He’ll have one sitting on top of the bike he co-owns with Dennis Bradley. Pro Mod driver Todd Martin helps tune the bike’s FuelTech controlled and fired system.
Bob Malloy will also sport the new Monster head and FuelTech control on his Chuck Redfern-owned, Sam Wills chassis with a supercharged Puma I4. In addition, Malloy will be competing in Top Fuel Harley on his own record-setting Buell.
Finland’s Jaska Salakari rides an entirely different beast: a blown, dual overhead cam, 4 valve per cylinder, hybrid fuel “Harsh” V-Twin of his own design. Bikes of Jaska’s design are the only V-Twins to ever run 5 second quarter miles.
Ohio’s own Jason Pridemore will be on his unique, home-built, blown Nitro Harley. This beautiful jewel is always ready to bust out an eye-popping lap.
Maine’s Micah Fenwick has a John Alwine-designed, blown, ATF-1 inline 4 in his frame rails – a rider and bike combination that gets quicker every lap.
Class newcomers Gerald Hunt and Richard “Sandman” Deys will both be debuting motorcycles they purchased from David Vantine. These bikes were built by the McBrides and are similar to Larry’s.
Canadian rider Hunt will bring his turbo Pro Extreme Motorcycle experience to the bike that Vantine successfully campaigned for many years and will – like Vantine did – have the help of fellow Canadians Pollard Nitrosports.
Upstate New York’s Deys is on the recently-built bike that has yet to turn a wheel in competition.
Fans can come out and see the incredible bikes that will have every nitro-head on the property staring in wide-eyed disbelief and admiration. Special thanks go out to Wayne and Donna Pingel for seeing to it that these two-wheeled marvels get the coverage that they deserve.
This story was originally published on June 16, 2026.
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