The opening round of nitro qualifying at the 68th Bakersfield March Meet set the tone Friday at Famoso Dragstrip, where Tyler Hilton and Todd Plate paced their respective categories as teams began the process of dialing in their combinations at one of drag racing’s most historic venues.
Hilton led Nostalgia Top Fuel with a 5.082-second run at 202.61 mph, while Plate powered to a 5.485 at 253.23 mph to top the Nostalgia Funny Car field with the quickest run ever recorded for that style of machine.
The early numbers came during a session where several teams showed strong potential but also encountered the mechanical challenges that are common in nitro racing.
Hilton’s pass put the Great Expectations team in control of Nostalgia Top Fuel after the first qualifying attempt, though the run ended earlier than planned because of a mechanical issue…