Nite Under Fire, a Record Breaker!


This year marked Summit Motorsports Park’s Nite Under Fire 38th annual event.  The show has grown over that time to be the largest one day race in the United States including any NHRA National Event.  Over 25,000 fans pack the incredible Bader family owned facility with this year’s event selling out before gates opened Saturday which was a first.

The Hanna Motorsports team was on hand with all 3 cars.  The Queen of Diamonds had won this race the past 16 of 17 seasons and this night would see a matchup between Jill Fazekas and Scott Holdridge in the 50 CAL machine.  Ken and Rich would match up in a best 2 out of 3 as well (the first time the jet funny cars have been at this show).  The event featured 61 of the top cars in the country in numerous categories.  Several of which were:  John Force, Courtney Force, Matt Hagan and Bob Motz along with amazing pyro techniques and a $100k fireworks show.

Before the show, the Bill Bader Jr., SMP President, made a surprising presentation to Al Hanna honoring his 49 year career and naming him honorary Grand Marshal for the event. It was truly a surprise for all in the Hanna Motorsports stable and it was an incredibly proud moment for Al and Ellen Hanna. 

Jill would unfortunately fall to “Scotty Heat” (as known by his fans) 3 runs in a row, with the final round being the closest 5.30 to 5.39.  Close races but this year it wasn’t meant to be for the Queen.  Congratulations to Scotty and his team.


Rich and Ken would split the first two rounds making for an exciting final round winner take all match up.  After a 25 second staging battle, Rich got the jump off the line vs. Ken winning on a holeshot victory, a 5.80 over a quicker 5.77.  The crowd loved the side-by-side jet car action!

The Nite Under Fire at SMP is a “bucket list” destination for any drag racing fan or simply any racing fan in general.  The Hanna team looks forward to being a part of it next year and beyond….