Top Fuel racing at the Torco Northern Nationals features a record setting bump spot for IHRA at a swift 4.845 secs. That eclipsed the organizations previous all time quick mark of 4.875 secs which was set at Rockingham earlier this season.

Top Fuel racing featured a rebounding and impressive win for Clay Millican who ran his all-time IHRA event leading win total to 36. Millican, who lost in the first round at the previous two IHRA events at Toronto and Milan, would have none of that at Martin. In the final he clocked a winning 4.720 secs at 311.27 mph to defeat surprise finalist Bobby Lagana Jr., who went up in tire smoke. Lagana Jr., had been the talk of the event earlier after he rolled to a career best 4.740 secs at 305.70 mph to qualify 3rd. Lagana then upset Chris Karamesines and Doug Foley to advance to the final.

Top Fuel qualifying also included career best numbers for recent Motor City Nationals winner Louie Allison (4.745 secs), recent TMP winner Doug Foley (4.839 secs) and rookie IHRA driver Rick Cooper (4.845 secs).

The event included the debut of Evan Knoll (from Decatur MI) in the class. Knoll, the President of overall event sponsor Torco Race Fuels, completed his TF licensing process and then ran a best of 5.134 secs at 262.44 mph driving an ex-Bruce Litton dragster.

Pro Stock racing at U.S. 131 was also a record smasher with 24 competitors producing the quickest 16-car field in history at 6.544 secs. No less then four drivers ran sub 6.6 secs at the event but were still relegated to the DNQ list (!)

Frank "the Flying Meatball" Gugliotta emerged victorious claiming his first career Pro Stock title win. Gugliotta shot to a final round 6.479 secs at a spectacular 215.58 mph driving his Ford Escort ZX2 to beat the Mopar of Rick Jones. Gugliotta's final round speed was the fastest yet seen in the IHRA Pro Stock class, but was not an official national record.

The event featured a number of new entries into the Rick Jones Quarter-Max sponsored 6.40 club. In addition to winner Gugliotta (6.479 secs), membership was gained by Steve Spiess (6.474 secs) and Robert Patrick (6.481 secs).

Canada's Robbie Atchison moved to within 4.5 rounds of overall IHRA points leader Mark Thomas with an impressive win in Alcohol Funny Car -- his 2nd win of the '04 season. Atchison enhanced the odds of a successful Championship title defence when he beat Thomas in a crucial head-to-head meeting in round three. Robbie won at 5.826 secs 237.55 mph to 5.854 secs 237.75 mph. In the final Atchison powered the Erickson Manufacturing Pontiac past Jim Sickles's Meyer's RV Dodge, winning a decisive 5.829 secs 239.78 mph to 6.015 secs 238.76 mph decision.

Atchison's win included low ET of the meet -- a swift 5.767 secs which came up in round one. Terry Monroe, also driving a Pontiac Firebird, was the low qualifier in the class at 5.772 secs. The PA-based driver also had top speed at 244.07 mph.

Pro Mod racing was another tight affair with New York's Mike Janis emerging on top after appearing in his third straight IHRA final round. Janis closed in on and then passed Harold Martin for the overall IHRA points lead at the event when he beat Martin in a crucial first round pairing. Both Janis and Martin had trouble but Janis recovered first to take the win.

In the Pro Mod final Janis was able to take the measure of Calgary's Glen Kerunsky who made his second career IHRA final round appearance. Janis won with a 6.226 secs at 228.46 mph compared to Kerunsky's 6.321 secs at 225.82 mph. Kerunsky's first visit to US 131 Motorsports Park did include some high drama. He was outside looking in until the final qualifying session early on Saturday morning.

Top speed and low ET in Pro Mod went to two other New York-based racers. Fred Hahn ran 231.71 mph while winning in round one driving Jim Oddy's Summit Racing Corvette and Mike Castellana qualified on the pole with his nitrous-injected Camaro at 6.196 secs. Mikes runs was the first ever sub 6.2 clocking in Pro Mod at the US 131 facility.

Pro Mod class competition included a number of career best performances including for Eastern Canadian drivers Carl Spiering and Tony Pontieri. Both benefited greatly from direct tuning help from Al Billes and his team and the result was career quick times. Spiering (from Jordan Station) hit a great 6.206 secs (to qualify #2) and Pontieri went 6.220 secs to qualify sixth. Spiering took the Eaton Cutler Hammer Vette to a win in round one before losing out on a holeshot to Calgary's Rick Distefano in round two. Pontieri (from Toronto) shook the tires hard in round one and was upset by soon to be Top Fuel class racer, Paul Athey.

Top Stock racing, which apparently now still has a pulse for the future in IHRA, attracted 13 cars for competition. The win went to Monty Bogan Jr who took his GM Performance Parts '74 Corvette past the '70 Buick of Tom Rix in the final round. The Top Stock class was paced by Matt Morgan's '69 Camaro which ran 9.758 secs at 135.61 mph.

The Torco Northern Nationals was run off under IHRA's new and somewhat experimental scheduling which provided for a Saturday night event conclusion. Pro racers got two qualifying shots on Friday and then one more on Saturday morning to set the fields. Reaction was mixed -- however expectations are that "most" IHRA events in 2005 will be this format.