NHRA’s annual visit to the picturesque Pacific Northwest includes many variables. The event plays out under rather uncommon (for the area) extreme heat conditions with temperatures on Friday and Saturday reaching near 100 degrees F. The race, which was the middle stop for NHRA’s infamous mid-summer 3-event “Western Swing”, is run off on a brand new racing surface at Seattle International Raceway and is the first event under NHRA’s newly imposed 85% for nitro racers.

The Carquest Auto Parts Nationals features marquee Pro winners. John Force climbs to first place in NHRA POWERade points when he wins his third event of the season and the 112th of his illustrious career. Force saves his best effort of the weekend for the final round when he runs the Castrol GTX Mustang to a 4.896 secs at 309.34 mph to beat Cruz Pedregon’s Advance Auto Parts Chevy Monte Carlo. Pedregon’s final round appearance was his second straight event runner-up finish.

Force’s Castrol racing team-mate Eric Medlen sets top speed of the meet at 318.62 mph but loses out while doing so on a holeshot to Whit Bazemore in the semi-final round. Tim Wilkerson ran low ET of the meet at 4.886 secs in round one but loses out in a real dandy second round pairing against Cruz Pedregon, 4.908 secs to 4.909 secs.

Tony Schumacher pads his overall points lead in Top Fuel when he wins big for the U.S. Army-sponsored team, his first win since May. Tony denies Australia’s David Grubnic his first ever win when he beats the Team Kalitta driver to the stripe in a final round 4.643 secs to 4.690 secs match-up. Schumacher won from the pole after hitting a 4.631 secs during time trails, and also ran top speed of the meet at 321.88 mph. Grubnic’s first round 4.618 secs tally over Doug Herbert was low ET.

Top Fuel racing at Seattle included the much-anticipated comeback for Canada’s Terry Capp who competed at his first NHRA event since 1989. Capp’s “Royal Canadian” car (leased from Bob Vandergriff Jr) ran steady and progressively quicker throughout qualifying. Capp qualifies 12th (4.913 secs) before losing out to defending World Champion Larry Dixon in round one 4.728 secs 305.15 mph to 4.755 secs 297.35 mph.

The event also marked a return for California’s David Baca, who pulled out of the 2004 tour temporarily after Topeka in the spring. Now running as a independent, Baca runs a 4.864 to qualify 10th and then rudely upsets Brandon Bernstein in round one before the car breaks in round two.

Pro Stock sees Greg Anderson run his 2004 season round winning record to an astounding 49-3 (94.3%) and win for the 11th time this season. Anderson takes advantage of some temporary cloud cover when Pro Stock eliminations open on Sunday to re-write both ends of the SIR track record at 6.699 secs and 206.10 mph -- and then never looks back. Anderson denies David Connolly and “Bullet Motorsports” it’s first ever Pro Stock win again in the final round, winning handily driving his now Summit Racing sponsored Pontiac; 6.741 secs to 6.807 secs.

Pro Stock sees some strong qualifying efforts from Mopar racers who in fact capture 3 of the top six final qualifying spots. Colorado’s V. Gaines is most impressive in his new Hemi-powered Kendall-sponsored Dodge Stratus. Gaines qualifies 3rd with 6.777 secs and then runs a career quick 6.738 secs to open round one. Gaines runs a stout 6.749 secs in the semi final round however that cannot hold back eventual winner Greg Anderson’s 6.729 secs.

Pro Stock also features strong showings by Chevy racers Steve Johns and Mark Whisnant. Johns, using Bill Jenkins power, qualifies low with a 6.762 secs, but is upset in round one by #16 qualifier Whisnant. Whisnant then beats Greg Anderson team-mate Jason Line before bowing out to David Connolly in the semi final round.

The event features impressive fields in TAFC and TAD, which are won by Dennis Taylor, and Duane Shields. Taylor wins the TAFC portion when he beats first time national event finalist John Patton with a 5.701 secs at 249.03 mph. Patton had a red light foul. A total of 20 cars show for class racing at Seattle with 14 of 16 racers running in the fives. California’s Steve Gasparrelli runs his Pontiac to both low ET (5.637 secs) and top speed (252.80 mph).

Nevada’s Duane Shields scores in TAD winning his first ever event driving an injected-nitro car. Duane handily beats the supercharged car driven by Kim Parker in the final round, 5.301 secs 259.86 mph to 5.608 secs 252.85 mph. Shields had run a career best 5.229 secs earlier in competition, which was low ET of the meet. John Force’s daughter Ashley set top speed in TAD running a 271.84 mph clocking -- also a career best.

TAD class racing also attracted 20 entries and produced a bump spot of 5.786 secs which was nailed down by British Columbia’s Paul Julien.

Sportsman racing includes a first ever national event win in Competition eliminator for former Super Stock driver Jeff Lane. Lane’s B/EA Olds Cutlass held off a strong event effort from Calgary Alberta’s Jirka Kaplan in the final. Kaplan’s fan favourite BB/AM got away first but then shook it’s tires slightly and that cost him a potential first ever NHRA national event win.

The Carquest Auto Parts Nationals produces a couple of first time NHRA winners as Jon Brazeau and Dave Adams emerge in Super Gas and Super Street respectively. Steve Cozakos, the defending 2003 event champ in Stock eliminator, wins again driving his home state based G/SA ’69 Nova.