It's down to the final few races of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and the Lucas Drag Racing Series season, with the PRO teams already filling the pits at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Qualifying for the NHRA Nevada Nationals starts on Friday morning, continue on Saturday, and final eliminations are on Sunday. There's full fields in most categories, with 22 Top Alcohol Dragsters, 23 Pro Stock cars, 19 Pro Mods, and 17 in each of the Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes. The only major category with less than 16 entries is Top Alcohol Funny Car, with only 13 entries as the class continues to suffer from lack of numbers, despite the addition of an injected nitro option this year.

The big news this week for Northern Thunder is that our hard working photographer, BIG Bob Snyder will be on hand to capture all the action with his brace of trusty Nikons. We could even have some bonus photos from the grandstands, with our Colorado correspondent, Dale Fackler, attending as a spectator. Expect to see lots of photos over thw weekend as we try to keep up with the action. Stay tuned for updates on the event, starting on Friday evening.