The 35th annual NHRA Northwest Nationals

Sunday started sunny and warm but it didn't take long for the clouds to roll in and bring down the temperature from the previous two days of qualifying. With the first round of eliminations scheduled for 10:30, starting with Top Fuel, it was looking like there could be some very quick and fast performances in store. Having run the second session of qualifying on Friday evening, the crew chiefs had some similar track and air temp data to build a tuneup for the morning. However, if the clouds moved away and the sun came out in force for the later rounds, everything could change on a round by round basis.

As the pre-race ceremonies wrapped up and the cars started filling the staging lanes, I made the idle comment that it was reminding me of the late, and mostly unlamented, FallNationals that ran at this track from 1975 to 1980. Held in mid-September it always seemed to coincide with the start of the rainy season in the Pacific Northwest. I can remember looking out motel room windows in Kent or Auburn or Federal Way so many times to see the rain coming down, or on a few brief occasions, the sun shining. Thankfully, the switch to a late July date has proven a wise choice for the NHRA schedule makers.

However, my musing about past events might have triggered the on-and-off-and-on again precipitation that plagued the first four hours of eliminations. It never rained heavily enough to bring out the track drying equipment, but the race teams spent an inordinate amount of time putting the covers on the cars, taking them off, then back on again in a seemingly never ending dance with mature nature's whimsical ideas for the day. By the end of the second round of pro eliminations the racing got going in earnest, but unfortunately for this hard working Northern Thunder correspondent, the clock dictated our departure from the track in order to catch the last ferry home to Vancouver Island.

We will be posting photos from the event throughout the week, and probably into next week, but we'll keep updating our progress on this page each day. As always: stay tuned!