NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

It’s been more than two decades since the loud rumble of mountain motors have shook the grounds at Thunder Valley. Born here back in the 1980s, Mountain Motor Pro Stock last raced at Bristol Dragway in 1997 during an IHRA national event. These days the fan-favorite class which features large engines in the 800-cubic-inch range in a stock showroom-looking muscle car is competing as an exhibition category in NHRA for the first time ever. Bristol is the third stop of the four-race NHRA exhibition series. 

John DeFlorian won the opener at Houston and was followed by Christopher Powers, who claimed the four-wide victory at Charlotte in April. A solid group of drivers are expected to be on the list of favorites at Bristol in addition to DeFlorian and Powers, including veteran category ace John Montecalvo, Dwayne Rice, Elijah Morton and former NHRA Pro Stock drivers Vincent Nobile and JR Carr.

The cars generate quarter-mile performances in the 6.2-second range at more than 220 mph. DeFlorian, who won the first NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock exhibition race last September at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, says getting the opportunity to race with NHRA has been a dream come true for all the participants in his class. He says for fans who haven’t seen these cars on track before, watching them make a full quarter-mile run is exciting.

“These cars will spin the tire in any gear,” DeFlorian says. “The difference is mostly in high gear. These cars keep pulling all the way to the finish line. They are definitely not as predictable as the NHRA Pro Stock cars.”