Drag Racing’s Biggest Spectacle Returns to Edmonton This Weekend

Courtesy Nitro Jam Media

When it comes to the sport of drag racing, nowhere on earth will you find more fun, more excitement and a bigger spectacle than the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton.

For nearly a decade now the IHRA Nitro Jam series has brought top-notch entertainment and championship drag racing to the Edmonton area and each year the event only continues to grow in size and prominence. 

And this year, the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals boasts an even bigger lineup than ever before as over half a dozen professional nitro classes fill the lanes at Castrol Raceway alongside hundreds of local competitors and plenty of exciting extras designed to provide maximum entertainment value for families and race fans alike and it all takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Castrol Raceway.  

“This is ‘the big one’ when it comes to drag racing in Canada. For nearly 10 years now the IHRA has traveled to Edmonton with a show unlike any other and this year will be no different,” said IHRA Nitro Jam President Aaron Polburn. “We have an incredible lineup of great racing combined with a show you can’t see anywhere else in the sport. It will be an incredible weekend and I can’t wait to get the show on the road.” 

This year’s Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals will feature a huge lineup of nitro drag racing including the return of the sports biggest stars – 320 mile-per-hour Top Fuel Dragsters. This year the lineup of Top Fuel machines will include two former world champions as Bruce Litton and Bobby Lagana Jr. go head-to-head alongside nitro veteran Mike Strasburg and Top Fuel newcomer Kyle Wurtzel. 

 For fans of nitro floppers, the Edmonton Nitro Jam national event will feature the biggest nostalgia Nitro Funny Car competition in the country as over a dozen of the world’s fastest Prostalgia Nitro Funny Cars compete for a spot in an eight-car field and the right to be called the true Canadian Nitro Jam champion. 

  Among the stars that will be in attendance in Edmonton are defending race winner and local favorite Tim Boychuk in the “Troy Lee Designs” Pontiac, last weekend’s Salt Lake City winner Todd “The Pirate” Lesenko, “Mr. Explosive” Mark Sanders, Mike Savage in the “Candies and Hughes” entry and many more. 

Also in action at this weekend’s Nitro Jam event will be Pro Fuel Dragsters, over a dozen Nitro Harleys and the extreme stars of the Fuel Altered division including “Pure Hell,” “Nasty Benjamin,” “Nanook” and “Bradford’s Fiat.” 

Other professional classes include the stars of the West Coast Pro Modified Association, the return of Alcohol Funny Cars, nostalgia Alcohol Funny Cars and more. 

In addition to the professional classes, the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals will also feature plenty of entertainment each evening including the SMS Night of Fire on Saturday featuring wheelstanders, fireworks and the Canadian debut of the drag racing Grave Digger monster truck driven by Monster Jam superstar Randy Brown taking on the 30,000 horsepower Super Shockwave jet truck. 

 Throughout the day race fans can enjoy a full afternoon of sportsman drag racing and take part in the FanFest Pit Party featuring driver autographs and dozens of fan activities including a chance to sign Bobby Lagana’s Top Fuel Dragster, a reaction time contest and the Nitro Earthquake, in addition to several family activities. 

And it all takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday only at Castrol Raceway. 

Gates open at 9 a.m. all three days with Nitro Jam getting underway at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available at the box office or by calling the track at (780) 468-3278. 

Don’t miss drag racing’s biggest event this weekend at Castrol Raceway.