Brandon Johnson in front of a full grandstand.

Words and photos by Brian Losness

A record-setting crowd was on hand at Rocky Mountain Raceways near Salt Lake City, Utah, for the IHRA Nitro Jam on June 18-19.

“The fans were on their feet all night long cheering on these incredible competitors,” said Ron Craft, RMR drag strip manager. “I couldn’t be happier to be a part of the Salt Lake Nitro Jam here in Utah.”

PROSTALGIA

They call him Mr. Explosive, and that is just the way to describe Mark Sanders. The very excitable and genuinely effervescent driver from the Maple Valley, Wash., area went two for two at Rocky Mountain Raceways, taking the Prostalgia Funny Car titles on both days.

Mark gives a lot of the credit to the wins to his 20-year-old son Jake, who tunes the car, with input from the father-son duo of “East West” Bob and Randy Eakins. The team not only won both nights, but they set a track record.