The Pep Boys NHRA Nationals has begun

Even though the VERY fast, and REALLY loud cars don't start qualifying until tomorrow, the event is underway with all the Sportsman categories running under warm sunny skies in rural Pennsylvania. The weather forecast for the weekend is good, the pits are more or less full of race cars, and spectator attendance should be very good. There's 16 cars entered in Top Fuel, 17 in Funny Car, and a whopping 22 cars in Pro Stock. Only one PRO category, Pro Stock Motorcycle, is a little light on entrants, with just 15 riders on the list. In Top Alcohol, there's 19 dragsters, and as has become all too common in recent years, only ten in Funny Car.

We'll be following the race closesly, both for the countdown results, and the Top Alcohol championships. Keep checking back throughout the weekend for updates on this page.