Nightfire Nationals Brings the Heat with High Payouts

The Nightfire Nationals at Firebird Raceway runs professional classes alongside big money bracket racing to deliver an event enjoyed by all.

EAGLE, ID – Dubbed the richest sportsman drag racing event in Idaho history, the long running Nightfire Nationals at Firebird Raceway is a must-see race. 2020 marks 44 years of the sportsman side of this event, although the Nightfire Nationals has been contested for a total of 49 years.

Four sportsman classes had separate races over the three day event: Bracketeer, Pro, Heavy, and Sled/Bike. A Top Fire race began on Saturday and was completed on Sunday, while a Pro Comp class was contested Sunday only. Don’t worry, I’ll explain all of the classes as we get to the results, so buckle up!

Friday Bracketeer Results

The Bracketeer Eliminator class is an eighth mile top bulb bracket class that competed Friday-Sunday. Each day had a $10,000 top prize up for grabs and eight rounds of tough competition.

Friday’s final round match up was between aptly named Rayce Kidd from Boise, Idaho and California driver David Myhre. Myhre turned it .001 red and ran .001 under the dial giving the win to Kidd, who had a .007 reaction time.

Friday Pro Results

The Pro Eliminator class was contested in the quarter mile for race cars in the 7.50 to 13.99 ET range. This is the Nightfire National equivalent to a non-electronics class.

Battling for the $3,000 top prize and big check was Idaho racer Andy Schmall against Washington native, Jesse DeBartolo. Only one thousandth separated the reaction times and Schmall broke out less than DeBartolo to secure the win.

Friday Heavy Eliminator Results

The Heavy Eliminator class was for full bodied vehicles who ran from 11.50 to 14.99 in the quarter mile. The final round pairing was between Fred Johnson and Cole Johnson.

Cole had the reaction time advantage, but Fred was closer to his dial in during the double breakout to pick up the win.

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Friday Sled/Bike Results

The bike class ran in the quarter mile and the final round was between Jacob Wood and David Wood. Jacob used his reaction time advantage to seal the deal over David.

Saturday Bracketeer Results

Back to the $10,000 top bulb action, multi-event winner Zach Meziere staged up beside Tom DeBartolo to see who would claim the big check. DeBartolo missed the tree a little bit and was ineligible against Meziere’s .013 reaction and one above the dial in.

Saturday Pro Results

In the Pro category, Jesse DeBartolo returned to the final round, but this time to face Colorado racer John Cozzette for $3K. DeBartolo wouldn’t settle for another runner up as he used his .028 reaction time to defeat Cozzette’s one above the dial in pass. On a side note, Jesse’s father was the runner up above in the Bracketeer class!

Saturday Heavy Results

Saturday’s Heavy Eliminator final round came down to Tyler Rush and Shannon Campbell. Rush had the reaction time advantage to outlast Campbell and drive into the winner’s circle.

Saturday Sled/Bike Results

David Wood returned to the finals on Saturday to take on Travis Washburn. Washburn was behind at the starting line and broke out against Wood’s winning two above the dial in run.

Sunday Bracketeer Results

The last $10,000 Bracketeer final round was between Sean Page and Chris Barton. Barton was .009 on the tree but it was Page’s .022 and dead on pass that took the win.

Sunday Pro Results

Sunday’s $3,000 Pro final round match up had Brandon Umberger versus Courtney Alley. Alley had a .009 advantage at the starting line but broke out, while Umberger ran dead on his 9.34 dial in.

Sunday Heavy Eliminator Results

Shannon Campbell drove back to the finals in the Heavy class to battle with Cameron Dill. While both drivers ran dead on their dial ins, Campbell’s reaction time advantage left Dill mathematically ineligible.

Sunday Sled/Bike Results

Jacob Wood made his way back into the finals against Roy Barrera. Wood left a little too early to give the win to Barrera who ran dead on his 10.04 dial in.

Lucas Oil Top Fire presented by CMYK Grafix

A separate eighth mile race with 16 door cars and 16 dragsters for $2,000 to win was completed on Sunday. On the full bodied side, Rod Taylor used an .013 reaction time and dead on his 5.30 dial to lock out Dave Meziere’s .023 light. On the open wheel side, Justin DuBose was .004 and one above to take the win over Clinton Geise’s .010 and one above pass.

Justin DuBose and Rod Taylor were the last drivers standing at the end of the night. Taylor had the advantage with an .026 reaction time, but DuBose broke out less to claim victory and $2K.

Sunday Pro Comp Results

The Pro Comp class was a quarter mile bracket race for front motored dragsters, altereds, and roadsters who could dial 10.49 or quicker. This class was presented by The Comfort Source & Kenny’s Rod Shop.

The final round came down to a pair of dead on runs between Karl Hestekin and Lynn Johnston. Hestekin used his .011 light to take the win over Johnston’s .029 reaction time.

NHRA.TV Challenge King of the Track

Brand new for the 2020 season was the King of the Nightfire award. In each sportsman class, the racer who accumulated the most round wins over the weekend was awarded a NHRA Wally trophy. The winners were as follows:

• Bracketeer: Rayce Kidd
• Pro: Jesse DeBartolo
• Heavy: Shannon Campbell
• Sled/Bike: David Wood

Congratulations to all of our winners on the West Coast! Kudos to Firebird Raceway for successfully completing a yearly tradition while implementing safe practices and social distancing.

Click here for more bracket racing results or listen to the latest DragChamp Show podcast by clicking here.