Waves of people filed into the facility from the time the gates opened until just after the final professional qualifying sessions were completed. IHRA officials had to delay pre-race ceremonies for 45 minutes while the late-coming drag racing fans made their way through the line of traffic that backed up down the access road and onto US 131 in both directions.

“I have never seen anything like this,” IHRA President Aaron Polburn said. “We are having trouble keeping up with the demand for tickets at the gate. It is amazing to me that Jason and Stephanie Peterson and their staff are still standing when you consider everything they have been put through today. I have to take my hat off to them because they are performing way above and beyond the call of duty.”

Ticket sales for the 25^th Annual Torco Northern Nationals surpassed last season’s sales before the first pair of cars went down the track Saturday. Saturday ended up being the single largest day, crowd-wise, in Northern Nationals history. That record was not broken by hundreds, it was surpassed by thousands.

Waves of people filed into the facility from the time the gates opened until just after the final professional qualifying sessions were completed. IHRA officials had to delay pre-race ceremonies for 45 minutes while the late-coming drag racing fans made their way through the line of traffic that backed up down the access road and onto US 131 in both directions.

“I have never seen anything like this,” IHRA President Aaron Polburn said. “We are having trouble keeping up with the demand for tickets at the gate. It is amazing to me that Jason and Stephanie Peterson and their staff are still standing when you consider everything they have been put through today. I have to take my hat off to them because they are performing way above and beyond the call of duty.”

Ticket sales for the 25^th Annual Torco Northern Nationals surpassed last season’s sales before the first pair of cars went down the track Saturday. Saturday ended up being the single largest day, crowd-wise, in Northern Nationals history. That record was not broken by hundreds, it was surpassed by thousands.

“We had a lot of attention in the media and through advance promotion for this race, and that really helped,” Polburn said. “But, in the end, I think it was the fact that this drag racing series is growing well beyond our expectations. This is the most fun I have had in a long time and the weekend is far from over.”

The Torco Northern Nationals featured the regular power-packed IHRA Drag Racing Series slate, and it was supplemented by the Torco Racing Fuels Pro Modified Shootout, a $51,000 class shootout that was run off during Saturday qualifying.

“The parking situation was really creative,” IHRA Vice President of Human Resources Debra Sue Tobak said. “We had to move the fireworks because we needed the space we had designated for that for parking. We were backed up onto the highway twice today…it was unbelievable.”