The nitro thunder is officially rolling through California’s Central Valley as qualifying wrapped up Friday at the legendary Famoso Dragstrip during the 68th Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet.
With cool temperatures in the high 60s and a well-prepared racing surface on the historic Bakersfield quarter-mile, the stage was set for strong performances across the nitro and sportsman ranks as teams positioned themselves for one of nostalgia drag racing’s most prestigious events.
Tyler Hilton powered his Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster to the No. 1 qualifying position with a stout 5.802-second pass at 202.61 mph, leading a stacked field of nitro-burning front-engine machines preparing to battle through eliminations.
In Nostalgia Funny Car, Todd Plate blasted to the top of the qualifying order with an impressive 5.48-second run at 253.23 mph, putting his machine squarely at the front of one of the most competitive classes of the weekend.
The always wild Fuel Altereds also thrilled fans throughout the day, with Vince Karstetter securing the No. 1 qualifying spot thanks to a 6.11-second run at 215.00 mph.
While the nitro categories grabbed much of the spotlight, the March Meet’s deep sportsman fields were equally busy on Friday. Racers in Nostalgia Eliminator 1, 2, and 3 along with the Gas classes — A/Gas, B/Gas, C/Gas, D/Gas, and E/Gas — plus Hot Rod and several other categories worked through qualifying runs as teams continued chasing Sunday’s eliminations ladder.
Racing resumes Saturday morning with sportsman eliminations beginning at 9:00 a.m., while the nitro show returns in full force with Nostalgia Funny Car round one eliminations scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Jet cars will close out the day’s action as the legendary March Meet continues to build momentum toward championship Sunday.
Few events in nostalgia drag racing carry the history and prestige of the March Meet, and once again the iconic Famoso quarter-mile is delivering the sights, sounds, and nitro-fueled intensity that has defined the event for nearly seven decades.
This story was originally published on March 7, 2026. 
The post Hilton, Plate Lead Nitro Charge as 68th Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet Heats Up at Famoso first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
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