By 11 a.m. the parking lot was at capacity and the stands were already full – and not a single professional car had even fired up yet.

That was the scene early Saturday morning as IHRA’s best sportsman racers put on a show in front of an overflow crowd hours before the start of Saturday’s “Night of Fire” at the Mardi Gras Nitro Jam at State Capitol Raceway. 

“It is really exciting to see the stands packed full of fans watching every single sportsman pass. It really stands as a testament to the quality of racing in IHRA’s sportsman divisions,” said Skooter Peaco, VP of Race Operations. “We were almost at capacity by noon today, seven hours before the start of the professional rounds. That speaks volumes about the new format and the racing we have to offer."

Sportsman racers enjoyed two qualifying rounds Saturday afternoon and will get underway with the first round of eliminations in the evening prior to the start of FanFest at 5:30 p.m. Professional rounds will begin at 7 p.m.

Sunday’s sportsman eliminations will get underway at 9 a.m. with professional rounds set for 1:30 p.m.

Scenes from Saturday's action: