And those descriptions certainly aren’t far from the truth.

Featuring nitro-burning, 2,000 horsepower power plants sitting on a tiny frame and a short wheelbase, these machines are fast, furious and extremely dangerous. And they are set to make their Pittsburgh Nitro Jam debut June 1-2 at Pittsburgh Raceway Park.

Some of the most famous names in racing will grace the Pittsburgh pavement as “Rat Trap”, “Nanook”, “Nasty Benjamin” and “Blind Faith” will do battle in a race where finishing first – no matter what it takes – is the ultimate goal.

Baton Rouge Lead

“I often tell people that I rarely drive the car, I just hold on for six seconds,” said 2011 Fuel Altered World Champion Ron Maroney, driver of the Blind Faith entry. “It is an adrenaline rush like you wouldn’t believe accelerating from zero to 230 miles per hour in the blink of an eye. If there is one thing that can be said about Fuel Altered it is this – you have to see it to believe it.”

Once banned from organized competition in the late 60s and early 70s, Nitro Jam is proud to bring these machines out of retirement and let fans see what drag racing was like in the “wild west” days of motorsports.

While Fuel Altered racing may have nearly went extinct, it never truly went away. Families kept the spirits of the original machines alive with identical replicas of the old cars and continued to tour as a group to bring the tradition of Fuel Altered racing to a whole new generation of fans.

Today, some 50 years after these beasts sprang from the depths, Fuel Altered racing is quickly returning to its glory days. Once again tracks are clamoring for Fuel Altered racing to headline events and today it is a fulltime class running with the Nitro Jam tour alongside other classics such as the AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car class and new favorites such as Pro Fuel Dragsters and Nitro Harleys.

Fuel Altered 4

And at the Pittsburgh Nitro Jam these legendary machines from a time long ago will be a headline attraction with 220 mph, side-by-side passes all while trying to stay in their own lane proving the norm.

Entering the Pittsburgh Nitro Jam defending Fuel Altered champion Ron Maroney leads the standings behind the wheel of the Arizona-based Blind Faith team, while rookie sensation and third generation racer Kyle Hough sits second in the legendary Nanook entry. Tom Padilla and the Nasty Benjamin team are sixth in the standings, while Ron Hope in “Rat Trap” will make their 2012 Nitro Jam debut.

Don’t miss the Pittsburgh Nitro Jam June 1-2 featuring four nitro classes plus the incredible showdown between the world famous Grave Digger monster truck and the 30,000 horsepower Shockwave jet semi.