The 19th Annual Quick Performance World Fuel Altered Nationals is set to return to Eddyville Raceway Park on Friday and Saturday, August 16-17. Recognized as the “biggest Fuel Altered race in the world,” this highly anticipated event promises two days of intense racing, featuring a lineup of some of the most powerful and exciting Fuel Altered cars in the country.
“It’s a unique event, obviously, for Fuel Altereds, and it’s formatted similar to what Funny Car Chaos is, so we do qualify an ‘A’ Field and a ‘B’ Field,” said Eddyville Raceway Park Track Owner Gerald Kramer. “Typically, we’re seeing about 20 Fuel Altereds trying to qualify for 16 spots, and it’s become a very targeted event for a lot of these guys.”
The event officially kicks off on Friday. Parking opens at 1:00 p.m. for the pit side and 3:00 p.m. for the spectator side. A test and tune session starts at 5:00 p.m. The first and second rounds of Fuel Altered qualifying will take place at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., respectively.
Saturday promises a full day of racing action from methanol and nitro-burning Fuel Altereds. Gates open at 8:00 a.m. for pit-side parking and at 11:00 a.m. for spectator-side parking. Sportsman time trials begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by two rounds of eliminations.
The third round of Fuel Altered qualifying is scheduled for 2:00 pm, with eliminations taking place at 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm, and 9:00 pm. In case of rain, Sunday is reserved as the rain date for Saturday’s races.
Spectator passes are priced at $20 for Friday and $30 for Saturday, which includes full access to the pit area. A two-day pass is available for $45, required for all on the pit side on Friday. Kids aged 6-12 can attend for $5 on Friday and $10 on Saturday, while children under six are admitted free. Spectators arriving on the pit side after 11:00 AM on Saturday will be charged $10 per vehicle for parking. Camping options include special reserved spots on the spectator side for $100 and non-reserved spots on the pit side for $50.
The event also features a variety of sportsman race classes on Saturday, including the Ozark Mountain Super Shifters, Top, Modified, Sportsman, No Box Bike Class, Jr. Dragster Classes, Sweet Corn Outlaws, Door Slammers Small Tire No Time Race, Pro Tree Bracket Class, and Elite 8’s.
“We run our normal points classes that week,” Kramer noted. “It’s a comprehensive showcase of racing talent.”
Reflecting on the event’s history, Kramer recalled, “The event has a history with Wes [Buck, Drag Illustrated Founder and Editorial Director]. He ran our track in 2005, and we had a local guy with a nitro fuel altered, Scott Gaulter. They sat down and came up with the name of the event. In 2006, when we bought the track, Scott came to me, and we started this event. Now, it’s the 19th annual one.”
While past champion John Umloff is set to defend his title, Paul Applebaum will miss this year’s event due to business commitments. Also, “Might Mouse,” piloted by Anthony Whitfield, has been one of the premier cars at the event since day one and will be absent from this year’s WFAN edition. Whitfield suffered a violent crash at the Nitro Chaos event at Mo-Kan Dragway.
However, Kramer is optimistic about the event.
“I’ve been contacting all the prior year racers to verify who is coming and reaching out. We’re still getting entries coming in. We’re reaching out to racers yet as we speak,” he added.
For more information and ticket purchases, visit the official Eddyville Raceway Park website.
This story was originally published on July 30, 2024. 
