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Fire in the Hole: Nitro Harley’s Coming Alive at No Problem This Weekend

Tim Hailey photo

That thunder rolling across the sugarcane and petrochemical fields of Southwestern Louisiana this coming weekend won’t be an out-of-season hurricane but will be the start of the Nitro Harley racing season as the PennGrade1 AMRA American Motorcycle Racing Association Harley-Davidson drag racing series rolls back into No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose on March 21-23.

The ground-pounding, flame-throwing, thundering, 230 mph, Circle M Ranch Top Fuel Harleys headline the show, with defending champ Jay Turner facing some of his toughest opposition within his own team. Local hero Randal Andras—the multi-time NHRA champ and Turner teammate—will be defending his local turf to the best of his Fast Coon Ass ability.

They’ll both be facing Nitro Harley studs such as multi-time champ Ryan Peery, Bad Apple Racing’s Tracy Kile and Jimmy “Mac” McMillan, DayStar Machine and Cycle Concepts’s Tim Kerrigan, defending race winner Ricky “Sharkey” House, John “JT” Toth, Stewart Racing’s Jordan Peterson, Finland’s Juha “Sushi” Hintukainen, Pennsylvania’s Michael Balch, and more. 

Nitro Funnybikes are like Top Fuel with less displacement and only one gear, but every bit as loud and awesome. Defending AMRA champ Cameron “Flash” Gunter will face Universal Fleet and Tire’s “Racin’ Ray” Robinson and Jason Leeper, and more. 

Hawaya Racing Pro Fuel bikes are smaller and carbureted but still pack a nitro punch. Two-time defending champion Sam White and his White Lightning Racing team start their title defense against “Bad Apple Mary” Dangrow, Jim “Bad Influence” Martin, Curt Sexton, Louisiana’s Rocky Jackson, his own teammate Darren Brinkman, Brian Conley Jr., and more.

Gasoline classes Outlaw Street, Zipper’s Performance Pro Bagger, Thundermax Street Bagger, and Axtell Cylinders Hot Street will be there, along with index classes Top Eliminator 9.30, Super Gas 9.90, BK Electric Super Pro 10.30, Pro Eliminator 10.90, and Thundermax Street Eliminator 11.50, and also Eliminator Dial-in.

The Nitro Harley competitors look forward to seeing the Harley-Davidson drag racing family, riders and fans back at No Problem Raceway, Qualifying begins at noon on Saturday, eliminations at noon Sunday.

Track details available at https://racenpr.com/.

The Nitro Harley racers thank Bad Apple RacingChris Stewart RacingDayStar Machine and Cycle ConceptsJay Turner RacingWhite Lightning RacingUniversal Fleet and Tire, Hawaya Racing, and Johnny Mancuso’s Circle M Ranch.

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This report was prepared by Tim Hailey. Enjoy everything there is to read, see and watch about motorcycle drag racing and more at https://www.eatmyink.com.

This story was originally published on March 17, 2025. Drag Illustrated

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