On the fast track

WASILLA — By being one of the nation’s best at traveling a quarter-mile, Palmer drag racer Nathan Thornsley has earned a trip all the way across the country.

 Thornsley, 20, will leave later this month for Rockingham, S.C., where he’ll be one of eight drivers competing for a world championship in the Top ET class finals of the International Hot Rod Association’s Summit SuperSeries.

Thornsley earned the right to participate in the event after a stellar season at Alaska Raceway Park in the Butte.

Driving a 1967 Dodge Dart with a 451 engine, Thornsley dominated action at the Butte track, at one point winning his class on five consecutive weekends. Overall, he won five out of every six races he ran this summer.

Those wins were enough to push him near the top three drivers in the world standings and earn a trip to South Carolina.

“At the local level, you’ve got to win a string of events,” Thornsley said.

Because Alaska Raceway Park is a sanctioned IHRA track, points earned there count toward the standings. In addition to Thornsley, Anchorage driver Scott Roloff also qualified, but won’t be making the trip south. Instead, Anchorage’s Mike Ginnett will take Roloff’s place.

Thornsley said he believes it’s the first time any drivers from Alaska have qualified for the IHRA nationals.     

Thornsley’s Dart has gone as fast as 10.52 seconds at 125 mph over the quarter-mile. If he can consistently run a time similar to that at the world championships, he’s got a good chance to come back to the Valley with the top prize — $10,000 and a new dragster.

He said he couldn’t have made it to the finals without the help of his sponsors, which included getting a discounted shipping rate on his car from Horizon Lines. He also said he’s gotten lots of support from friends and community members excited about his success.

“I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls in the last few days,” he said.

Thornsley said he plans to leave for South Carolina on Oct. 14, and will begin qualifying Oct. 19.

Thornsley said racing in Rockingham will be similar to that at AK Raceway Park. Drivers will first establish a “dial in” time, then try to get as close to that time as possible — without going under the time. He said the format allows drivers in cars of different speeds to compete against one another.

“The idea is to run as close to the index as possible,” he said.

He’s confident he’ll be right there with the nation’s best.

“I think I’ll be very competitive,” he said.

While he said racing at the Butte track might not be quite as competitive as Outside, Thornsley believes this summer’s racing has prepared him well for what he’ll face at Rockingham.

“Overall, the competition level in Alaska is probably not as high, but it’s definitely not an easy track to win at,” he said.

Because of the fact that he’s been compared to the best drivers from around the nation all summer long, Thornsley said he thinks he’ll fare just fine at the biggest event he’s ever participated in.

“It’s a little confidence boost to qualify in the top three in the country,” he said.

Although this is the first time Thornsley has qualified for the finals, he’s no stranger to competing at the highest level. In 2004, he finished 12th in the nation. And last year he narrowly missed out on a trip south by placing just two spots out.

“We’ve been close before, and this year it just came together,” he said.

Racing fans can follow Thornsley’s progress online at www.ihra.com.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com