IHRA: Will records fall in Edmonton?

What makes it possible for an IHRA Drag Racing Series competitor to set a new record?

Lots of variables – it's almost a perfect storm. It takes a competitor and a crew who are on the top of their game, and a machine – two-wheeled or four – that has been tweaked often within an inch of its life.

It takes a track that has smooth, sticky pavement, and a track crew that knows how to properly prepare the surface.

It also takes weather conditions that are near-ideal. The temperature should be cool, which helps the engines make maximum power, but not so cool as to make the racing surface so cold that the tires won't stick properly. The wind needs to blow in the right direction. The dew point has to be right. As one motorcycle racer said after a recent IHRA event: "The track was great, but the air was bad."

So what are the IHRA Pro records?

Two have been set this year: Billy Harper drove his 2000 Viper Pro Mod to a record pass of 6.832 at Maryland International Raceway in June. The top speed record, though, was set in 2009 in Baton Rouge by Ray Commisso, with a run of 246.08mph.

In Nitro Motorcycle, Bob Malloy made a blistering run of 6.204 in Maryland, but the top speed record was set in Bradenton, Florida, in 2014 by Mark Cox at 230.76mph.

Current champ Jason Rupert set the AMSOIL Nitro Funny Car ET and speed records in Memphis last year – 6.696, and 261.72mph.

And similarly, in Pro Stock John DeFlorian has both records, set in 2014 in San Antonio – 6.224 and 226.70mph.