IHRA: Entry list out for IHRA Northern Nationals

The preliminary entry list for the IHRA Northern Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorplex at Martin, Michigan, is out, and judging from who's coming to the final points race in 2016, the championship order in all four classes will be decided in this event.

The closest battle is in Pro Stock, which had the weekend off at the last IHRA event, the Mopar Rocky Mountain Nationals at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Ontario, Canada, so that class has to be primed and prepared for Michigan.

Of the top 12 drivers in Pro Stock points, 10 are entered in the race, and more could add their names between now and the race dates, August 12 and 13. Cary Goforth is out front, but he has only a three-point margin on Trevor Eman. Third-place J.R. Carr is well within striking difference. Larry O'Brien and John Konigshofer, in fourth and fifth, respectively, are very capable of playing spoilers, as are Dean Goforth and John DeFlorian Jr.

In AMSOIL Nitro Funny Car, Jason Rupert's lead has been shrinking – he has 438 points to Shawn Bowen's 420, Mike McIntire's 410 and Mark Sander's 389. Even Tim Boychuk, with 337, is mathematically still in the game. Boychuk is not among the early entries, but he has made every race so far, so hopefully the Canadian will make it down to Michigan, too.

There are seven other strong entries in Funny Car, including Richard Hartman and Bruce Litton, and there's a good possibility of additional teams making the race.

In Nitro Motorcycle, nine of the top 10 riders in points are pre-entered, and while Jay Turner has a solid lead, second-place Bob Malloy still has a mathematical shot at the title, and would likely be even closer had he not missed a race earlier in the season. Malloy, Jake Stordeur and Tracy Kile will definitely decide second through fourth at U.S. 131, and there are plenty of other strong bikes in the lineup that could figure into those riders' plans.

In Pro Mod, Billy Harper can go ahead and clear another spot on the mantle – that's how strong his sinister black Dodge Viper has been. But Harper is coming to put a cap on the season, and the other spots in the championship are undecided, as Ruben Tetsoshvili is bringing his sleek Chevrolet Camaro to try and lock up second place.

The Pros will be in action Friday and Saturday, with Summit Sportsman racing both those days and on Sunday. Check out US131msp.com for more information.