In the previous 13 runnings of the MOPAR Nitro Jam Nationals at the Grand Bend Motorplex fans have just about seen it all.

From Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars to Top Fuel Motorcyles, Pro Stock, Pro Mod and just about every exhibition vehicle known to man, many have attempted to conquer the tricky quarter-mile facility located in the small beachfront town of Grand Bend, Ontario, but few have succeeded. But for those lucky enough to tame the legendary track and take home an Ironman trophy, those drivers have earned the right to call themselves a champion of one of Canada’s largest motorsports events.

It is no longer just a race.

No, after a decade of competition and extreme thrills the likes of which you won’t find anywhere else in the country, the annual Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports has become more of pilgrimage. Drivers, crews and fans travel from all corners of North America to compete in Canada’s biggest drag race and that excitement will continue this season with the 11th annual Rocky Mountain Nationals to be held July 5-7 at legendary Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta.

After an extremely successful debut venture with the International Hot Rod Association’s Nitro Jam series in 2012, the IHRA is pleased to announce that Parts Canada will expand its presence at both of IHRA’s Canadian national events in Edmonton, Alberta and Grand Bend, Ontario in 2013.

The rains were coming, so Nitro Jam kicked things into overdrive.

With a gloomy forecast and a nice window of warm, dry weather on Saturday, the International Hot Rod Association stepped up in a big way and accomplished the impossible by squeezing in two full sportsman races and a Nitro Jam all in one day with nearly two dozen drivers walking away winners and fans witnessing an incredible show all during a jam-packed Suzuki Pittsburgh Nitro Jam at Pittsburgh Raceway Park.