Newly crowned Goodguys-VRA Top Fuel Champion Jack Harris was one of four Nostalgia Top Fuel dragsters invited to take part in a special exhibition at the NHRA World Finals, held at Pomona Raceway on November 11-14, 2004. This was the last of 24 races in the 2004 season of the NHRA PowerAde Drag Racing Series.

During his exhibition run on Sunday, November 14th, opposite Sean Bellemeur in the Plaza Hotel dragster, Harris ran a historical 5.73 @ 262mph to record nostalgia drag racing’s first official pass over 260mph.

A week earlier, at the Goodguys Fuel & Gas Finals, November 7th at Famoso Raceway, Harris ran 5.77 @ 259.74 to just miss the 260mph mark, but said at the time he'd try to run 260 at Pomona. He did that in spades!

After winning the 2004 Goodguys-VRA Top Fuel Championship and following his historic 262 pass at the 40th NHRA POWERade World Finals, Jack "The Sheriff" Harris announced that he was hanging up his guns (but not his badge) and give his son, Brett the drivers seat. Harris, 61, had asked Brett to get him a World Championship. It took six years and happened this season. So, adding the championship to the first over 260mph run in a Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster (icing on the cake), Harris retires with reservations. He "may" drive at some match races and "play" with a nostalgia funny car. He will maintain his position as team owner and manager and remain totally active in the racing program.

On their way to Pomona on Tuesday some of the crew took the scenic route through the big tree country.

Looking more like rouge campers than drag racers, Bob Eames, Stig Olsson (a friend of Frank Parks from Sweden), Steve Tyrrell, Ken Robison, Jack Harris and Billy Robins.

After playing in the forest, the gang paid a visit to racing manufacture/tuner Alan Johnson in Santa Maria, CA. While Jack and Billy were getting loads of great advice from one of the best Crew Chiefs in drag racing, Steve Tyrrell was trying to figure out how he could carry 8 billet 392 Johnson heads out the back door. As it turned out, they had much better luck with the advice. One thing that Alan told Jack was that, believe it or not, Pomona's track would not be as good as the Bakersfield track he'd run on the previous weekend. It seems that part of the NHRA "cure" for tire "chunking" in cold weather is to mix more methanol with the VHT during track preparation. This lets the tires spin more - chunk less. Many blame this for the below par right lane at Pomona during the Finals.

Enough travel log - its time for some records. This aforementioned invite exhibition was part of NHRA 40th Anniversary of their World Finals. The Nostalgia Top Fuel dragsters were joined with four nostalgia AA/Fuel Altereds and over 20 restored dragsters from the 1960's and 70's (aka Cacklefest cars). Joining Harris was Mendy Fry and Sean Bellemeur in the Plaza Hotel & Casing - MasterCam cars and Brendan Murry in his Arias Chevy powered fueler. The Top Fuel cars were to make a run on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

On Saturday Harris was paired up with Mendy Fry - the only female Nostalgia Top Fuel driver. Going on Alan Johnson's advice, the Nitro Thunder crew put the same tune up in the car that they ran at the VRA Finals against Denver Schutz in the simi finals.

Incredibly the outcome was almost identical. Harris went right down Parker Ave with a stout 5.773 at 259.09.
Marc Gewertz/National Dragster Photo

Some back pressure oil smoke, due to wide ring gaps, comes out of the headers as Harris clicks it off at 10,700 rpm.

Bright and early Sunday morning Steve Merrill was making the War Wagon and its surroundings show ready for the huge Pomona crowd.

# 1 fan, Kayden Harris gives his OK to the tire change for Sunday's run. After the new tires "chunked" on Saturday's 259 run, Harris was forced to put on a pair of two year old M&H's on the car for Sunday.

For Sunday's run Harris had to take the "bad" right lane in his race with Sean Bellemeur in the other Plaza Hotel/MasterCam car. Coming so close to 260 the day before, they upped the tune-up to where it was when they were going to race Jim Murphy for the rained out VRA the previous week.

Hand on the brake, foot to the firewall, Harris is on his way to an 1/8 mile speed of 207.02.

The next five shots are from the 1000' mark on. They are captures from a video camera so the quality is not up to par with a still camera.

As the magical number comes up on the scoreboard, the late afternoon air is filled with oil smoke from Nitro Thunder's headers. As mentioned before, this is not from burned pistons but from back pressure when Harris closes the throttle. The team has found that running a wider ring gap saved the pistons, but doesn't look so good on the top end.

For those who are curious, the engine RPM at 262 was 11,055. Do the math.

This is what the run looked like on NHRA's Jumbotron screen placed at the finish line.

The very excited Utah Posse passes the stands on their way to pick up Jack.

Frank & Ruthi Hedge (of the Plaza Hotel-MasterCam team) were so sure Jack was going to run a 260 on Sunday that they went out and had hats made. Here team drivers Sean Bellemeur and Mendy Fry flank Harris after he was given the hat.

Aside from a spot in the record books Jack got a cake. But then the Nitro Thunder family have cakes for everything! Love them star cookies too!

Rumor has it that Billy Robins hasn't had his 260 MPH CLUB hat off since Pomona.