Autumn was in the air at the 11th annual Sport Compact Fall Nationals, as the sweltering temps that typically grip the Northeast in summer gave way to more temperate (and somewhat overcast) 60s and low-70s - conditions more favorable to both racing and being a spectator of said racing. Again, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ, was the scene of the staple import drag race, the last major contest of the season in the area.

This year's affair drew another huge crowd to E-Town over October 3-4, with tons to see and do. If you were competing, either on track or in the judging lanes, plenty of money was up for grabs - a reported $40,000-plus in cash payouts.

The big pull for sport compact drag racers all throughout the U.S. was the racing, which included six heads-up classes and a couple of index groups. Earnings went as high as five grand for the Quick 32-class winner, to as little as 50 bucks for third in brackets. There was also ample opportunity to pick up some bounties in one of the event's two shootouts, one for Outlaw Street FWD and one for Outlaw All Motor.

In Outlaw Street FWD, Chris Miller led the way in Saturday qualifying with his Civic and an 8.814-second pass at 171.27mph. He wouldn't be caught all day through Sunday eliminations, taking out Fernando Cunha's Honda in the final with an 8.750 at 172.34 to win the division as well as several shootout bounties.

Outlaw All Motor top qualifier Jose Bello got there with a run of 10.752 at 126.90, but unfortunately broke in the class' quarterfinals. That allowed Tim Grey and Jerry Guzman, who came all the way from Los Angeles, to battle for the group title, a race that saw Grey's Civic emerge victorious with a 10.888 at 122.70, eclipsing Guzman's Honda by less than two tenths of a second. The fastest out of all of them, though, was Loan Nguyen, who took bounties for ET and speed.

Jorge Rivera initially set the pace in the top-dollar Quick 32 division with his Toyota, registering a blistering 6.932 at 195.17, but the number-one qualifier was gone by the class semis. The money round boiled down to Edwin Burgos' '72 Datsun and Rico Campos' '88 Mazda RX-7, a contest that was insane close but ultimately went to Burgos, who clocked a 7.565 at 175.73 against Compos' 7.727 at 172.87.

Rolando Blanco and his EK Civic was the one to catch in Sport FWD, qualifying on the first day with a 9.583 at 160.9. Blanco would defend the position to earn a finals bid against Dan Back and his Honda, but Back could do little to slow his opponent. Blanco came out on top in the division with a 9.691 at 154.76 to Back's 10.231 at 147.5.

Steve Merman and his Civic pretty much owned the Hot Rod Class for the entire weekend, nailing the top qualifying spot with an 8.676 at 174.8. Sunday he returned to work his way through eliminations to the finale against Joel Brown and his VW Corrado, a race that Merman controlled with an 8.790 at 162.39 to his challenger's 13.127 at 78.62.

Finally, in limited All Motor Street field, Jose Tavarez qualified atop the tiny heap with a 13.234 at 106.47. He had no problem with Michael Pepe in the class final, who fouled and handed the win to Tavarez.

Again this year there was a giant car show, featuring dozens of classes representing everything from imports to lowriders to trucks and bikes. The top three vehicles in each category were entitled to winnings, plus there were several specialty show awards worth even more.

The biggest purses went to Team New Image for Best Team (a division open only to groups of 15 or more from the same crew), which earned them a cool $600, and the Best of Show winner, garnering someone called "The Big Boss" a check for 1,000 bucks for his (we're assuming The Big Boss is a dude) 2002 Honda Accord.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg at the Fall Nats '09. Eye candy of the flesh-and-blood variety was provided via the RIX Mag Hot Bikini contest, while bass heads tempted eardrum failure at the SPL contest. Of course, we can't forget the Manufacturer and Performance Shop Midway, replete with more of our favorite go-fast gear, in addition to live music, DJs and a number of giveaway opportunities.

Check out our gallery for our photo report on the 2009 event. And keep tabs on www.racewaypark.com for more on next year's event and news about the 2010 Sport Compact Fall Nationals.

11TH ANNUAL SPORT COMPACT FALL NATIONALS

OUTLAW STREET FWD SHOOTOUT BOUNTY WINNERS

OUTLAW ALL MOTOR SHOOTOUT BOUNTY WINNERS

Photo Gallery

Visit the SPORT COMPACT FALL NATIONALS 2009 for more pictures