NEW ALEXANDRIA -- More than 300 IHRA Sportsman competitors from 19 states traveled to Pittsburgh Raceway Park for a tripleheader weekend of drag racing.

Drivers competed in IHRA Summit Pro-Am Tour events Friday and Saturday and raced yesterday for the title of "Ironman" at the Pittsburgh Thunder Sportsman Nationals.

The Thunder Nationals was the first IHRA National event held at the New Alexandria drag racing facility in Westmoreland County.

Drivers who win an Ironman trophy are the best in their class for a single race.

Britt Mizia of Carnegie won Friday's Pro-Am in Stock eliminator, his first division win after being runner-up three times.

"It's good to finally win one," Mizia said Friday after the win.

"We'll celebrate for a few hours and focus on [Saturday's] race."

The 17-year drag racing veteran went on to lose early in Saturday's Pro-Am, losing in the second round.

Mizia drove the family-owned 1963 Plymouth Savoy into the fifth and final round of the Thunder Nationals where he lost to Luke Bogacki of Woodville, Ala.

Bogacki capitalized at the starting line where his reaction time was two one-thousandths of a second.

Bogacki won Saturday's Pro-Am in his 1968 Chevy Nova with a time of 11.03 seconds at 116.49 mph, topping Mizia's 11.075 seconds at 114.16 mph.

Mizia's .046-second reaction time wasn't enough to catch Bogacki.

"He cut a .002 light, there was nothing I could do," said Mizia after the final-round loss.

"I took over the point lead in Division 1, but it would have been nice to pull off a double [victory] here at my home track."

Mizia has won two division races in pursuit of his first division title.

Other winners at the Thunder Nationals were Mike Koontz of Warrenton, Va., in Top Sportsman; Brad Slaughter of Warren, Ohio, in Top Dragster; Anthony Bertozzi of Ashland, Va., in Super Stock; John Dustin of Maryland in Quick Rod; and Lance Pinto, of Walworth, N.Y., in Super Rod.