It is the only day of the year where "sustained loss of traction" on Taupo Quay is met with applause and not a court appearance.
The 27th annual Wanganui Road Rodders annual street drags pulled in the punters to watch open racers by modified street cars, as well as the motorcycle events and exhibitions from the specialist dragsters blasting down the quarter mile.
The likes of Grant Rivers would bring forward his River Rat IV funny car, which could do in seconds what took the regular cars over a minute by blanketing the spectators in smoke.
Petrolhead fans had three choices cover their ears, get out their camera phones, or try to do both as methanol-powered machines blasted by.
Son Adrian Rivers also got valuable road time in his Blu's Brothers dragster, although as it was only an exhibition, one could only see a fraction of their true power. The Rivers family is gearing up for the big Central Nationals event in Masterton from March 5.