The third installment of this fierce racing series begins. Sit back and watch the sparks fly. (Image/Power AutoMedia)

Speed fans rejoice! The Horsepower Wars $10K Drag Shootout returns for a third go-around.

For those new to the $10K Drag Shootout, the premise is simple. Each team picks a car. Then they’re given $10,000 (with next-day shipping from Summit Racing) and 10 days to build the quickest drag car possible.

This season introduces a new twist: This will be a “No Prep” race, which basically means that, unlike a regular event, the track will not be cleaned or sprayed with any traction compounds between races.

At the end, the four teams race head-to-head to decide a champion. The winning team gets a $10,000 prize and the pink slip to the car they built—the losers get nothing.

In the premiere, we meet the four teams involved in this season’s shootout: Team Home Grown, Team Out in Front, Team M.A.K., and Team Villain Squad.

Click here to see all the episodes in the No Prep Edition series, as they’re released.

This episode also features the first mini competition, an engine disassembly/reassembly speed run, which determines which team gets the first pick of the available cars:

  1. 1984 Chevrolet S-10 Pickup Truck
  2. 1979 Chevrolet El Camino
  3. 1996 Ford Mustang SN95
  4. 1999 Pontiac Firebird

Want to see which team snags the “best” car? Watch the first episode of Horsepower Wars $10K Drag Shootout No Prep Edition below: