DIXON RACES TO QUARTERFINAL FINISH AT U.S. NATIONALS
CLERMONT, Ind. (Sept. 4, 2006) – Two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon drove his Don “the Snake” Prudhomme-owned Miller Lite dragster to a quarterfinal finish Monday at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis to complete the 52nd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
The 38-time NHRA winner drove the Miller Lite/Lucas Oil rail to the No. 2 qualifying spot after clocking his quickest pass of the season, 4.492 seconds, on Saturday evening. This event marked the quickest Top Fuel field in NHRA history and the fourth time that Dixon has qualified second this season. It is the 32nd time that Dixon has qualified second in his 12-year professional career.
About 14 hours after wife Allison gave birth to the couple’s third child (Darien Lukas), Dixon defeated No. 15 qualifier Doug Foley. The longtime Miller Lite racer was handed the victory after Foley left early and fouled at the start causing an automatic disqualification. Dixon powered his Don Bender/Todd Smith-tuned rail to a pass of 4.549 seconds at 321.73 mph to earn the trip to the quarterfinals.
In the sixth meeting of the “Beer Wagons” this season, the drivers used nearly identical reaction times, but the Miller Lite/Raybestos car smoked the tires instantly, while Bernstein cruised to pass of 4.551-seconds to score the win light in the Mac Tools lane. Dixon coasted his blue dragster to a run of 9.996-seconds.
“We just smoked the tires,” crew chief Don Bender said. “We found a mechanical glitch on the race car and that made it too aggressive.”
The next NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 22nd annual Toyo Tires Nationals, Sept. 14-17, at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading , Pa. Dixon is a two-time finalist at the Reading race (1995, 2005).
R1 DIXON (.105) 4.549 ET, 321.73 mph def. Foley (-.092) FOUL (7.692 ET, 93.61 mph) R2 Bernstein (.088) 4.551 ET, 329.02 mph def. DIXON (.084) 9.996 ET, 97.12 mph
