Miller Lite Car Comes Up Short in Quest for Las Vegas Top Fuel Trophy

LAS VEGAS - Larry Dixon will be the first to tell you that the Miller Lite Top Fuel team did not enjoy their time at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

They did not qualify in the top half of the field and they suffered a first round loss Sunday in the final elimination rounds.

"We are struggling to make a good run consistently," Dixon said. "We have a mechanical gremlin that has been following us around since right around Memphis. We make one or two good passes, and then we fight the gremlin.

"Every time we think we found the problem, something else comes up. It's just taking a little more time than we would like to be a more consistent."

Dixon started the day in the No. 14 position and faced J.R. Todd in the first round. Dixon came up short in the matchup, turning in a 4.666-second pass at 313.66 mph to Todd's winning time of 4.539 at 318.54.

Still, Dixon knows it's a matter of time before the team finds themselves basking in the glow of the photographer's flashbulbs in winner's circle.

"We can all see the light at the end of the tunnel," Dixon said. "The one person who should be frustrated is Snake (Don Prudhomme, team owner) and he's the most upbeat and positive person in the group. He knows we're on the right track and he can see that we're making some good moves.

"He also has a great example in Mike Green (crew chief for the Prudhomme-owned Funny Car). Mike has done a great job with the Funny Car but it has come over time. He's see what can happen with time and patience with a team."

Dixon said the team plans to test at the track on Monday with hopes of leaving Las Vegas with a better game plan for the season finale in Pomona, Calif., on Nov. 9-12.

"We want to make a few passes and see if we can fix the problem that plagued us this weekend," Dixon said. "We want to have a shot at Pomona and testing can help us make that happen."