Photos by Bret Kepner
and Todd Dziadosz
6/21/05
In
his fourth consecutive final-round appearance at Raceway
Park, Larry Dixon blasted the Miller Lite Top Fueler to
a pass of 4.533 at 329.91 mph to defeat the Kalitta Motorsports
driver in their second final-round meeting in three races.
Grubnic’s dragster lost traction and Dixon earn his
third career victory at the New Jersey track, no doubt pleasing
team owner, Don Prudhomme.
"I had an 8,000 horsepower bracket
car this weekend," Dixon said. "The slowest we
ran was 4.55 and the quickest was 4.48. We made eight great
runs in all kinds of conditions." (Todd Dziadosz photo)
Against Jack Beckman, a surprise winner
over Scott Kalitta in the opening round, Clay Millican produced
the day's best Top Fuel reaction time (.033 to .093) but
saw the lead disappear when the engine went sour. "We
had a cylinder out at the hit of the throttle," Millican
said, "and then it pushed out the (engine) head gaskets.
I couldn't see Jack and if Mike (Kloeber) hadn't been screaming
at me I probably wouldn't have lifted." (Todd Dziadosz
photo)
Del Worsham had to face John Force in
the first round and knew he would have to beat the Funny
Car points leader some way. The way, shape, and form included
another quick reaction time (Worsham left with a stellar
.057 light to Force's .105,) and a quicker run. Worsham
combined the reaction time with the ET to take the win,
4.820 to 4.865. "The first round deal was huge, to
win a close one on a hole-shot like that, but you can't
deny that taking Force out, at any time, is pretty big,"
Worsham said. "He's the deal, he's the champ, and we
got him." (Bret Kepner photo)