Drag Racing Online: The Magazine

Words by Jeff Burk Photos by Jeff Burk and Richie Downs 10/6/06

The IHRA President’s Cup Nationals concluded on Oct. 2 ago at Maryland International Dragway added yet another chapter to the bizarre book that is the 2006 IHRA season. Anyone who tries to handicap 2006 IHRA national events and placed a C-note or two on those predictions has to be broker than a horseplayer in a Damon Runyon short story. The IHRA races, especially in the professional divisions, continue to deliver the most unpredictable results in all of professional sports.

At MIR Rob Mansfield, who won the previous IHRA event at New England Dragway, couldn’t qualify. Ditto for defending Alky Funny Car World Champ Rob Atchison. Despite a dominating performance edge over the rest of the field, Robert Patrick and his Mustang lost in the semi-finals on a massive holeshot allowing Rickie Smith to advance to his first final round and his IHRA Pro Stock victory in almost 15 years.

In the Pro Modified class, one of the most storied rivalries in IHRA history continued as team owners/tuners Scotty Cannon and Jim Oddy coaxed world records out of their

cars with Cannon’s son Scott setting the ET mark at 6.01 and Oddy’s driver Steve Bareman setting the new speed record at 238.93 mph. Yet neither of those two teams were around in the final, which saw Quain Stott win in a final round that defined the word bizarre!

And to top off a unique race, the man who took home the largest check of the weekend was Top Stock winner Bo Kenny, who cashed a $40,000 ticket at the window. Oh and one more thing -- Top Fuel pilot Clay Millican clinched yet another IHRA title with his win at MIR.