(Joe LeMoine photo)
Haas closes Championship season with first World Finals win
Winning the World Finals to IHBA drag boat racers is equal to winning the Indy 500, NHRA U.S. Nationals, or Daytona 500, and as in those series the Lucas Oil IHBA racers will tell you that a career is made with a World Finals win. John Haas in Lou and Mary Ann Osman’s “Speed Sport Special” has won countless National events, is a three-time World champion, and FINALLY a World Finals winner. After many tries the Michigan racer capped a great 2008 season with a dominating performance in Phoenix, but only after a wild set of events.
The gates opened to beautiful Arizona sunshine on Thursday morning for a day of test-n-tune. The pits were full, and hopeful racers from every part of the U.S. and Canada were ready to attack Firebird Lake. The staging lanes were full all day long, as everyone readied for the start of qualifying on Friday.
(Joe LeMoine photo)
Bob Parrish was attempting to make the hugejump to Top Fuel with the South Carolina-based “Dragonator.” Although Parrish had never driven ANY kind of race boat before, he proved to be a quick study. Under the guidance of Doug “the Rooster” Verstuyft he gained his license and was “on the rope” with the best Top Fuel racers in the world when Friday qualifying began.
At 7:30 AM sharp Sportsman class drag boats began tearing up the liquid quarter mile, and one session of Top Fuel qualifying would highlight Friday’s schedule. The large crowd enjoyed a great day of racing watching every class from River Racer on up to Top Alcohol Hydro, until only one category remained, Top Fuel.
(James Drew photo)
Parrish (above) was the only “wild card” among the best Top Fuel field of 2008, as the rest of the entries were known heavy hitters. Ron McClellan in the World Record holding (4.58) “Liquid Quiker” ended the session in the top spot with an effortless 4.85, 248.82 mph pass. Glen Wilson in Joe Cassiday’s “Toxic Rocket” was second at 4.906, 238,06, and Haas (5.08), James Ray in “Tequila Sunrise” (5.16), and Greg Tedesco in his Reno based “Loose Cannon” (5.22) rounded out the top five.
Verstuyft, in the defending champion “Nitro Chicken”, Eddie Knox’s “Problem Child”, Jarrett Silvey and “Hot Licks”, David Kirkland’s “Spirit of Texas”, and Parrish encountered a variety of problems and would have to wait for Saturday.
On Saturday Haas kicked off the festivities unloading a great 4.723/246.06 blast that left the capacity crowd buzzing. Wilson failed to improve on his earlier 4.90, and Silvey (5.62) and Lumbert (no et) followed.
The next pair had Parrish lined up with James Ray in the Midland, Texas-based “Tequila Sunrise.” Former Alcohol rivals Ray and now partner/tuner Tim Stokes were finishing off a great first season of Top Fuel, and the boat appeared ready to challenge the best. Ray and Parrish left the line but Parrish encountered engine problems and shut off, while in the other lane Ray launched strong but at half-track the boat began to walk front to back.