eturning to the site of his first career victory, Top Fuel driver Larry Dixon raced to his first victory of the 2008 NHRA season in Sunday’s Top Fuel finals during the NHRA POWERade series event  at Firebird International Raceway sponsored by Checker Schuck’s Kragen (and Murray).

Jack Beckman and Pro Stock veteran V Gaines also got "Wallys" at the second NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event of the 2008 season.

Dixon drove Don Prudhomme's Donny Bender-tuned dragster to a 4.532-second, 327.19-mph victory over privateer Dave Grubnic, who drives for Connie Kalitta. It was Kalitta's 70th birthday on Sunday. For Dixon it was his first win of the season, second win at Firebird, and the 42nd win of his career. The win ties him with Tony Schumacher for 9th on the NHRA all time wins list and second overall in Top Fuel.

“Any time you get a win it’s special,” Dixon said. “Donnie Bender (crew chief) has been on our team since 1999 and he’s never been on a car that’s won here. When you think about that, it would be nice to get that one out of the way. I’m dedicating this win to him.”

Defending Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher lost to Dixon in the semifinals on a holeshot, while two-time defending Firebird event winner “Hot Rod” Fuller saw his long streak of round wins at Phoenix ended with a loss to Australian driver Grubnic in the semifinals.

"Fast" Jack Beckman, recovering from a bad case of the flu, drove his Dodge Charger R/T to a 4.868/320.20 mph win over runner-up Robert Hight, who smoked the tires about 500 feet out, allowing Beckman to  collect his first Nitro win at Phoenix and fourth career Funny Car win.

“I guess the flu this year is immune to (flu shots),” Beckman said. “You get up in the morning and you just feel bad and you look at the back of the cold medicine and it says do not operate heavy machinery and I’m not sure if that counts as a nitro Funny Car, so I didn’t want to take anything, but after the second round I finally had to take some Tylenol.”

It was a tough first round for many Funny Car drivers, with Pedregon, 2003 Phoenix winner Ron Capps, and a still recovering 14-time world champion John Force all falling early.

Several Funny Cars drivers had trouble making the turnoff at the end of the Phoenix track as the added 100 lbs the cars have to carry this year continues to make stopping an issue for the fuel coupes.

In a Pro Stock upset V Gaines grabbed his first win in seven years using superior starting line performances and  drove his '08 Dodge Stratus to a 6.702 at 205.38 run past 2006 POWERade Series world champion Jason Line. Gaines strapped a .007 light on Jeg Coughlin to make his 6.67 ET stand up against a quicker 6.65 for Coughlin, who had a respectable .030 light. Gaines’s last Pro Stock win was recorded against Tom Hammonds in Dallas in 2001.

“It’s been a long dry spell,” Gaines said. “They said when I beat Greg Anderson (in the semifinals) that this was the first time I’d beat him since 2001, so that’s bitter sweet.”

Though he lost in the second round to Gaines, three-time world champion Greg Anderson kept his point lead in Pro Stock heading into Gainesville.

In the final round of all three classes either tune-ups or track resulted in one car performing up to par and the opponent spinning his tires.