Words by Mark Westfall
Photos by James Drew and Jon LeMoine

Pro Eliminator racer Quentin Kight survived an incredible crash during the Finals

The IHBA season and perhaps its reign as the premier sanctioning body for drag boat racing ended on the lake at IHBA founder Charlie Allen’s Firebird International Raceway racing complex near Phoenix, Arizona. And if, indeed, this will be the last IHBA-sanctioned race, it will be remembered as one of the best of all time.

Top Fuel Hydro pilot Daryl “Madd Maxx” Erlich, driving boat owner Eddie Knox’s “Problem Child”, not only won the Top Fuel title besting defending World Champ team and four-time World Champion John Haas driving St. Louis, Mo., team owner Lou Osman’s “Speed Sport Special” but did it with a record shattering pass of 4.524/264.52 mph.

The Top Fuel Hydro field delivered everything that any nitro-junkie fan could ask for. The class’s two “hitter” teams pitted a couple of legendary drivers and tuners. Tuners Russell Oshiro and “Famous” Amos Satterlee and drivers Erlich and Haas took advantage of the lake’s famous “bite” and great surface to deliver one great performance after another, frustrating the other Top Fuel teams, who tried to step up their performances also.
   
A capacity crowd of drag boat fans filled the Firebird Lake’s stadium and enjoyed two wild days of qualifying. They witnessed some solid runs sprinkled with spectacular ones including a massive explosion by Jarret Silvey in Dennis Gibson’s “Hot Licks,” a couple of scary rides by Glen Wilson in “Toxic Rocket,” and fires for both “Spirit of Texas” and “Speed Sports Special”.

Missing from that group was the “Problem Child” boat as Erlich smoothly cruised to an early shut off 4.63/233 mph pass on Saturday morning’s session and the “PC” gang sat back as the number 1 qualifier going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

(James Drew photo)

The final Sunday of the 2009 IHBA Lucas Oil Series season was perhaps its best. Thousands of enthusiastic fans rolled through the gates at Firebird Raceway and the perfect Arizona weather was matched by a spectacular day of racing by all of the LODBS competitors.

The four-time World Champion “Speed Sport Special” started the day with a great 4.68/243 mph shot that would insure the team a final round berth. The Knox/Erlich combo again took the spotlight as they made a lap that gave them the base for a new record. In the semi-finals they stunned the crowd and their competitors with a 4.62/260.98 blast.