IHRA Nitro Jam at Pittsburgh

Special win for Gallen at home track

Words by Larry Crum
Photos courtesy IHRA

Although heavy rains and a less than stellar forecast for that evening forced the cancellation of Friday’s (June 1) portion of the Nitro Jam at Pittsburgh Raceway Park, Saturday was worth the wait. It was a special night for Peter Gallen.

Not only did Gallen get a big win over longtime IHRA legend Dale Pulde in front of a packed house at his home Pennsylvania track, but Gallen had extra motivation in the form of a little boy from the Pittsburgh area named Isaiah. Isaiah is suffering from a terminal illness and is enrolled in a special program that is near and dear to Gallen’s heart. Called Designing 4 Hope, the charity adorns the side of Gallen’s “Poverty Stricken” ’77 Monza and is a driving force behind Gallen’s racing operations.

And with Isaiah standing on the starting line cheering him on, Gallen powered to his first victory of the year and his 16th career win in AMSOIL Prostalgia Nitro Funny Car in front of a capacity crowd at the second annual Pittsburgh Nitro Jam, a win he dedicated to Isaiah and his family in victory lane.

“Having Isaiah and his mother here tonight was very special,” Gallen said. “We will be presenting Isaiah and his mother with the trophy and making this a big night for him. To help a kid that has had it rough in life and may not have long left on this earth is very rewarding for us as a team. It was definitely a bonus for us to have him here with us. He is definitely our good luck charm.”
  
Gallen’s victory was perhaps his sweetest yet. Not only did he visit victory lane in his home state of Pennsylvania and do so front of a few special guests, but he defeated three-time IHRA champion Dale Pulde to get that win.

Pulde, returning to the wheel of the legendary “War Eagle” Trans Am after an extended illness, is one of the most respected figures in the sport and the battle between new guard and old guard, east and west and about a dozen other storylines came to fruition in the staging lanes at Pittsburgh Raceway Park.

Pulde had low elapsed time of the opening round in his win over Mike McIntire, but it was Gallen that would ultimately have the last laugh.

In one of the best finals of the year Pulde pulled a slight advantage on the tree, but Gallen countered with the quickest and fastest lap of the weekend. With the car inches from the outside retaining wall, Gallen kept in the throttle and blasted to a 5.058, 224.55 on the 1,000 foot track to Pulde’s 5.246, 212.06 to give the defending Funny Car champ his first win of 2012 and a special Ironman he collected against one of the all-time greats of the sport.

“We were talking prior to the round about how long some of Dale’s crew guys have been around the sport and this team. So I told them that with all of the cumulative experience of his team I should get a head start or something,” Gallen said with a laugh. “Of course, he wanted no part of that. Honestly, he is a legend so it does give me gratification getting this win and taking out a left coast car.”

In the consolation round McIntire defeated Troy Martin in the “Chi-Town Hustler” AA Funny Car.

In the remaining nitro classes it was more of the same as all three winners continued long winning streaks.