In the second round, it was time for the mouse to roar, as the Champion car made its quickest and fastest runs ever. 5.671 at 247.16 mph. (Tim Marshall photo)

“That was special on two points,” said Sorokin. “It was the quickest and fastest run ever with this car, and I had the ashes of Brian Van Dyke in the chutes on board for his last pass ever.”

Van Dyke, who was a huge supporter of the Champion Speed Shop team, died earlier this month. Sorokin had done the same for the family of the guy known as “Nitroman,” who was a fixture at many drag races in Southern California dressing up in a patriotic jump suit and wearing a hat that resembled a blown Hemi. Sorokin honored the wishes of Nitroman’s family to spread his ashes with the parachutes. A kind gesture in both cases.

In the Top Fuel final it was Sorokin in his last race as the 2012 Heritage Top Fuel champion and Denver Schutz looking for his first ever win.

Sorokin was, as always, on his game on the tree with a .062 reaction time covering Schutz’s .129. Sorokin was well ahead of the “Raisin Express” when the small block blew launching the supercharger off the manifold drastically slowing the car. However, at that same time Schutz’s car made an abrupt right turn into Sorokin’s lane almost collected Sorokin in the process. Both cars went through the lights in the same lane at over 210 miles per hour but Schutz was DQ’d and Sorokin got the win.  

“Honestly I really never saw him; I was focused on the blower sitting sideways on the manifold thinking am I going to lose this one like this,” said Sorokin of the encounter. “He flashed by me and I thought I saw my light but wasn’t sure.”

But Sorokin got his answer a few seconds later. “When I got out of the car and I saw one of the safety guys come running over I asked, Did I get the light? He stopped and laughed and said, Yeah, you did.”

It was only then Sorokin realized how close the two had come together, when the safety worker described what Sorokin could not see from inside the car.