The race in Idaho showed that top fuel was going to be a thriller. Bartone was able to get back into his groove by taking the win.

The guy who was Mr. Consistent throughout the entire year had to be Jim Murphy. Murphy, with a semifinal finish at Bakersfield and runner up finishes in Bowling Green and Boise, was just a few points behind Bartone. Much of the consistency could be attributed to the veteran Leong.

Going into the final race of the year in Bakersfield lurking just behind Murphy in the point’s battle just after Idaho, it was Sorokin followed by Williamson.

With four drivers in the running for the title, the battle in Bakersfield would prove to be one for the ages.

All four made the show in a tight eight-car show. Sorokin took out Williamson in a tight first round contest. Both Bartone and Murphy who were on opposite sides of the ladder both took first round wins.

This pitted Sorokin and Bartone in the semifinals. Sorokin typically is first off the starting line, and this was the case as well. But the fuse on the Champion Speed Shop fueler was about fifty feet too short and Bartone squeaked by for the win.

Murphy was working his way through his side of the ladder, taking out Rick McGee in the Overtime Special, and then met up in a deja vu from the March Meet when Bill Dunlap got oiled in and wadded up the High Speed Special in a collision with Murphy.