Nitro War Coming to Tulsa Raceway Park
Nitro classes will see tightest championship points races in IHRA history shake out in Tulsa Aug. 22-24

By Mike Perry | IHRA Communications

Bruce Litton had a two-point lead over Spencer Massey in the Top Fuel points chase heading into the Northern Nationals in Martin. He left 40 points behind. Terry Haddock took the Nitro Funny Car points lead with a July win in Grand Bend. He lost in the semifinals in Martin and is clinging to a 42-point cushion.

The 2008 season has been, simply put, has been unpredictable.

Who would have thought Massey, a virtual unknown outside the NHRA alcohol ranks, would be in prime position to win the Top Fuel world championship in this, his rookie campaign? Who would have thought Litton, who spent years chasing Clay Millican atop the Top Fuel standings before finally winning a title last year, would have someone else to chase this quickly? Who would have thought Mike Strasburg, Bobby Lagana Jr. and Terry McMillen, all under-funded teams long on desire and short on cash, would be in the title hunt this late in the season?

As for the Nitro Funny Car points chase, things are a little clearer. Haddock has a comfortable lead when you consider his closest competition comes from Paul Lee (42 points behind, but 83 when the season-ending bonus for attending every event is taken into consideration…Haddock still qualifies, Lee does not), Steven Macklyn (51 points behind but, like Lee, does not qualify for the 41-point bonus), Dale Creasy Jr. (who’s season ended with an injury in Edmonton) and Andy Kelley (a first-time winner in Martin who also does not qualify for the bonus),

Only sixth-place Matt Hagan, who is 122 points behind Haddock, remains somewhat in contention while, at the same time, still eligible for the 41-point bonus.
 
When the teams roll through the gates at Tulsa Raceway Park for the Skull Shine Sooner Nationals, most of them will be facing the most critical race of the season. This is not an overstatement; it’s how the drivers involved in their respective points chases are looking at it. The prevailing theme in each one of their comments about the Sooner Nationals? The time for talking is over.

Top Fuel

Spencer Massey and Bruce Litton have been swapping the points lead back and forth all season. After Massey won the first two events on the 2008 IHRA schedule he jumped out to the early lead. Litton spent a few events reeling him in, finally moving in front with a final-round appearance in Budds Creek. Litton held the lead until Massey claimed it back by winning the Ironman at the Northern Nationals.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Mike Strasburg has been quietly going about his business, getting down the race track and putting together a solid, if unspectacular, season. Strasburg is 112 points behind Massey, still looking to be a factor in the championship race before the season ends. He is, however, taking a new approach starting in Tulsa.

“We’ve been cautious up to this point, but now we’re throwing that approach out the window,” he said. “We’ll run as fast as the car will allow us. There is no more running in the middle, we’re either going to smoke the tires or run a huge number. We have no choice; we have to go for it.”

 

 

 

Massey is in the best position of anyone in the Top Fuel class. With Paul Smith tuning his Mitch King-owned 2003 McKinney dragster Massey controls his own destiny. If he can qualify strong and go one round further than Litton and Strasburg at each race he will end up sitting at the champion’s table at the banquet.

His approach has not changed. He knows the magnitude of what he’s trying to accomplish, but will not look past his next round. He also is thrilled with the company he is keeping at the top of the standings.

“I’m having the time of my life right now. What started as a dream come true at the first race of the season has really snowballed into a season I could have never imagined. I feel so honored to be out there racing with the guys on the IHRA circuit,” Massey said. “It’s incredible for me to get to race against, let alone be in a points race, with the likes of Bruce Litton. I respect and admire that guy so much.”

Strasburg feels the same way about Litton, and he thinks Massey is one of the top up-and-coming drivers in the sport. He also knows the Sooner Nationals will be an all-out battle.

“It’s an honor to be in this. Bruce Litton has been a round a long time and he’s done so much for this sport. It’s nice to be mentioned at the same time as Bruce and Spencer,” he said. “But I can’t worry about that. This race is going to be huge. If we can go rounds we can stay in the championship hunt. If you come to this race and don’t qualify or lose in the first round you’re pretty much done.”

 

 

 

Litton is the most senior driver in IHRA’s Top Fuel ranks, save for Chris “The Golden Greek” Karamesines, who has been a Top Fuel driver since the Truman administration. Litton won his first career world championship last season, edging T.J. Zizzo out at the World Finals in Rockingham. He is planning on taking things one step at a time. Meanwhile, he is amazed with how things are shaking out this season.

“We have a bunch of good cars fighting for this championship,” Litton said. “Think about it, we are down to the last third of the season and we still have five cars with a shot at the title, and a sixth with an outside shot at it. Every round is important, even every qualifying round. You have to pay close attention to qualifying because if you look at the last race, the top four cars were on the same side of the ladder. That’s tough.”

Lagana is taking an entirely different approach. Ever since he started driving a Top Fueler in 1991 Lagana has notoriously done as much with limited funding as possible. His 23-year-old brother Dom tunes the car while close friends and family make up the crew. While others worry about wins and losses Lagana Family Racing goes a different route.

“We are all about having fun. This race is just like all the others to us, we aren’t taking any different approach or anything,” he said. “Of course the races get more important as the year goes by, but for us there’s no extra pressure because we’re just fighting to survive. If we get all caught up in worrying about the championship we’ll lose our focus and not qualify or something like that. That’s not something we can afford to do.”

Lagana does think this season’s IHRA Top Fuel field is something special, and he’s proud his team is right there in the mix.

 

 

 

“For everything we’ve been through this season where we are right now is fine with me,” he said. “We won ‘Best Appearing Car’ at the last event and that meant a lot to this team. It’s been a really fun year and every driver in the top five right now is amazing. They all have their different, unique attributes. Actually this year I think the top six drivers in IHRA are the best in its history. Whoever ends up as champion will deserve it because it’s going to be hard-fought and well-earned.”

So who does Lagana see ending up at the top of the list after the season?

“I’m going to say it will be either Spencer or Bruce clinching in either the first or second round in Rockingham,” he said. “I’m not going to pick between those two because I love the both of them. But this is not to say Mike Strasburg, Terry McMillen or myself don’t have a shot.”

Nitro Funny Car

Terry Haddock knows he has put himself into a somewhat comfortable position atop the Nitro Funny Car standings. He also knows how quickly all that could change.

Haddock took the points lead by winning the Ironman at the Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, putting him on top of the standings for the first time in his 12-year career. Though he stumbled in the first round at the Northern Nationals his lead remains somewhat comfortable, especially when the 41-point season-ending bonus is considered.

But the last thing Haddock wants anyone to think is that this points race is over.

“Not by a long shot, and we don’t want it to be over because we love this kind of racing,” he said. “We’re having a great time, a great deal of fun racing with IHRA. In my 12 years I’ve raced with IHRA and NHRA and it’s great over here. In NHRA they could care less if you show up or not. Here they treat you like family, that goes for the IHRA officials and the other racers.”

 

 

 

One of those other racers, Steven Macklyn, has a proposal for Haddock. Macklyn is not eligible for the 41 bonus points (for attending every event) like Haddock is. He has something in mind.

“This is an open offer to Terry Haddock and his entire crew. I will pay for a week’s vacation for him and his entire crew in the Bahamas, but it has to be on one of the remaining race weekends,” Macklyn said. “This will kind of even things up. I doubt he’ll take it.”

“I have to pass,” Haddock said with a chuckle. “We’ll go to the last three races and see how things shake out.”

Paul Lee sits second behind Haddock, 42 points behind (or 83 when the bonus is accounted for). He knows the Sooner Nationals will separate the contenders from the pretenders.

“There are only three races left on the schedule and this is one of them,” Lee said. “For us it’s do-or-die, put up or shut up time. We will have to go rounds if we hope to win this thing and we can’t let anyone get too far out in front of us. We’re in a bigger hole than it looks like because of the bonus so we have to concentrate on not making any mistakes and going rounds. That’s what it’s all about.”

Macklyn agrees. After winning the season-opener in San Antonio, Macklyn has floated in and out of the top three this season. A runner-up finish in Grand Bend last month put him back in championship contention, but he knows time is short.

“This race is huge. They’re all important but this one more so than any other this year,” Macklyn said. “You can’t get behind and we’re already behind the 41 points because we missed the one race. The race in Tulsa is a very big deal and we’re going to go out there to do our best. The season is getting older, parts are getting tired and people are getting tires. But, like Paul Lee said, it’s time to put up or shut up.”

 

 

 

Andy Kelley moved into championship contention with his first career national event victory. He topped Lee in the final round at US 131 Motorsports Park and is 120 points in arrears of Haddock.

“If you are hoping to contend for the championship you will have to go some rounds at this race, if not win it,” Kelley said. “If you mess up at this one you can pretty much forget about the championship. I’m not saying that because there are only two races left after this one, but because everyone in this class is running so strong and getting better.”

Points Chases

For fans wishing to keep track of the Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car points races as they happen, round-by-round summaries can be found on www.dragracecentral.com the day of the race.

In qualifying points are earned the following way: #1 = 16 points, #2 = 15 points, #3 = 14 points, #4 = 13 points, #5 = 12 points, #6 = 11 points, #7 = 10 points and #8 = 9 points. Drivers are also competing for five bonus points during each evening qualifying session as part of IHRA’s unique Last Man Standing program. The Last Man Standing is the driver who posts the quickest elapsed time during the qualifying session who also defeats the driver in the other lane. If a driver has the quickest ET but loses on a hole-shot or red-lights he is not the Last Man Standing, it goes to the next-quickest driver who turns on his/her win light.

During eliminations the event champion earns 90 points while the runner-up gets 70. Semifinalists earn 50 points. First-round losers earn 30 points. Drivers also earn 10 points for simply entering the event. Setting an ET world record also earns a driver 20 bonus points, providing that record is backed up. To back up a provisional world record the driver must run within 1% of the record-setting number during the same event.