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He's a Maniac…
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Radiac Maniac; that is…headed into 2004 with the #1 on the window…
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By Bobby Bennett, Jr. |
It's hard to say exactly when Mitch Stott's 2003 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series championship points run began. Was it in September of 2002 when he stopped then points leader Shannon Jenkins in the final and boldly proclaimed that he was going to be mortal hell to get off of their backs? Or, was it when he won the last three national events of that same season? Better than that, was it his historic eclipsing of the five-second barrier in outlaw trim and winning the first Hooters IHRA event of 2003 just weeks later? The correct answer is all of the above. The extremely outspoken Stott, who hails from Mill Spring , NC , had all the right moves in the early part of the season and that success allowed him to lead the points in both major series simultaneously in his potent Radiac-sponsored machine. Stott may have been tied once in the points lead over the course of the Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series, but he never relinquished the top spot.
When the final tally came in from Stott's 2003 championship season, the scorecard read three national event victories and several late rounds finishes. “We knew winning every race in the season would be a tough proposition,” admitted Stott. “When we signed Jimmy Rector on to help us with our tuning and combined him with Ted Chavarria, we knew that we would have a potent combination.” So potent was Stott's combination that in the first five events of the season (NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge included), he reached the final round of eliminations. He only lost one of them and that was due to parts attrition. “We were really on top of our game,” admitted Stott. “Things just fell in place for us whichever direction we took and that kept our spirits high.”
Unfortunately for Stott, the overdrive transition came at a time when the Hooters IHRA Hooters tour headed to Milan Dragway for the Motor City Nationals. Coupled with the complexity of adjusting their combination to the new regulations, they were faced with the daunting task of finding a way to propel the car down a track that was very complex. As a result, Stott failed to make the cut for the sixteen-car field. Stott recovered from the stumble and qualified second at the next event, the ACDelco Canadian Nationals at Toronto Motorsports Park . As fate would have it, he crossed paths with eventual champion Mike Castellana.
A rebound is a beautiful thing. Nothing could stop Stott and his gang once they rolled into U.S. 131 Motorsports Park for the Bethesda Softworks Northern Nationals. He entered eliminations as the third quickest and stopped two former IHRA Pro Modified World Champions en route to scoring his final national event crown of the season. “We just stumbled a bit,” explained Stott. “Every good team will stumble at least one time. The measure of a true championship team is how they respond to the adversity. I am very proud of the way our guys stood up when the chips were down. To me, that is something to be proud of.”
“It may be weird, but that was a learning experience for us,” explained Stott. “Those early days taught us a lot and it eventually laid the groundwork for what we have today. “I kind of think that we always saw the big picture in those early days and that was our bright future. We never lost sight of that either. It wasn't an easy road, but we made it. It would have been easy to quit in that first season. But, there was a problem…quitting has never been in our blood.”
Every year in Pro Modified was a learning experience for his Radiac-sponsored team and Stott. After completing a successful 2000 season, Stott made the calculated decision to go with a supercharged engine combination. Knowing that personnel decisions hold importance in drag racing, Stott hired the defending Funny Car World Champion Jimmy Rector to shore up his engine program. He contends that was one of the wisest moves that he could have made. Rector and the existing Stott crew meshed into a formidable combination. “When you see our car at the drag strip, it is there to win,” explained Stott. “It isn't there to finish second. My guys work too hard to settle for less than the best. I feel as if we have the strongest car out there and we will do our very best to maintain that level of performance no matter how many rule changes they may throw on the supercharged car.
Probably the largest source of pride this season was in being involved in a battle for the points lead with his older brother Quain Stott. “I could think of nothing that made me any prouder for our family than to have two Stotts battling for the championship,” explained Stott. “I think it is just a tremendous testimony to my parents Bob and Marvetta. They taught us to never give up…no matter what adversity or hardship stood before of us.”
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“It was our game plan from the get-go,” explained Stott. “We knew we were capable of winning the championship and we took full advantage of every edge that was cast our way. My team worked hard and I have to thank Dave Pryor of Radiac for making that happen.” 
Whatever high the Radiac team was on quickly hit reality on July 1 when the rulebook was amended to include a new rule limiting supercharger overdrive to 25%. While Stott had made the switch from a nitrous car to supercharged version in 2001 look like a relatively easy task, the conversion to the new rule didn't appear as simple. 
Standing up in the face of adversity is something that Stott can relate to. When he embarked on a Pro Modified career in 1998 after wrenching for his older brother Quain in 1997, Stott was on the receiving end of a very patience-testing season with a nitrous-injected Chevrolet Lumina. Many would have quit after two races. Even Stott will admit that it was that ugly. 
“The Pro Modified class is one I'm proud to be a part of. It has a lot of great drag racers with some of the baddest machinery that you'll ever lay your eyes on. To me, that looks like the perfect place to be especially considering that we have a crew that doesn't take junk off of anyone.” 