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Youth and Enthusiasm
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Dave Connolly's got a bright future ahead of him…
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By Susan Wade Photos by Brian Wood and Roger Richards |
Kids. They're never 100 percent satisfied. They're always wanting something more. David Connolly is 21 years old, a little past the "kid" stage outside the National Hot Rod Association but definitely one of the youngsters among the Pro Stock drivers. And he was looking for more by the time he got to Brainerd , Minn. , in mid-August for the Lucas Oil Nationals, the 16th of 23 races in the POWERAde Drag Racing Series. "I'd like to make another move in the points before the end of the season," Connolly said following his runner-up finish at Sonoma that kept him in fourth place in the standings. "We're a second-year team, and for us to finish in the top three or four places would really say something about the crew we've put together here. "The points are nice, but I really want to start winning some races," he said. "That's my main goal for the rest of the year." The Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier driver got his wish Aug. 15 at Brainerd International Raceway, in David-and-Goliath fashion. He beat Greg Anderson, the top qualifier, reigning champion and runaway points leader, in the final round. Connolly ran a 6.799-second elapsed time at 203.31 miles an hour to Anderson 's 6.818/202.97. This fifth final-round appearance marked Connolly's first career Pro Stock victory and his first over Anderson all year. In five final-round appearances, the Elyria , Ohio , resident had lost to Anderson and his Pontiac Grand Am three times. "How long can you hold him off?" Anderson asked after he won at Seattle . That marked the first of three straight final-round showdowns with Connolly. "How much longer can I hold this cat off? He's fast. He's bad. He's a killer driver," Anderson said. "It's just a matter of time before he's going to win. I just hope I can hold him off for as long as I can." In the end, he couldn't stop Connolly forever. But like some tough father, Anderson made Connolly earn it. Connolly trailed for the first 330 feet of the quarter-mile, then passed Anderson by the 660-foot mark, and won by 0.0099 seconds -- about three feet. It denied Anderson a repeat victory on what the Duluth native considers his home track. "I've always dreamed of this day, but I never really thought it would happen," Connolly said. "Even winning sportsman races, this just isn't even close. It's unbelievable." After all, Connolly had just won the Super Comp title in Seattle , defeating Las Vegas ' Bill Koski in the finals. That was his second national-event victory in Super Comp, his first since 2002 at Joliet , Ill. "I don't get to run in the sportsman classes as much as I used to, so it's nice to make it count," Connolly said. That motivated him in the Seattle Pro Stock finals: "Once I got to the final, I really wanted to win. Losing two final rounds would have been hard to swallow." He couldn't help but telegraph his disappointment the following week at Sonoma . He drove his Bullet Motorsports Super Comp Dragster to a fourth-round finish there, but that Pro Stock national-event win was what he was after.
When he found himself in the same situation at Brainerd, Connolly knew he had a fifty-fifty chance to win. And he said he liked that number 50. Connolly became the 50th different driver to win a Pro Stock event since the class began competing in 1970. Ironically, it was Bullet Motorsports engine builder Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins who won the Pro Stock inaugural at Pomona , Calif. "Ever since I was a kid, I've dreamed of racing for a living," Connolly said. "To be the 50th winner in the class with the 50th U.S. Nationals coming up, that makes it even more special," he said. "Maybe 50 is my lucky number."
"To beat Greg, and on top of that to drive around him, makes this very special," Connolly said. "He's the guy right now, and any time you race him you have to be totally on your game. You have to be perfect. Anytime you run Greg, the odds are stacked against you. Greg usually has to break for anyone to beat him, but he might have been a little off his game today. He's had my number the last few times we've raced, so I was definitely overdue. Even right there he left on me. He just picked the wrong lane, I think.
One big improvement, Connolly said, was that he had no final-round jitters. "The thing is, those other finals got me used to this, because the nervousness was gone this time. I just wanted to win so bad." Oh, but he did it so well. He eliminated V. Gaines in the opening round, then recorded holeshot victories over Larry Morgan and Jason to advance to the final round. That was the same lineup -- in identical order -- that he squared off against in Seattle . "I'm so happy for my car owner, Mike Dzurilla, Bill 'Grumpy' Jenkins, and the rest of our team. They've all worked so hard to make this happen." He added that new crew chief Terry Adams deserves some of the credit for making him the only driver besides Ken Black teammates Anderson and Line and ACDelco Chevy Cavalier driver Kurt Johnson who have been to the finals three or more times. "Terry is making a difference for us," Connolly said.
Connolly has been in the top 10 all season. He finished 18th in 2003, after qualifying for 11 of the 13 events in which he was entered. But he showed promise. He reached one semifinal, at Dallas , and qualified No. 2 twice and in the top half of the grid eight times. He has been in the top five since the Topeka race. This year, he also has qualified in the upper bracket at all but five of the first 16 events. But now that he has made it to the winners circle . . . well, he wants that every time out. He isn't obnoxious about it. He's a quiet fellow with an easy smile, a guy who likes to go bowling. But he wants more. He's a kid. |
"I guess I'm a bridesmaid again," Connolly said. "The first couple of times I got to the final, it was pretty cool, now it's just frustrating. I'm ready to win one of these races. We're getting closer to Greg than we've ever been with our performance, and I really thought this time I'd beat him. We were just a little bit behind in the final. I think the car was down on power." 
Could be 29. That's how many starts he made before he won -- far fewer than the 60-something Funny Car dominator John Force endured before tasting victory. Or 21. That's how old he became on New Year's Day. The only numbers that were important at Brainerd were his better ET numbers. 
"I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to beat that guy," Connolly said, echoing what most of the Pro Stock drivers are saying these days after Anderson 's record 12 victories. "It took a while, but this was definitely worth the wait. Hopefully, this is just the start of something big." 
Heading into Memphis , Connolly remained in fourth place, but he was just 10 points behind No. 3 Kurt Johnson with seven races left on the schedule.