“When the amber comes on, push down on the throttle. It sounds easy doesn't it?” said Larry Dixon in the post race interview following his victory over Clay Millican in the final round of the O'Reilly's NHRA Summer Nationals at Topeka Heartland Park. That was the way it was expected to happen when Dixon teamed up with Alan Johnson and the Al Anabi race team. Until now, expectations were not being met.

Dixon, by his own admission has struggled this season with getting it right.

“I'm not where I want to be driving the car and it peaked out (at Bristol). Alan took his crew chief hat off and put his driving coach  hat on and worked on me, getting my mind right and where it needs to be. We went and ran the car at Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday after Bristol, just made a whole bunch of runs and that was just nice. They learned a lot from that test and I learned a lot from that test.”

“When the amber comes on, push down on the throttle. It sounds easy doesn't it?” said Larry Dixon in the post race interview following his victory over Clay Millican in the final round of the O'Reilly's NHRA Summer Nationals at Topeka Heartland Park. That was the way it was expected to happen when Dixon teamed up with Alan Johnson and the Al Anabi race team. Until now, expectations were not being met.

Dixon, by his own admission has struggled this season with getting it right.

“I'm not where I want to be driving the car and it peaked out (at Bristol). Alan took his crew chief hat off and put his driving coach  hat on and worked on me, getting my mind right and where it needs to be. We went and ran the car at Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday after Bristol, just made a whole bunch of runs and that was just nice. They learned a lot from that test and I learned a lot from that test.”

Following the test, Dixon was pumped and ready entering Topeka. In the final round against Millican, Dixon needed to be ready.

Millican was first off the line with a very impressive .028 to Dixon's relatively slow .064. From there it was all Dixon keeping control of the Al Anabi power as he roared to a 3.971 second , 301.74 mph, pass to Millican's respectable 4.056, 293.41 mph run.

Dixon won from the second qualifying spot, while Millican made his run to the finals from the fifth spot.

So, how about the run that led to his 45th career win in 85 final rounds?

“The car was great. The car's been great all year. We tried some things yesterday that the car certainly didn't like or the track didn't like. They readjusted for it and it made four good runs down the racetrack. You go up there and if someone is going to fire a shot, let them, but we are going to go down the track as quickly as we can, safely,” Dixon said.

ONCE THERE, IT'S ALL ROSES – For all his troubles in 2009, Larry Dixon has an unbeaten record in final round appearances.

WHAT IS THE WORST WAY TO LEAVE A RACETRACK? - “Loading the car in the side door of the trailer is a worse weekend,” said Dixon when asked if Bristol was an especially bad weekend.
 

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