Bruce Litton will never forget the lessons his big brother taught him.

Litton, driver of the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster on the IHRA tour, said he learned the value of life through his older brother Dennis, the one he credits for introducing him to drag racing. And even though he lost his brother fifteen years ago in an industrial accident, his influence maintains a stronghold on his younger sibling’s life.

“Dennis always took care of me and looked out for me, too,” said Litton. “Through the years we shared a lot of the same passions, namely drag racing. He raced cars and I raced motorcycles. We were very competitive. There were plenty of head-to-head races between the two of us.”

Litton, the youngest of five children, gravitated towards his older brother, who was five years older. As he puts it, Dennis was a good teacher.

Bruce Litton will never forget the lessons his big brother taught him.

Litton, driver of the Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster on the IHRA tour, said he learned the value of life through his older brother Dennis, the one he credits for introducing him to drag racing. And even though he lost his brother fifteen years ago in an industrial accident, his influence maintains a stronghold on his younger sibling’s life.

“Dennis always took care of me and looked out for me, too,” said Litton. “Through the years we shared a lot of the same passions, namely drag racing. He raced cars and I raced motorcycles. We were very competitive. There were plenty of head-to-head races between the two of us.”

Litton, the youngest of five children, gravitated towards his older brother, who was five years older. As he puts it, Dennis was a good teacher.

“I’m certainly not the racer that he was,” Litton says with a smile. “He had great reactions and was very flexible in driving. Later in life we went in business together and he made it to where my racing and work peacefully co-existed. He covered for me a lot of times.”

That’s the kind of big brother Litton says Dennis was.

And, when Bruce suffered a catastrophic motorcycle racing accident while racing in Gulfport, Miss, Dennis never left his side.

“I was beat up pretty bad,” recalled Litton. “It basically tore my left hand off and ground my right thumb off. The doctors thought I had internal injuries and that I was dying. I was blue as could be. I can remember Dennis standing over my bed and crying. I remember that vividly.”

Little did Litton know that in three years the roles would reverse.  

On September 19, 1985, Dennis was critically injured on the job at General Motors.

“I remember him saying on more than one occasion that he didn’t want to go to work that day,” Litton recalled. “Dennis was a hard worker and that was uncharacteristic for him. He worked more than one job and never complained. I was the last person to see him.”

Dennis wasn’t sick; he just didn’t have a good feeling about going to work that day. He was given a pass to leave at 4:30, but undertook one last important task of inspecting a shipment scheduled to leave the plant that day.

A forklift driver attempted to lift one of the racks being inspected and several of the adjoining racks collapsed on Dennis.

“Dennis was a well-built guy and he worked out quite a bit,” added Litton. “That was what saved his life that day. He was pinned for 15 minutes before anyone found him. With him being in the shape he was, it enabled him to prevent being crushed to death and dying on the spot.”

Dennis was in the ICU unit for 19 weeks and his suffering was unbearable for Litton to watch.

“He never really improved physically, and shortly before his death, he accepted Christ in his heart,” Litton said. “That was before I did. He was at peace when he left this world. I think God allowed him to live longer to get that peace.”

Litton eventually committed his life to living as a Christian, but not before wading his way through the grief associated with losing his brother.

“I was very angry,” recalled Litton. “He was only 38 years old and had his whole life ahead of him. It took me a long time to get over it. I lost interest in the business and eventually sold it. I didn’t want to do it without Dennis.”

Litton is vocal when it comes to his religious convictions. While some might criticize his actions of mixing racing and religion, he stands by the feelings that permeate his heart. In his assessment, a person should be known by their actions. With that said, he’s always tried to let his actions speak louder than words, although he finds no problem in speaking his mind.

“It’s what I am called to do as a Christian,” explained Litton. “Christianity is not a religion, it is a faith. Jesus Christ is my personal savior and I believe it with all of my heart. I think it’s good news that the whole world should hear.”

Litton has had to draw on the faith throughout his career as a Top Fuel driver, suffering two serious crashes, one of which put him into the hospital with severe injuries.

He suffered a concussion and an injured shoulder.

The selfless nature of Dennis, whom he believes was with him throughout the crashes, along with his faith, inspires him to watch out for the well-being of others.

“I pray for the safety of the person I'm racing by name and myself,” Litton admits. “That has always been one of my prayers the last several years and will continue to be, because anything can happen. Life is precious. It is delicate.”

That’s what losing Dennis taught him.

 “Life is all about being the best person you can be,” Litton said. “When everything is said and done, that’s what’s most valuable in life. That’s what makes you a real winner. I have learned that there’s more to life than keeping up with the rat race.”

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