Veteran Bruce Litton overcame years of championship frustration Sunday, claiming his first IHRA series championship in impressive fashion by winning the Top Fuel championship at the 12th annual Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam World Finals at Rockingham Dragway.

Although he clinched the $150,000 championship with a first round win over veteran Luigi Novelli of Crete, Ill., the 51-year-old Indianapolis businessman closed the deal by stopping six-time former IHRA Pro Modified Champion Scotty Cannon in a classic final round.

Litton won one of three championships that remained undecided entering Sunday’s eliminations, but was the only new champ to also win the race. Bruce Litton Clinches First Career World Championship with Victory in Rockingham

 

Veteran Bruce Litton overcame years of championship frustration Sunday, claiming his first IHRA series championship in impressive fashion by winning the Top Fuel championship at the 12th annual Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam World Finals at Rockingham Dragway.

Although he clinched the $150,000 championship with a first round win over veteran Luigi Novelli of Crete, Ill., the 51-year-old Indianapolis businessman closed the deal by stopping six-time former IHRA Pro Modified Champion Scotty Cannon in a classic final round.

Litton won one of three championships that remained undecided entering Sunday’s eliminations, but was the only new champ to also win the race.

Robert Patrick, who won his first Pro Stock title, was beaten in the final round by Jeff Dobbins of Wilmington, N.C., and Mark Thomas, who became the most prolific champion in IHRA, lost to Rob Atchison of London, Ontario, Canada, in the Alcohol Funny Car finale.  Mike Janis of Lancaster, N.Y., won the Pro Modified title, falling 15 points shy of the championship. 

The door swung wide open for Litton when points leader T.J. Zizzo of Lincolnshire, Ill., was upset in the first round by Ken Jones of Berea, Ky., and the Indiana driver didn’t fumble the opportunity, winning at Rockingham for the first time since winning the Spring Nationals in 2000.

In getting his third win of this season and the 12th of his career, Litton put behind him the bridesmaid tag that had followed him throughout his pro  career.   In addition to runner-up finishes to Clay Millican in 2002, 2003, 2004, he was third in points in 2000, 2001 and 2005.  Now he finally is the Top Fuel champion.

“It’s awesome,” Litton said of the double victory.  “(But) I’m very humbled at the same.  We’ve had some good cars and some really good teams (in the past) but.I think the key to this season was I got my guys back together.  I love these guys and I I think I needed to be surrounded by friends I really trust.

“Second (three times in the past) was okay,” Litton said, “but it wasn’t our goal.  This was our goal and we finally achieved it.  In fact, we realized all our goals this weekend except for qualifying No. 1.  We fell a little short last night but our big goals were to win the race and win the championship.

“They told me right before the final, ‘hang on, it’s gonna be a good one,’” Litton said.  “Now they’re back there picking it apart because they thought it should have run high 50s.  I just get to drive the car.  My crew does all the work.”

In one of the day’s most surprising developments, No. 1 qualifier Pete Berner squandered his chance to repeat as Pro Stock champion when he was guilty of a first round foul start against former champ Brian Gahm of Lucasville, Ohio.  Berner’s unexpectedly early exit, which came after he had lowered the Rockingham track record to 6.281 seconds during qualifying, opened the door for Patrick.

Scott Cannon, who locked up his first series championship – and his family’s seventh – by qualifying No. 1 on Saturday, saw his Rockingham winning streak ended in round two by Pat Stoken.  The 27-year-old son of six-time Pro Modified champ Scotty Cannon had won his last two starts at The Rock but was victimized Sunday by tire shake that slowed his replica 1966 Pontiac to 6.727 seconds, well off the track record-setting 5.969 he recorded in qualifying.

In the Nitro Funny Car class, someone finally wrestled a Rockingham win away from journeyman Jack Wyatt of Corydon, Iowa.  Wyatt had won three straight Funny Car events at the Carolina track before Bob Gilbertson prevailed on Sunday, ending a frustrating season on a positive note.

“I’ve been waiting for this all my life,” Gilbertson said of his first victory on his home track.  “I always thought it would be really cool to win a race here.  I’ve set track records and qualified  No. 1 but this is the first time we ever won at The Rock and it was pretty cool.  I just wish it was the first race instead of the last.

“I’ve got to credit my crew chief, Tommy Delago.  He made the right decisions today.  If I was my own crew chief, I’d be in the burn center every race because I’d be way crazy with the tune-up.

”It was flawless all weekend,” Dobbins said of his 2006 Ford Escort that cruised to victory in Pro Stock.  “It was a really good racef or us and I was motivated in the final round to be the first guy to give a whipping to the new world champion.”

Janis actually lost the Pro Mod championship off the racetrack, the result of a decision not to compete in the July 6-8 race at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  That cost the veteran the 41 bonus points awarded to those who participate in every event.

 
  “It all boils down to not making that trip to Edmonton,” Janis said, “but that’s racing.  We had some clutch issues today but, all in all, it was a great day and it gives us a great start on the 2008 season.”

Thomas, who finished 15 points ahead of race winner Atchison, relished his seventh series championship.

“I love Rockingham,” he said.  “I was tied with Scotty Cannon and Clay Millican and it’s wonderful to be able to get that No. 7.  It all worked out.” 

‘If I had a chance to race against Mark in an early round I thought I had a chance,” Atchison said, “but he landed on the other side of the ladder.  Racing Mark in the final meant that we won the battle, but not the war. 

“But it’s okay because he’s been my idol since I started racing 10-12 years ago.   I love the guy.  He’s a great champion.  Besides, with three or four races left, I didn’t think I had a chance but we turned it around at the end.  Some days you’re at the peak others you’re in the valley.  We’ll try to get back to the peak next year.”