Jeff O’Neill admitted that he was caught a bit off guard during the recent IHRA Championship Awards Banquet last weekend. The freshman Top Fuel driver was in attendance to celebrate with mentor and team owner Bruce Litton on Litton’s world championship triumph.

In addition to that observance, O’Neill was on the receiving end of the IHRA’s Rookie of the Year accolades despite only competing in half of the scheduled events.

“We attended the banquet looking to celebrate Bruce’s title.  And that was great--to see a true champion like Bruce accept that title after so many years of hard work, that was as special for me as any personal achievement I could imagine,” explained O’Neill.  “But then they called me up to the stage as the ‘Rookie of the year,’” he exclaimed.  “I wasn’t prepared for that at all!”

Jeff O’Neill admitted that he was caught a bit off guard during the recent IHRA Championship Awards Banquet last weekend. The freshman Top Fuel driver was in attendance to celebrate with mentor and team owner Bruce Litton on Litton’s world championship triumph.

In addition to that observance, O’Neill was on the receiving end of the IHRA’s Rookie of the Year accolades despite only competing in half of the scheduled events.

“We attended the banquet looking to celebrate Bruce’s title.  And that was great--to see a true champion like Bruce accept that title after so many years of hard work, that was as special for me as any personal achievement I could imagine,” explained O’Neill.  “But then they called me up to the stage as the ‘Rookie of the year,’” he exclaimed.  “I wasn’t prepared for that at all!”

O’Neill earned his Top Fuel license last winter after a full compliment of experience in racing sportsman classes. He scored a runner-up in his debut event during the IHRA Rocky Mountain Nationals in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. O’Neill qualified for all five of his races and reached the semi-finals twice.

“I’d like to thank everyone at IHRA for the award.  It’s a huge honor, and I look forward to developing my relationship with the IHRA as we build upon our success in 2007.  And obviously I want to thank Bruce Litton and the entire Litton Motorsports team for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.  Not only have I been fortunate enough to step into a driving job with the number Top Fuel team in the world, I’ve also been blessed with the best leader, mentor, and friend I could imagine in Bruce Litton.  His record on and off the track speaks for itself: He’s a deserving champion, and he’s helped lay the path for a number of full-time Top Fuel racers.”

O’Neill isn’t the only driver that Litton has helped to achieve success in their early years. His list of pupils includes Clay Millican, J.R. Todd and Doug Foley.

“I also want to thank Richard Hartman, Mike Wolfarth, Nicky Boninfante, and the entire team for all their hard work,” O’Neill said. “Those guys gave me a great car all season.  And I certainly want to thank my family for all their support--Mom and Dad couldn’t make it the banquet to see this, which was the only downer of the whole night.  They came to every race this season, and without them I never would’ve started down this path, much less made it into Top Fuel competition.”

O’Neill and Litton hope to announce plans for a 2008 campaign in the coming weeks, as the team is in final sponsorship negotiations that will allow both drivers to compete in a full tour of events