TF ROOKIE COX SCORES SECOND NO. 1
Sun, 2009-04-26 11:30
Del Cox Jr. was given explicit
instructions by veteran crew chief Paul Smith prior to his Saturday
night Top Fuel qualifying run during the 
38th annual IHRA Spring
Nationals at Rockingham Dragway.
“He told me, ‘If you feel anything … lift,” Cox explained to a gathered group of the media in a post-qualifying press conference.
“But the thing is going to be a rocket ship,” Cox explained, quoting Smith.
Knowing their radio transmissions had been spotty all weekend Cox asked his crew chief just to yell if something out of the ordinary happened. Del Cox Jr. was given explicit instructions by veteran crew chief Paul Smith prior to his Saturday night Top Fuel qualifying run during the38th annual IHRA Spring
Nationals at Rockingham Dragway.
“He told me, ‘If you feel anything … lift,” Cox explained to a gathered group of the media in a post-qualifying press conference.
“But the thing is going to be a rocket ship,” Cox explained, quoting Smith.
Knowing their radio transmissions had been spotty all weekend Cox asked his crew chief just to yell if something out of the ordinary happened.
A rookie driver still by his own admission, Cox is still learning the “feel” of the Mitch King-owned Top Fuel dragster.
Cox reiterated, “I told him to scream as loud as he could if something went wrong.”
Cox thundered to a 4.635 elapsed time at 315.64 miles per hour and once he pulled the parachutes, he could hear the broken transmissions of a screaming crew member.
That was his clue that something spectacular had happened. However, his definition of spectacular and that of the crew differed.
The crew’s definition of spectacular was cheering for their second consecutive No. 1 qualifier of the season.
Cox believed he’d driven the motor too far and didn’t lift when he should have.
As soon as he brought the Bexar Waste-sponsored dragster to safe stop, he unstrapped and leaped from the dragster.
“I got out of the car and there was a little fire on the right side,” Cox said. “I just knew I had blown it up and was in trouble. There was nothing wrong with the engine at all.”
“I knew the car was on a good pass to half track.”
Cox replaced Spencer Massey, who drove the car to the 2008 IHRA Top Fuel world championship.
38th annual IHRA Spring
Nationals at Rockingham Dragway.“He told me, ‘If you feel anything … lift,” Cox explained to a gathered group of the media in a post-qualifying press conference.
“But the thing is going to be a rocket ship,” Cox explained, quoting Smith.
Knowing their radio transmissions had been spotty all weekend Cox asked his crew chief just to yell if something out of the ordinary happened. Del Cox Jr. was given explicit instructions by veteran crew chief Paul Smith prior to his Saturday night Top Fuel qualifying run during the
38th annual IHRA Spring
Nationals at Rockingham Dragway.“He told me, ‘If you feel anything … lift,” Cox explained to a gathered group of the media in a post-qualifying press conference.
“But the thing is going to be a rocket ship,” Cox explained, quoting Smith.
Knowing their radio transmissions had been spotty all weekend Cox asked his crew chief just to yell if something out of the ordinary happened.
A rookie driver still by his own admission, Cox is still learning the “feel” of the Mitch King-owned Top Fuel dragster.
Cox reiterated, “I told him to scream as loud as he could if something went wrong.”
Cox thundered to a 4.635 elapsed time at 315.64 miles per hour and once he pulled the parachutes, he could hear the broken transmissions of a screaming crew member.
That was his clue that something spectacular had happened. However, his definition of spectacular and that of the crew differed.
The crew’s definition of spectacular was cheering for their second consecutive No. 1 qualifier of the season.
Cox believed he’d driven the motor too far and didn’t lift when he should have.
As soon as he brought the Bexar Waste-sponsored dragster to safe stop, he unstrapped and leaped from the dragster.
“I got out of the car and there was a little fire on the right side,” Cox said. “I just knew I had blown it up and was in trouble. There was nothing wrong with the engine at all.”
“I knew the car was on a good pass to half track.”
Cox replaced Spencer Massey, who drove the car to the 2008 IHRA Top Fuel world championship.
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