Dave Connolly understood the day he said yes to a Top Fuel ride with Bob Vandergriff Jr., there was a strong likelihood his Pro Stock driving days were over. Recent rookie success such as a runner-up in Sonoma and a provisional No. 1 in Seattle has the talented driver seeing life from the nitro perspective.

“Never say never in drag racing for sure but right now I’m definitely having a blast in these things," answered Connolly when asked whether he could see a return to the factory hot rods in his future. "I’m actually having a lot more fun than I anticipated, I can tell you that much. 

"A Top Fuel dragster is a wild animal, that's for sure. The adrenaline rush is just two different worlds from Pro Stock."

From an outsider's view, Connolly got out of Pro Stock town at the right time as NHRA opted to make wholesale changes to the class. Avoiding the headache is something not lost on Connolly. 

"Pro Stock has got its hands full with all the changes they’re making right now," Connolly said. "I think I’ll just stay out of that riff raff and stay in this Top Fuel car.”

The transition for Connolly was a challenge as it took him the first four races to win his first round of competition, and even then the win came at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. His first traditional side-by-side win came in Englishtown, NJ, five races later. Since then, he's only lost three times in the first round. 

In stark comparison, last year as a Pro Stock driver, Connolly only lost in the first round three times all season long. He had been to the finals three times, winning once by the time the tour left Seattle. 

Connolly will admit there was a comfort zone when it came to driving the doorslammer and the learning curve associated with making a full pull in the nitro car has increased his need for patience. 

“The track record is not what we wanted it to be so far but I mean that's part of the learning curve obviously.," said Connolly. "You’re dealing with eight thousand more horsepower plus so it’s going to be a lot more finicky. The margin for error is a lot smaller. Bob has definitely put a great team into place."

Connolly has become a protege of Larry Dixon, acting like a sponge to soak up as much knowledge as he can. One thing Connolly is learning is how his Pro Stock prowess can come into play within the rough and tumble world of Top Fuel. A driver still has to leave the starting line first and drive straight to the finish line. 

As was the case when he was in Pro Stock, Top Fuel has become a driver's game. 

“You know, I guess you could look back and say that the driver didn’t have a big role in the fuel classes years ago, but I don’t think that’s the case now," Connolly said. "I mean, you look at Denver in the semifinals, there's an .89, a .99, a .94. I mean, these cars, it’s amazing that they're going 3.80s, 3.70s and side-by-side racing the way they are, but it’s starting too. 

"That's why guys like Antron Brown, who are so good on the starting line are winning races left and right. There’s a lot to hitting the pedal on time just like in Pro Stock. That's why it was so crucial to leave the starting line first. You know nearly every time it was doorhandle to doorhandle to the stripe. We don't have doors on dragsters, but I can tell you they are glued side by side all the way to the finish.”

Connolly knew the day he committed to running the fuel car he was going to be expected to immediately convert his Pro Stock driving talents and become a fuel racing machine at the hit. He admits he's managed to keep the expectations in check and without using his status as a rookie as an excuse, understand there was a learning transition which would not always jibe with the uninvited hype. 

"I knew I was going to make mistakes throughout the year and there was going to be a learning curve and there definitely has been," admitted Connolly. "I mean, finally at Chicago, I felt like I was keeping the car in the groove where it should be. I was looking like a squirrelly snake going down through there a lot of times, so it’s been a bigger learning curve than I thought. My team has been real patient, and I feel like it’s a matter of time before we’re kind of a threat on Sunday. 

"I'm just taking it one step at a time and not really worrying about what’s going on, how we’re getting judged, because you’re always going to be judged at some point or another and you can’t worry about that.”

Connolly doesn't mind the rookie moniker. 

“It hasn’t been that bad to be honest," Connolly said. "A lot of the other drivers have been real supportive and it has been fun.  Not only are the cars two different worlds, the camaraderie and stuff in the fuel ranks is definitely different too.”

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