This is the third and final stop on NHRA’s much ballyhooed “West Coast Swing,” and it’s showing on the faces of mechanics, drivers and race officials. It’s been a very long two weeks thus far, weeks fraught with emotional trauma (the untimely death of Mark Niver), controversy (the Pro Stock confrontation at Seattle) and a lot of highway miles.
Drag racing is an exhausting endeavor for the professionals because almost everyone is a Road Warrior, i.e., the crews service the cars and then, at the end of the day, have to climb into the transporter and hit the highway for the next race. Someone – usually more than one and as many as a half dozen – do double duty, servicing the clutch between rounds and then driving the support rig or race transporter to the next event. Compared to Sprint Cup teams, our guys often work longer and tougher weeks. Yes, we know the NASCAR series is comprised of 36 races, but did you know that most of the teams employ dedicated truck drivers who only show up late on race day to handle getting the rig home while the rest of the guys climb aboard the team plane for a ride back to their base? Oh, if only our teams had the funding to do things like that, what a difference it would make.
There is very little John Force hasn’t achieved in his legendary career.
If Michael Phillips proved anything Friday night at the Mile-High Nationals it is that he is not easily distracted.
Scruggs’ ’68 Camaro as he struggled to keep it from crossing into Terry Leggett’s lane during their third Pro Extreme qualifying attempts for the inaugural ADRL Texas Drags. 