Dave Connolly, 23, has won two Pontiac Pro Stock preseason competitions -- the Pro Stock Super Bowl in Houston in 2005 and this second edition of the Showdown at Las Vegas.

And he said he's hoping for a little deja-vu. "When I won in '05, I went on to Pomona and won there. I hope that pans out the same way," he said.

Connolly, the No. 6 qualifier, won a close final-round drag race against two-time series champion Jim Yates, the No. 12 entrant, and earned the $5,000 winner's share. He drove his Torco/Slammers Ultimate Milk Chevy Cobalt to a 6.714-second elapsed time at 204.91 to Yates' 6.742/204.91. Dave Connolly, 23, has won two Pontiac Pro Stock preseason competitions -- the Pro Stock Super Bowl in Houston in 2005 and this second edition of the Showdown at Las Vegas.

And he said he's hoping for a little deja-vu. "When I won in '05, I went on to Pomona and won there. I hope that pans out the same way," he said.

Connolly, the No. 6 qualifier, won a close final-round drag race against two-time series champion Jim Yates, the No. 12 entrant, and earned the $5,000 winner's share. He drove his Torco/Slammers Ultimate Milk Chevy Cobalt to a 6.714-second elapsed time at 204.91 to Yates' 6.742/204.91.

"Actually we were on a very good run down low," he said. "But obviously the air temperature took over and kind of made it a little slick down track. And it got us pretty loose in third and fourth gear. But I think it would have gone 69 (6.69 seconds) or something like that if the track temperature wasn't so low."

The victory was a coup for the Cagnazzi organization, which has provided Connolly a full in-house racing package this season. "It's the first win for one of their cars, so that makes you feel a little extra special," he said, acknowledging chassis builder Todd Bevis.

The race doesn't count toward the Powerade championship, but that didn't matter to Connolly.

"Some people say, 'Ah-- that's not for points.' But every drag racer wants to win every race. It's definitely a morale-booster. Pretty much every car out here is going to be at Pomona at the beginning of the season. To come out on top and run pretty consistent all day is definitely a morale-booster for me and the whole team, all the guys at Cagnazzi. But just because we won today doesn't mean that they're going to roll over, by any means," Connolly said.

Just the same, he said, "I feel like we have all the pieces in order to have a great season."

Connolly credited his entire team and cited Cagnazzi Racing engine experts Steve Johns and Joe Hornick and team owner Evan Knoll.

Connolly, an Elyria, Ohio, native, has moved to Florida, where he is close to the Bradenton drag strip at which he tested three days in December. He also tested for five days in Gainesville, Florida, the second week in January.

He's a teammate to fellow Ohioan Jeg Coughlin Jr., and he said the two-time Pro Stock champion has had an influence on him.

"He's a stand-up guy, just like everybody on our team," he said. "The driving ability I have has come a lot from him."