With the leaves of fall turning a golden yellow, Scotty Cannon couldn’t believe his own good fortunes. In just his first year of driving an IHRA Top Fuel dragster, he had already won a second national event.

Cannon's most recent victory came in Milan, Michigan during the IHRA Motor City Nationals. And, just to think, this ultimate party all started in a restroom, in January, during a Motley Crue concert in St. Louis.

That’s when Cannon, a six-time Pro Modified world champion and one-time NHRA Funny Car finalist, was offered a chance to drive a nitro car once again. Cannon said this was the only proposition that he’d ever accept in a restroom.

Cannon said the offer wasn’t the first time Evan Knoll, one of drag racing’s largest sponsors, had provided an incredible opportunity for him.

Next weekend Cannon would love to win an elusive nitro world championship during the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, NC. He's one of three Top Fuel drivers in contention for the title.

With the leaves of fall turning a golden yellow, Scotty Cannon couldn’t believe his own good fortunes. In just his first year of driving an IHRA Top Fuel dragster, he had already won a second national event.

Cannon's most recent victory came in Milan, Michigan during the IHRA Motor City Nationals. And, just to think, this ultimate party all started in a restroom, in January, during a Motley Crue concert in St. Louis.

That’s when Cannon, a six-time Pro Modified world champion and one-time NHRA Funny Car finalist, was offered a chance to drive a nitro car once again. Cannon said this was the only proposition that he’d ever accept in a restroom.

Cannon said the offer wasn’t the first time Evan Knoll, one of drag racing’s largest sponsors, had provided an incredible opportunity for him.

Next weekend Cannon would love to win an elusive nitro world championship during the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, NC. He's one of three Top Fuel drivers in contention for the title.

Such an accomplishment would be the ultimate present that he could deliver for team owner Knoll. After all, Knoll was the one who rescued Cannon from the drag racing sidelines in 2005 with an offer to race Pro Modified again.

“I was sitting around and doing nothing when Evan called me and asked what I was up to,” Cannon remembered. “It’s like the phone call that only comes in movies. He told me that it just wasn’t right that I wasn’t in drag racing after all I had accomplished and asked me what it would take to get back out there. I told him and by the time we got off of the phone the wrenches began turning to get ready.”

Cannon had always aspired to have his son Scott, Jr. behind the wheel of a Pro Modified and with blessings from Knoll did so. As for himself, Cannon still had the desire to race nitro. After all, once you’ve driven a nitro car, going backwards is difficult.

“Then the phone rang,” Cannon said. “You’re sitting there … and you have to understand this is Evan … he asked me if I would like to go to a Motley Crue concert in St. Louis. He didn’t have to ask me a second time. The next thing I knew, he had his jet headed my way.”

Cannon said he never expected any of that.

“The next thing I know, a gentleman walks up to me at the concert and says, ‘Hey, you’re Scotty Cannon. Can you autograph something for me? I gave the guy my personal cell phone and asked him not to give it out and I’d send him something the next day.”

“How’s that for fate?” Cannon asked.

Cannon said Knoll took note of that interaction and offered Cannon the opportunity to drive his personal IHRA Top Fuel dragster. He didn’t answer immediately but did inevitably oblige the request.

Cannon said getting back into the car was like riding a bike, he merely picked up where he left off. His participation on the NHRA POWERade tour has been limited as Knoll’s focus for this team is on the IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro jam series.

Cannon has won twice [Grand Bend, Ont. and Milan, Mich.] and remains in third place with only one race remaining on the IHRA tour.

Cannon’s last victory came three weeks ago, on the same day that friendly rival John Force suffered a horrendous crash that left him with serious injuries.

“That was a real gut shot,” Cannon said. “All of a sudden, you see the big picture when it comes to stuff like that. You see where racing ranks in life and how vulnerable we are when behind the wheel of one of these cars. You realize real quick; that if it can happen to a person like John Force with all of his championships, it can happen to Scotty Cannon.”

Cannon success this year is the result of a team which has gelled quickly.

“We had no other choice but to come together,” Cannon said. “Just a few weeks before we were supposed to go out, we had a bunch of parts and a lot of work to do. When you have a situation like that you just start knocking things out, getting done what needs to be done.”

Then Cannon got a reality check. An old back injury flared up during a race that required him to go under the knife again. A determined Cannon vowed to be back racing in three weeks and he was.

“It had gotten so bad that I had to have the crew guys lift me in and out of the car for each run,” Cannon said. “That was just my body’s way of saying slow down.”

The flare up has forced Cannon channel the desire to do everything into delegating authority in certain places.

“I have a really good team with Jimbo Ermolovich and everyone helping me here,” Cannon said. “We may be a little outmatched this weekend, but we are like the Bad News Bears, we just keep coming back. We know how to win – it’s just sometimes it ain’t pretty. Winning never has to be pretty, but you do have to do it to become a champion.”