A drought ended in the Arizona desert and not one drop of rain fell. The drought we speak of was the one that has plagued Larry Dixon for 13 years at Firebird International Raceway.

“There are places that I've been racing longer and still haven't gotten a win,” admitted Dixon. “I always enjoy coming here - especially with Charlie Allen running the track.”

The mere mention of Allen’s name is enough to carry Dixon on a journey down memory lane to his childhood when he accompanied his father, Larry Dixon, Sr., a former Top Fuel driver to the racetrack.

Dixon has won 42 NHRA national events after reaching the final round an incredible 78 times. In repelling Grubnic’s final round effort, he upped his career round win total to 460. (Roger Richards)

A drought ended in the Arizona desert and not one drop of rain fell. The drought we speak of was the one that has plagued Larry Dixon for 13 years at Firebird International Raceway.

“There are places that I've been racing longer and still haven't gotten a win,” admitted Dixon. “I always enjoy coming here - especially with Charlie Allen running the track.”

The mere mention of Allen’s name is enough to carry Dixon on a journey down memory lane to his childhood when he accompanied his father, Larry Dixon, Sr., a former Top Fuel driver to the racetrack.

“I grew up at Charlie’s race track -- Orange County Raceway so anytime to come back is great,” Dixon said. “The layout of the race track is very similar so it kind of brings you back to your childhood especially if you have one of the cheeseburgers from this place.  I'm not blowing smoke, it's the same recipe they had in Orange County.  It brings me back to being a kid again so it's cool.”

The fond memories of his freshman season also float to the forefront of his mind. Dixon made his second career start at Firebird during his 1995 rookie season. He’s quick to contend bad luck is not to blame for the first victory coming thirteen years later.

“These races aren't easy to win no matter where you go,” Dixon added. “You can never take for granted a win anywhere just because you've won one time.  There have been so many things that have happened since 1995 from the way the cars are to crew chiefs to sponsors, there's not a given on anything.  Every win that we get I cherish because you never know if it's going to be your last.”

On that note, Dixon appears particularly fond of those victories with Donnie Bender as his tuner.

“He's been on our team since 1999 and he's never been on a car that's  won here,” said Dixon. “You think about that and you think -- man it would be nice to be able to get to knock that one out of the way.  For him to be able to do it as crew chief and beat some of the cars that he did, I dedicated the win to him.  He earned it this weekend.  He worked real hard and got that car running better every run.”

Dixon feels that Bender’s day has arrived as a respective tuner in the industry.
 
“Now it isn't about somebody giving him the chance to be a crew chief,” Dixon said. “Now he's won and he's been in championship fights as a crew chief instead of being an assistant crew chief.  He's got a career now as a crew chief and he deserves it.  He's worked a lot of years in this sport and worked under a lot of great people.  I couldn't be happier for him.”

Dixon has won 42 NHRA national events after reaching the final round an incredible 78 times. In repelling Grubnic’s final round effort, he upped his career round win total to 460.

Dixon elevated his U.S. Smokeless Tobacco team from third in the points to just a single point behind leader Tony Schumacher, his semi-final victim.