HONORING THE IHRA CHAMPIONS

A championship has a story and every champion pens that story throughout the year by their actions.

Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com is honored to chronicle their stories in this two-part series that profiles the big winners on the NHRA POWERade and IHRA Nitro Jam championship drag racing series.

Going into the final weekend of the season, crew chief Mike Wolfarth knew his driver needed an edge, any edge, if he was going to win the title. The faithful crew chief for longtime Top Fuel driver Bruce Litton had seen the look of disappointment in his driver’s face after finishing runner-up for three seasons and third in a fourth.

After each lost opportunity in the past, Litton smiled graciously accepting fate like a true sportsman, but Wolfarth knew Litton deserved to be a champion at least once.

Litton is a winner with 39 final rounds to his credit. Yet, each time he had a season good enough to win the title, someone else had a slightly better on.

That’s why Wolfarth, in the midst of a personally tough week, decided the week before the final race of the 2007 season to completely dismantle Litton’s car, double-checking every nut and bolt.

Litton will be the first to admit that he’s lucky to have a crew chief like Wolfarth. In no way will Litton ever be found guilty of being a braggart, although he beams when talking about the efforts of Wolfarth and his team.“It was the weekend where everything just went really well for us following a week that had been really hard for us,” Litton said of the final weekend of the season. “Mike had lost his mom and he's a workaholic anyway and for him to stay busy was an understatement. He wanted to stay busy to keep his mind off of it. He took the car down to the frame rails and it really showed because the car ran so consistently. The car actually went down the track every time and it actually did what we wanted it to do.”

All things considered, there was pain in the feeling of glory. “It was really just an awful feeling but he just spent so much time working on the car,” Litton said acknowledging the effort of his crew chief during such a sad time.

I wondered if I needed to be out there. The love was still out there and the pride in our workmanship. But it tugs at you emotionally. You start wondering whether this is what we needed to be doing, but we've been doing it for a long time and it was just kind of the thing where it just worked out in the end. It was always something that held us back -- something here -- oil there -- crash here -- crash there, it always seemed like that beat us up.

The triumph at the season-ending IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, North Carolina was the championship clincher for Litton’s Lucas Oil/Torco Race Fuels-sponsored team.

Some argue that the title was clinched before the season began when Litton brought back his original crew members for another run at a championship, this time without Clay Millican racing on the IHRA Nitro Jam tour.

“I really enjoyed racing against Clay regardless of how those championship battles turned out,” Litton said. “When we clinched the championship, he was one of the first who congratulated me. He called me that night. It was really special to me because we've been trying for a long, long time and we just put our best foot forward. We've always had good cars and we've always had good crews, it just seemed like this year we tried a little harder and it seems that worked out for us.”

Litton entered the Rockingham event trailing T.J. Zizzo by 26 points, which was a round behind and some change. He developed a game plan, but the popular Litton wasn’t so naïve to think he was the only one counting points.

Litton worked all of the angles including swiping the Last Man Standing honors and winning his first round match against Luigi Novelli. He also got a favorable nod from fate, as Kevin Jones, driving the same dragster that Litton began his career with back in the 1990s, knocked off Zizzo in the first round.

Losing title after title was faith tester for Litton. Sometimes he had to wonder if he felt his destiny was to compete for a drag racing title.

“I wondered if I needed to be out there,” Litton said. “The love was still out there and the pride in our workmanship. But it tugs at you emotionally. You start wondering whether this is what we needed to be doing, but we've been doing it for a long time and it was just kind of the thing where it just worked out in the end. It was always something that held us back -- something here -- oil there -- crash here -- crash there, it always seemed like that beat us up.

“My first goal was to stay out of the hospital. My second goal was to be a good contender. God blessed us and kept us out of harm’s way all year so that was really crucial.”

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FUNNY CAR – DALE CREASY, JR.

The IHRA World Finals at Rockingham Dragway were a pressure cooker for pretty much every driver who was at or near the top of their class’ championship points standings. But for Dale Creasy Jr., the Torco-backed Nitro Funny Car pilot from Beecher, Ill., the World Finals was a walk in the park.

After clinching his second consecutive world championship a month earlier at the Suzuki Motor City Nationals in Milan, Michigan, Creasy and his team went to Rockingham Dragway without the pressure or tension they faced one year prior when he battled with Jack Wyatt for the championship … a battle that went right down to the final round.

Last year Creasy finished a mere five points in front of Wyatt … the closest professional championship points race in IHRA history. This season was a much different story. His 23-5 record in elimination rounds this season and six national event victories on the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam circuit took all the suspense out of the points chase.

“This just shows how good my guys are,” Creasy said. “They are always right on with every call they make on the car. When I get in the car to make a pass I really don’t have to worry about anything but doing my job. I think the biggest concern this team has is what the driver will do.”

Despite having the championship wrapped up, Creasy and his guys did not let down in Rockingham.

Last season it went down to the final round of the final race of the season. That was kind of fun, looking back, and it was cool to be able to win it that way. But this year was fun, too, and it really makes a statement about the level of support this team gets from Evan Knoll, Latrell Preston and Torco Racing Fuels. I really preferred how things played out this season. Our car was not always the fastest…we only qualified No. 1 once or twice, but on race day we were usually the best car.

“We clinched in Milan, but that didn’t mean we were going to let down in Rockingham,” he said. “We try hard to win every race but we shook the tires and were beat. Actually it was lucky for us we clinched the championship when we did because we really struggled at the last two races.”

Creasy was thrilled to have the title in his back pocket when he pulled through the gates at Rockingham Dragway, even though he had a blast last season when the points race went down to the last pass.

“It was a lot different than last year,” Creasy said. “Last season it went down to the final round of the final race of the season. That was kind of fun, looking back, and it was cool to be able to win it that way. But this year was fun, too, and it really makes a statement about the level of support this team gets from Evan Knoll, Latrell Preston and Torco Racing Fuels. I really preferred how things played out this season. Our car was not always the fastest…we only qualified No. 1 once or twice, but on race day we were usually the best car.”

Creasy has had some time to let things sink in and look back at what he has accomplished during his two-year stint racing with IHRA.

“Right after the race in Milan, Mike Perry from IHRA told me I was fifth all-time in career Nitro Funny Car wins,” Creasy said. “That’s when it hit me…when it really started to sink in. At the same time I really can’t worry about that kind of thing. When you get satisfied with yourself and start to puff your chest out about what you’ve accomplished, that’s when you start slipping. And in this class you really can’t afford to slip at all because it has gotten so competitive. We had an all eight bump in Rockingham, that really tells you how much everyone has stepped up their performance. As a driver you really have to stay sharp to keep up that consistency.”

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TORCO RACE FUELS PRO MODIFIED – SCOTT CANNON, JR.

The huge smile on the kid’s face didn’t tell the story. His father’s countenance did.

Scott Cannon, Jr. clinched his first career championship at the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, North Carolina in October. His dad Scotty Cannon, had six to his credit ranging from 1991 to 1998, and made the feat look like clockwork.

But, for “Junior” to pull off such a thing was a special badge of honor.

The Lyman, South Carolina based father-son duo became the only two-generation driving combination to win world championships in the seventeen-year old IHRA Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified division.

The Cannons also added another entry into the drag racing history books during that championship-clinching event in Rockingham.

They qualified tops in their respective professional categories. Scotty was the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel while Scott, who answers to Junior, also secured top honors in Pro Modified – a classification the elder Cannon once ruled with an iron fist.

“I’ve been around this sport long enough to know these kinds of things just don’t happen every day,” Scotty said. “I cannot begin to tell you how proud I was of our teams that night. If anyone deserved it, they did. Junior and I just got the headlines for it.”

Junior came into Rockingham’s IHRA World Finals with a first career world championship nearly locked up and while Scotty couldn’t win a Top Fuel world championship, he was gunning for a third Top Fuel win in his rookie season.

People will never really understand that I hadn’t eaten in three days. That’s not counting the two bottles of Tagament that I’d eaten just to settle my stomach. I hadn’t slept in a month.

Scotty knew exactly how his son felt. He’d experienced that same gut-wrenching feeling of chasing a championship in 1991. Not only did he win that year, but also five other times to establish himself as the winningest driver in the Pro Modified class although he’s been absent full-time for nearly a decade.

Junior was only a teenager when his dad went through a battle with Al Billes for his initial crown.

“I remember the pressure he was under back then,” Junior said. “You know, I never really expected to be in the position that I’m in now back then. If I had, I might have paid more attention with the way he dealt with things back then.”

Junior’s ramp up to his inaugural title was indeed a pressure-cooker.

“People will never really understand that I hadn’t eaten in three days,” Cannon said. “That’s not counting the two bottles of Tagament that I’d eaten just to settle my stomach. I hadn’t slept in a month.”

Even though Junior had put a nearly insurmountable point difference between himself and second place Mike Janis, there was still a mathematical chance he could lose the deal because of parts attrition and the IHRA’s oildown policy. That reality almost pushed him to sit out Sunday’s first round of eliminations.

“We had thought about it,” Junior said. “I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. We just wanted to go out there and lay it on the line and get that first round out of the way. I knew if we won the first round there was no way that he could beat us for the championship.”

Junior’s day ended in the second round when he admittedly misjudged the track. Dad went on to reach the final round of Top Fuel.

“Winning all those races and championships were great and I am honored that we did that,” Scotty (Sr.) said. “But seeing him win his first championship meant more to me than anything I’ve ever accomplished. I’ll tell you. This is special. You can do a lot in your lifetime but when you see your kid pull off something like that – it’s special. It really touches your heart.”

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ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR - MARK THOMAS

Mark Thomas etched his name in the record books, arguably becoming the greatest professional IHRA racer of all time by winning his seventh career Alcohol Funny Car world championship in 2007. Before the ’07 season he was tied with Clay Millican (Top Fuel) and Scotty Cannon (Pro Modified) with six career titles. Now, following this Knoll Gas Nitro Jam campaign, Thomas stands alone.

“It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Thomas said. “Clay Millican and Scotty Cannon are some of the best drivers in the history of this sport and it is an honor to just be mentioned with them. This is a dream come true. Growing up did I ever think I would get this far? To be tied with those two great racers was something else. Then to get my seventh world championship and move one ahead…I don’t even know if I could ever dreamed something like that.”

It was apparent early this year that Thomas had his sights set on the title. He came out of the gate strong and never slowed down, advancing to the final round at the first four events on the ’07 schedule and finding the final round at the final two. All told he won three Ironmen this season to raise his career total to 29 and has advanced to a record 64 finals during his career…breaking Millican’s professional record of 60.

Thomas entered the 2007 World Finals with a slight points lead over Rob Atchison and seemingly clinched the title with a semifinals victory over Neal Parker. But Atchison, who was on the other side of the ladder and would face Thomas in the final round, had something up his sleeve for his fiercest rival.

My wife has not been at a race for two years, not because she doesn’t want to but because she takes care of everything at home. She really allows me to be me. I’m pretty high maintenance but she does all the little things to make things that much easier for me and I really think she is the unsung hero in all of this. Chris is definitely the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

“When we were pulling into the lanes Rob told me if he won and I oiled the track he would win the championship,” Thomas said. “He would have the head-to-head tiebreaker and we would have been dead even in the points, making him the world champion. We are always so competitive…like I always say; he’s my best friend away from the track and my fiercest competitor on it. But I have to congratulate Rob. He had a great season and was the first one to come over and give me a hug at the end of the track.”

The 2007 Alcohol Funny Car class was loaded from top to bottom. Thomas knows this championship was unlike any other in his career.

“The competition is always tight, and then towards the end of the season you throw in Laurie Cannister and Dale Brand, with what they were able to do, it was that much tougher,” Thomas said. “They both ran in the 5.60’s and that really put even more pressure on us all. It made us realize our cars can go faster than we even thought and also made us even more aware that you walk a fine line between going down the track and not going down the track. My crew really put me in position to do this.”

Thomas’ race day crew is one thing, but he realizes his crew at home makes all the difference to his racing endeavors. His wife Chris, daughters Andrea (14) and Valerie (17) and son Nick (11) make the sacrifices at home so he can go racing.

“My wife has not been at a race for two years, not because she doesn’t want to but because she takes care of everything at home,” Thomas said. “She really allows me to be me. I’m pretty high maintenance but she does all the little things to make things that much easier for me and I really think she is the unsung hero in all of this. Chris is definitely the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”

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TORCO RACE FUELS PRO STOCK - ROBERT PATRICK

When Robert Patrick was just a kid, his father Eli used to bring in the best mountain motor Pro Stock drivers as a promotional avenue for his Purvis Ford dealership in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The youngster aspired to one day be a champion like the legends he idolized - Lee Edwards, Ronnie Sox and Rickie Smith.

A quarter of a century later, 21 career final rounds, seven top ten points finish and a third place ranking amongst all-time winners in the Torco Race Fuels Pro Stock division, Patrick has certainly come of age since the early 1980s.

Patrick’s 2007 world championship only solidified that belief.

“Many years ago, I finished second to my good friend Billy Huff and while I wanted to win that title, it didn’t hurt my feelings so much because I felt there would always be next year,” Patrick said. “But there were so many times we came close and at the last moment something happened. That was disheartening. I said to myself before this season started that I was going to make this year the one we finished the deal.”

When fate sought to steal the elusive first championship from him with just two races left in the 2007 IHRA, Patrick rolled up his sleeves and began belting out punches in the final event of the season, the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, North Carolina.

You know we worked as hard to lose those championships as we did to win them. We worked hard. When I go into that shop and look my guys in the eye, I can do it knowing that we gave it every bit we had. We are the champions and that says it all.

Patrick pointed out it was losing the point lead in front of his hometown crowd in Budds Creek, Maryland during the IHRA Torco President’s Cup Nationals which inspired him to fight back.

“I couldn’t believe it was happening again,” Patrick said. “There comes a time in a fight that you get knocked down and although you may have remained on the ground before – there comes a time when you say I’m not going to take this ^&%$ anymore.”

Patrick reverted to an unbelievable regimen of testing before Rockingham to wring every ounce of performance out of his Jerry Haas-prepared Mustang. He would need it to overtake defending champion Pete Berner and then point-leader Pete Berner.

“I told my PR agency that I didn’t want to be bothered with all the talk about points. I’m not counting points. I’m not talking points. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen. I was so ticked off that I told them I was coming in there and I had every intention of trying to be the quickest and fastest car every time we went out there.

Whatever was going to happen – was going to happen. I told them I was over it.”

The championship and the potential to lose yet another close battle ate Patrick up inside.

“That’s when I looked a lot to Scotty Cannon. He’s the man. He’s won six of these things, so I figured that he would know better than anyone else what it took to win. He kept me in the ball park a lot of times. We go way back and I won’t hesitate to say that I’ve learned a lot from him.”

Then as Patrick’s voice choked with tears, he acknowledged how difficult winning a championship is and how his Rich Purdy-led crew rose to the challenge.

“You know we worked as hard to lose those championships as we did to win them,” Patrick said. “We worked hard. When I go into that shop and look my guys in the eye, I can do it knowing that we gave it every bit we had. We are the champions and that says it all.”

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