Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Top Fuel dragster Dixon intent on starting new streak

Thursday, April 25, 2002 | 9:21 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Larry Dixon heads to Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway this weekend intent on beginning a new streak in his Don Prudhomme-owned Miller Lite NHRA Top Fuel dragster.

Dixon had his streak of 30 consecutive opening-round wins come to an end April 14 in Houston when he suffered a mechanical failure in his first-round matchup with Mitch King. Dixon started the streak on Oct. 29, 2000 at Houston Raceway Park.

"I think that (streak) was an accomplishment for everybody on the team and myself included," Dixon said. "There have been a lot of times when we should have got beat but we were still able to get the win, so to be able to go 30 races in a row was great.

"I wish we could have gone 50 races in a row because that would have carried us through the end of the year. It wasn't meant to be. Now we just need to try and start a new streak and go from there."

As a result of Dixon's early exit and Kenny Bernstein's win at Houston, Dixon goes into this weekend's Mac Tools Thunder Valley Nationals with a 65-point lead over Bernstein in the NHRA Top Fuel standings. Following his win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 7, Dixon held a healthy 147-point edge over Bernstein.

Despite the fact that Bernstein was able to take a big chunk out of Dixon's points lead, Dixon said his team isn't panicking.

"Nobody on our team is thinking about hanging ourselves," Dixon said "It is a long year and the championship is won based on your average over 23 races, not how you have done over a one-race or even a five-race stretch.

"It is all about trying to maintain a high level of performance for a full season -- whoever can do that will deserve the championship. No one can win every race, not even John Force. Think about the Chicago Bulls' team that won 73 games. Well, they also lost 10 games but they didn't get tipped over about it."

Force bought a new Top Fuel dragster and hauler last year and hired noted Top Fuel crew chief Jimmy Prock with the intention of fielding a Top Fuel dragster. But a chat with the brass at Ford convinced Force to stick with the Funny Car category.

"The folks at Ford said there's no way they can sell Ford Mustangs if I am in a dragster," Force said. "Ford said that they weren't going to sign me for five years and have me run off in a dragster.

"It was Ford Motor Company that really changed my plan. I listen to the people that pay me (and) Dan Davis of Ford said don't forget why we came. That's when I created the third Mustang with Gary Densham, to give us another Ford Mustang on the track."

Muldowney, voted fifth last season in the NHRA's 50 Greatest Drivers program, has 18 career wins and three NHRA Top Fuel titles. She last competed in the Mac Tools Gatornationals in March, where she qualified No. 9 and advanced to the second round of eliminations.

"I thought about that a lot," Johnson said. "Initially, I didn't like it. But he was bound to win No. 100, so I decided I might as well be the one who will be remembered for making the final round with him."06