Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Returning to Phoenix isn’t a drag for Larry Nance

Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002 | 10:33 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.

Former NBA all-star Larry Nance will have added incentive to do well this weekend when the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series stops in Chandler, Ariz., for the Checker/Schuck's/Kragen Nationals at Firebird International Raceway.

It was during his NBA playing days with the Phoenix Suns that Nance first fell in love with drag racing and ignited his Pro Stock racing career.

"We're excited about going back to Phoenix," Nance said. "I was there a long time playing basketball and it's also where I met my wife Jaynee. I know I'll see a lot of friends, so I want to perform well while I'm there.

"Phoenix was where I first went to a drag strip -- it was Firebird Raceway. I fell in love with a Camaro there. The name of the Camaro was 'Blue Thunder.' I ended up buying it. Since then, which was 1986, I've been racing, racing, racing."

Firebird Raceway also was where Nance qualified for his first NHRA professional race in 1997.

"Phoenix holds many memories of the three loves of my life: family, basketball and racing," he said.

Nance, who retired from the NBA in 1996 after 15 seasons with the Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, said racing -- especially in the highly competitive Pro Stock category -- fulfills his desire for competition.

"The reason I picked Pro Stock racing is that I feel it is the toughest professional class on the NHRA circuit," he said. "That's where I wanted to be. I didn't want to play in the CBA (Continental Basketball Association), although I probably could have been the best in that league. I wanted to play in the NBA, where the competition is. That's what drives me -- competing with the very best competition.

"When I was playing, I got butterflies on the court and now the same thing happens to me in the racecar. But that's part of the fun. The competition and intimidation factors are the same in either sport. Whether you play basketball or race cars, even though you are part of a team, you have to play your own game."

Nance is hoping to rebound this weekend from a disappointing showing at the season-opening Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., where he failed to qualify for Sunday's eliminations in his U.S. Marine Corps-sponsored Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Force, who earned his 99th win at the season opener in Pomona, has won seven of the past eight races at Firebird. His seven career wins at Firebird are second only to his nine victories at Pomona and Brainerd, Minn.

"It's something no one has ever done," Force said of his quest for 100 wins. "But there's always another record (to be set). When it comes, it comes. Maybe it won't even happen. "Bottom line (is) we're focused on the championship. We were the last Winston champions (and we'd like to be the first Powerade champions, but look at the competition out there; any car in the show can beat you anymore. There aren't any easy rounds."

"We have so many companies interested in helping us spread our message and the fact we started strong has been a nice boost," Lampus said. "But we have yet to sign any substantial deals to date, which has really pushed us into a corner. We simply can't continue at this rate. It's so disheartening to say, but it's true."

Lampus qualified seventh at Pomona and advanced to the second round of eliminations, where he lost to eventual champion Larry Dixon.

Dixon heads to Firebird Raceway as the Top Fuel points leader after defeating Kenny Bernstein in the final at Pomona.