Columnist Larry Dixon: Win capped big weekend

Larry Dixon

Monday, April 7, 2003 | 9:59 a.m.

Editor's note: Larry Dixon, driver of Don Prudhomme's Miller Lite Top Fuel dragster, wrote a daily column exclusively for the Las Vegas Sun in conjunction with the fourth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals at The Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

What an incredible weekend it's been for all of us on Don Prudhomme's Miller Lite Top Fuel Dragster team. We're thrilled to have our third consecutive win here at The Strip in addition to the new national speed record. Crew chief Dick LaHaie and the entire Miller Lite team have worked extremely hard for this, and today it paid off.

Race day, qualifying, whatever it may be, you try and get in the car the same, suit up the same, attitude the same. Every time we start up, we're looking to make a perfect run. I don't care if we're against number one in the points or number 100 in the points; you don't take anybody for granted. You go up there and you try to do your job. It truly puts a lot more heat on me to make sure I do a decent job on the starting line and not give it away.

We've made it to three out of four finals and that's nice. You've got to go rounds, get consistent top finishes and make it to the semis and then the finals to be able to rack up points.

A lot of people are talking about how many weeks in a row or races in a row we've been leading the points, but to me, I really don't care about it because -- OK, that's a record but I've only got one championship. Don Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein don't have a record like that but they've got a bunch of championships so obviously that isn't what does it for you. The only time it's important to hold the lead in the points is after Pomona at the end of the year.

I think it's great that we got the national speed record of 332.75 mph here. I've worked for Snake for 15 years and was trying to think when the last time he had the speed record in his camp; I think it was in 1985, with a Funny Car. To be able to get the speed record here is great. If we hold it for one week, that'll be great, nobody can take it away for at least a week so I'm just thrilled.

I had my best light of the day in the final round Sunday against Doug Kalitta but toward the end of the run, the car had spun the tires hard and started putting screws out. One, I didn't think it ran that quick and, two, I didn't think we were going to win as soon as it started doing that. I feel fortunate that he had more trouble than we did and we were able to get the win.

With Sunday being Snake's birthday, and him still having a career in this sport at 62 years old, really motivated me. The win also takes the heat off of me for what I'm going to get him for his birthday.

Well, I really enjoyed sharing my thoughts with you this weekend. I hope to see you all at The Strip when we return in October and maybe I can wrap another NHRA championship here like I did last year.