Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: NHRA season titles won’t be decided in Las Vegas this time

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2003 | 1:48 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.

Last year's ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals were notable in that three drivers clinched season championships by winning their respective pro categories at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Don't look for history to repeat itself later this month when the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series returns to The Strip for the third annual fall event.

Larry Dixon (Top Fuel) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) are in position to clinch championships this weekend at the O'Reilly Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis and it appears as if the Funny Car championship battle between Tony Pedregon and Whit Bazemore will come down to the season finale Nov. 6-9 in Pomona, Calif.

Dixon, who leads Doug Kalitta by 348 points, can clinch his second consecutive Top Fuel championship in Texas if he advances to the semifinals or if Kalitta loses in the first round (or fails to qualify).

Although Dixon is on the verge of his second NHRA championship, he has not won a race since Aug. 3 in Sonoma, Calif. -- a span of five races.

For Anderson, who drives for team owner Ken Black of Las Vegas, the scenario is almost identical. Anderson leads Kurt Johnson by 354 points and can wrap up the championship this weekend if he advances to the semifinals or if Johnson loses in the first round.

The championship scenario is a little more clouded with Pedregon holding a slim 94-point lead over Bazemore. Even if Pedregon were to accumulate the maximum amount of points this weekend by qualifying No. 1, winning the event and setting a national record, he could not clinch the title in Texas.

In Pro Stock Bike, which does not compete this weekend, Geno Scali holds a 151-point edge over Shawn Gann and can wrap up the championship in Las Vegas if he leads by at least 139 points at the end of the weekend.

The third annual ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals will be Oct. 23-26.

Anderson, who drives Ken Black's Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am, won the spring race at The Strip and is looking forward to repeating when the series returns to Las Vegas Oct. 23-26.

"I want to go back to Vegas and sweep the events there," Anderson said. "We have lots of connections there: My team owner is from there and he is going to have just an amazing amount of people there. It's very important to do well there.

"Up until we won (the U.S. Nationals in) Indy, winning the race at Las Vegas in the spring was the biggest thing to happen to this team this season. It's always good to win in front of the boss."

Force, who has 108 career victories, has to like his chances this weekend in Texas. Force has advanced to the Funny Car final in 11 of his past 15 appearances at the Texas Motorplex and has five victories at the track. In addition, he clinched four of his 12 Funny Car championships at the Motorplex.

"I made it crooked and then I tried to fix it and I ended up reaching a point where I just said 'to heck with it' and shaved it all off," Cannon said "Sometimes you just have to start from scratch." Nationals in) Indy, winning the race at Las Vegas in the spring was the biggest thing to happen to this team this season. It's always good to win in front of the boss."