Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Controversy brews in Bud Shootout

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004 | 9:27 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.

Drag racing's long-standing "beer war" may come to a head tonight during the draw party for Saturday's Budweiser Shootout all-star Top Fuel race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It appears as if Larry Dixon, driver of the Top Fuel dragster sponsored by Budweiser rival Miller Lite, will not be eligible for tonight's blind draw for a wild-card entry into the eight-car field for the Shootout, which pays $100,000 to the winner.

Dixon, a three-time winner of the event, said that he has a standing commitment to make a personal appearance tonight for Miller Lite and cannot attend the draw party at The Joint in the Hard Rock hotel-casino. Dixon said he wasn't informed until Wednesday afternoon that he must be at the draw party in order to be eligible for the wild-card draw.

Dixon claimed that he told a representative from Budweiser during the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend that he had a sponsor commitment for the same time as the draw party and was assured that it would be no problem.

"It has been a non-issue (since Labor Day) and then all of a sudden the rules change," Dixon said Wednesday. "I think the people from Budweiser ... have known all along that I've had a commitment and I couldn't go to the draw," Dixon said.

Dixon stopped short of accusing Budweiser officials of using dirty tricks to keep the Miller Lite dragster out of the event.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Dixon said. "It's a pretty easy out for them, but I don't know. If that's how it's got to be, I'll be OK.

"I think it's just kind of funny how all of a sudden the rules change."

The format for the Budweiser Shootout was changed this year when officials from Anheuser-Busch and the National Hot Rod Association moved the event from Pomona, Calif., to Las Vegas. In the past, the eight quickest Top Fuel qualifiers from the previous year qualified for the event. This year, the seven quickest qualifiers earned a spot in the field and the eighth spot is determined via a blind draw from among the eight drivers who qualified in positions 8-15 in the final qualifying points order.

An NHRA spokesman said it was "made clear" that the drivers vying for the wild-card spot had to appear in person at tonight's draw party, but he said he didn't know whether the rule appeared anywhere in writing. A spokesman for Budweiser referred all questions on the matter to the NHRA.

Dixon, who finished eighth in the season-long qualifying points standings for the event, acknowledged that he had nobody to blame but himself for being in a position to have to rely on a wild-card entry to make the Budweiser Shootout field.

"The fact of the matter is if we had done better during the season, I guess we wouldn't be in this position," Dixon said.

Brandon Bernstein, who drives the Budweiser-sponsored dragster, finished fourth in qualifying points for the Shootout and is guaranteed a spot in the eight-car field.

The 20th annual Budweiser Shootout will be held Saturday during the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, with rounds at noon, 1:45 and 3:30 p.m.

OPEN INVITATION: Legendary rock musician Carlos Santana is scheduled to sign autographs Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at the Pedregon Racing souvenir trailer in the pits at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Santana will be attending the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals this weekend to promote a marketing partnership with Funny Car drivers Tony and Cruz Pedregon. Both drivers will be sporting Santana-themed paint schemes on their racecars during this weekend's event to publicize Santana's charitable organization, the Milagro Foundation.

"I am honored that the Pedregon brothers recognize the mission of the Milagro Foundation and want to join us in helping children all around the planet," Santana said in a press release. "The idea of bringing attention to Milagro through the popularity of the NHRA series was an interesting idea that has turned into something rather unique.

"The Pedregon brothers are good people who believe that we should transcend cultural borders and biases."

Santana and his wife, Deborah, founded the Milagro Foundation in 1998 to benefit charities and agencies that support children and youth in the areas of health, education and the arts.

DRIVER APPEARANCES: Tony Schumacher, Gary Scelzi, Whit Bazemore, Angelle Savoie and Antron Brown are scheduled to take part in a free autograph session today from 5-7 at the Treasure Island hotel-casino. ...

Cory McClenathan, Kurt Johnson, Scott Kalitta, David Baca, David Grubnic, Terry Haddock, Harold Martin, John Smith, Rhonda Hartman-Smith, Jim Yates and all Top Fuel drivers eligible for the Budweiser Shootout will attend a free autograph session tonight from 8-9 at the Hard Rock hotel-casino.