Thursday, March 1, 2007 | 7:11 a.m.
Rod Fuller could get used to this.
Fuller, a Las Vegas resident, earned his fourth career National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel victory Sunday at Firebird International Raceway near Phoenix and emerged from the second race of the season as the category's points leader for the first time in his career.
Fuller got his first taste of what it means to be on top of his profession when he and his David Powers Motorsports crew went out for a celebratory dinner Sunday night in Phoenix.
"We all went out as a team to the Outback (Steakhouse), and I walked in the door and people just started clapping and cheering," he said. "They all were watching the replay on the TV and recognized me. I was a little shy about it at first, but it's kind of cool. That's a moment in your life that you'll never forget."
The victory couldn't have come at a better time for Fuller and his team, which is searching for a primary sponsor. Valvoline, which sponsored Fuller's dragster last year and through the first two races this season, now is an associate sponsor .
"I needed that more than I needed any victory with all the uncertainty that's going on," Fuller said. "It definitely came at a great time.
"I know I'm destined to drive these cars and I know I'm good at driving these cars - it's what I was meant to do - and to be so close to it almost going away scares me."
Fuller said he is confident that team owner David Powers will continue to run the team - especially as long as Fuller is leading the Top Fuel - but conceded that it takes the financial commitment from a primary sponsor to run the full season.
"To have a team like this ... is something special and you don't want to see something like that go away," Fuller said. "And it only takes losing one thing to upset the balance of it, and this great thing that we've got going could go away."
For the time being, Fuller said he is concentrating on the next race, in Gainesville, Fla., in two weeks, but said he would like nothing more than to be the Top Fuel points leader - with a sponsor - when the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series returns to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in April.
Eye-opener
Casey Kingsland, a Las Vegas native, made his 2007 debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night at California Speedway.
Kingsland, 22, finished 32nd in the 34-truck field after he spun out and damaged the front end on his No. 7 Hooters Energy Drink Chevrolet. It marked the first time Kingsland had raced on a track longer than 1.5 miles
"I thought this superspeedway stuff was easy," Kingsland said after the race. "Seeing it on TV, I thought, 'How hard can it be?' I overshot that big-time.
"It's not the speed whatsoever, it's just that I'm used to the short tracks."
Busch to meet fans
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and a Las Vegas native, will hold a meet-and-greet with his fans next Thursday at Fast Lap Indoor Kart Racing in Las Vegas.
Busch will race against fans on the kart track, pose for photos and sign autographs and give away prizes during the event, which will run from 5 to 7 p.m.
The inaugural Kyle Busch Fan Club Event is free for 2006 members of Busch's fan club and $20 for non-members. Fast Lap Indoor Kart Racing is at 4288 S. Polaris Ave. Call 782-5005 for additional information.
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