Take Five:

Rod Fuller on the Strip

Sam Morris

Rod Fuller, a Las Vegas resident, swept the NHRA races in October at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

By Brian Hilderbrand (contact)

Friday, April 11, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Fuller

Las Vegas racer escapes burning car (4-2-2008)
Fuller’s first win couldn’t come at a better time (8-26-2005)
Fuller makes 'big-league’ debut at home track (4-13-2005)

NHRA: Rod Fuller

Rod Fuller loves racing at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway — and not just because it’s the site of his most recent NHRA Top Fuel victory.

Fuller, a seven-year resident of Las Vegas, drives the Caterpillar-sponsored Top Fuel dragster for David Powers Motorsports. He earned his sixth career victory in the fall at The Strip en route to a runner-up finish in the season points standings. (Had the NHRA not altered its system for determining its champions before last season, Fuller would have won his first NHRA world championship in 2007.)

As Fuller prepared for this weekend’s SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals at The Strip, he took time out of his hectic race-week schedule to give us the top five reasons why he likes racing in his adopted hometown.

1. Familiar faces

“I get to race in front of my friends and family. I also get to celebrate with them, where if you win a race in Englishtown, N.J., you get to celebrate with your crew but you don’t get to celebrate with your friends and family. I’ll have about 30 friends and family at the races this weekend.”

2. Home Sweet Home

“Sleeping in my own bed is one of the best parts of racing at home. I love that — and not having to pack and unpack or travel.”

3. Local knowledge

“You can go to the race, but you can also enjoy the city itself with its great hotels, great restaurants and shows. You don’t have those options at a lot of the racetracks that we go to.

“I’ll go out on Wednesday and Thursday and Sunday nights, but a lot of the drivers go out Friday and Saturday nights and have a lot of fun. They’re out late and all of them are tired and I’m fresh and ready to go on Sunday morning. It’s kind of like having a home-court advantage.”

4. The results

“I’ve won here. I do really well at this racetrack. Besides winning, the two races before that I was in the semifinals.”

5. The track

“I just love this racetrack. It’s the best facility in the country, from the track surface to the stands to the pit area. Overall, it’s my favorite track — and not just because it’s my home track.”