DIXON AND MILLER LITE CREW HOPE TO MAKE RIGHT ADJUSTMENTS FOR SUCCESS AT
SEATTLE
KENT, Wash. (July 18, 2006) Competing at Bandimere Speedway, near
Denver, presents arguably the most difficult conditions for the drag
racing professionals on the NHRA circuit. The crew chiefs must make
drastic changes to the tune-up of the race cars to adapt to elevation
that reaches nearly 6,000 feet. On the other hand, once the Denver race
is completed, teams must then revert back to the setup they use at the
other 22 races on the NHRA schedule before kicking-off qualifying for the
Seattle race just five days later.
"You have to put the car back to the way you had it before the
Denver race," Miller Lite crew chief Don Bender said. "You just
forget about Denver. You need to change the fuel system, along with
taking compression and timing out of the motor. It's an entirely
different motor combination, and you also go back to running on
85-percent nitromethane."
Last season, two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon and his Don
"the Snake" Prudhomme-owned Miller Lite Top Fuel team thrilled
the high speed race fans in the Pacific Northwest when the 38-time NHRA
winner set both the track elapsed time and speed marks during qualifying
at Pacific Raceways, 4.490 seconds at 331.36 mph. Now, Dixon and his
Bender-led crew aim for more of the same when the NHRA POWERade Drag
Racing Series makes its annual July visit to The Evergreen State, July
21-23, for the 19th annual Schuck's Auto Supply Nationals at Pacific
Raceways near Seattle.
"A lot has changed since last season," Dixon said.
"Because of the rules package, you can't do the same things
with the tune-up of the car. We're on a different tire and we have a
new ignition. Plus, there's a different track surface at Pacific
Raceways. There are a lot of variables that come into the equation. I am
excited about our race car because Donnie (Bender) and Todd (Smith) are
really starting to gel, making us a better team."
With a seasoned race crew behind him, the veteran Top Fuel racer and the
Miller Lite/Lucas Oil team are poised to make a run as Dixon eyes the
39th victory of his career. If they can properly adapt after the tricky
Denver event, then more stellar numbers might be in store for
Dixon's 330-mph rail.
-www.snakeracing.com
