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| Photo by Bob Plumer |
In the Top Fuel field, Prudhomme's ultra-lightweight Mattel
Hot Wheels dragster qualified No. 1 with a very promising
6.33. You've gotta remember that outside of Garlits no one,
but NO ONE had ever run 6.20s. Garlits' 6.21 at the 1971 NHRA
U.S. Nationals was a dragstrip length ahead of the next best
runs including Ted Thomas' 6.33 in the "Jade Grenade."
This in a reduced sense described Prudhomme's qualifying dominance
at this Lions race.
Prudhomme's closest pursuer was the man he would make history
with late Sunday evening, "Kansas John" Wiebe, a
diehard front-motor racer and one of the absolute best in
the country, who clocked a 6.40. Trailing this pair was a
superior West Coast line-up starting with the late Tony Nancy,
whose tangerine orange front-motored beauty had set a new
NHRA speed mark at a 236.22 backed up with a 233.16.
Also in the field were 1970 Drag News Top Fuel Driver of
the Year Jim Nicoll, Jeb Allen, James Warren, Kuhl & Olson,
Dennis Baca (father of David), and Larry Dixon Sr., father
of who else, Prudhomme's current driver and former NHRA Top
Fuel World champ Larry "don't call him Junior" Dixon.
The racing was good and tight with none of the aforementioned
cars able to drop into the 6.30s until the semi-finals. In
that heat, Wiebe's 6.41, 232.55 edged out Allen's rear-motored
"Praying Mantis"' effort of 6.44, 229.59, but Prudhomme
upped the ante a tad with a 6.39, 207.37 to 6.52, 200.85 win
over Bob Noice in Jim Brissette's rear-engined entry.
When these races took place, it was roughly (if memory serves
me well) 3:30 p.m., warm (75-80 degree temperatures), indicating
that Prudhomme and Wiebe might lock up in a good one. At the
time, I thought Prudhomme given the fact his 6.39 was a shut-off
run, he might even run as low as a 6.30, and if the drag god
were on our side, a 6.29. I had never seen a 6.20 as was the
case with 99 44/100s percent of the crowd, so anticipation
was really up. When the two pulled to the Lions roller starters,
things had changed dramatically weather-wise. The few miles
away Pacific Ocean had barged in with its cold personality
and the temps had dropped significantly. It wasn't the usual
Lions dew, just a cool (low 60s), reasonably dry climate and
this is a big reason why I think what I saw was the real deal.
Personally, I didn't think Wiebe was up to taking out Prudhomme.
There was no doubt the guy could twist like Chubby. After
all, the Newton, Kansas driver was the AHRA 1970 World Top
Fuel champ and would go on to win two more, it was just that
his semi-final effort seemed about all he had in his revolutionary
aluminum Donovan 417 engine. How wrong I was in reflection.
Short and sweet, Prudhomme buried Wiebe off the line and brothers
and sisters he needed to when the announcer screamed out the
times. "The Snake's" 473-cid Keith Black "Elephant"
motor pumped out a 6.174, 235.60 to put out Wiebe's ungodly
and greatest front-engine pass of all-time (to that point)
6.175, 236.22.
Never in the history of the sport and that includes not just
pre-1972, but right up to this year's Winternationals, did
two Top Fuel dragster run the quickest elapsed times ever
side-by-side.
The race looked quick and fast. At that time, I had nearly
10 years of pro spectating under my belt and I was prepared
to maybe hear that both drivers had run .. oh ... parallel
6.28s, 6.30s, but 6.17s? To this day, I may see a repeat of
that dual performance, but will that projected race last 35
years. No.
To quote Prince and incidentally, Sinead O'Connor .. that
final ... "Nothing Compares To You." 
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martin@dragracingonline.com |
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