Words by Kay Burk
Photos by Bryan Epps
7/12/06
ndrew Cowin enjoyed his trip to Michigan, qualifying No. 1, setting a track record and getting his first IHRA Top Fuel win. On Saturday the Scott Griffin Motorsports/Serta Mattresses Dragster set the speed record at 325.45 mph. The on Sunday, Cowin made his way through the field to meet Bobby Lagana in the final, running 4.840/282.95 to Lagana’s 4.945/282.19. Lagana’s dragster lost a couple of rods on the final run.
Amazingly, Cowin’s team used only one engine all weekend. “I really take my hat off to the crew,” Cowin said. “They thrashed in the pits back there.”
Early this season, team owner Scott Griffin hired Lance Larsen away from Clay Millican’s operation and he and Keith Stewart currently share crew chief duties.
“It is a huge accomplishment on a personal level, but it couldn’t have been done if Scott would not have brought Lance Larsen in,” Stewart said. “That was an unbelievable key. It
took a while to get the right people in place. Lance and I do this together. There isn’t one guy in the forefront; we do this together and that’s what it took.”Perhaps the loss of Larsen is making a difference this year in Kenny Koretsky’s Top Fuel operation, however. Clay Millican, who has dominated the class for the past five years, has been struggling this season and at Milan was upset in the semis against Lagana, when Millican’s Werner Enterprises dragster lost traction.
“The car shook the tires at 200 feet and Clay pedaled it,” said crew chief Mike Kloeber. “The car hooked up but lost traction again and Clay pedaled it again and smoked the tires all the way to the finish line.”
Millican’s run hurt engine parts that left oil on the Milan track surface, costing the team 15 points, but they retain the lead with 437. Doug Foley is second with 347. Cowin is in sixth place with 240.
Seventy-something Chris Karamesines knocked out Doug Foley in the first round and got to the semi-finals where the dragster broke, giving Lagana and free ride into the final. “The Greek” is seventh in the points battle.