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NITRO CHAMPS WIN AT
'THE ROCK'

By Ian Tocher with Jeff Burk
Photos by Ian Tocher and Jeff Burk

During night qualifying at Rockingham veteran nitrous Pro Mod racer Harold Martin's nitrous-oxide injected, big-block powered Grand Am had a nitrous explosion just past the tree and burned fiercely until just before the finish line. Martin credited his safety gear for allowing him to escape with only superficial injuries. (Jeff Burk photo)

MILLICAN CLIMBS ROCK


Defending IHRA Top Fuel champions Clay Millican and crew chief Mike Kloeber proved they're still the class of the field by qualifying number one, then winning at the 32nd Annual Holley Spring Nationals, held March 22-24, at Rockingham Dragway.



Mike Kloeber (left), driver Clay Millican (center), and team owner Peter Lehman were all smiles in Rockingham Dragway's victory lane after a successful start to their 2002 Top Fuel championship defense. (Ian Tocher photo)

Kloeber tuned Millican's Werner Enterprises dragster to the only four-second pass in a cold first round of qualifying on Friday night, then helped Millican secure the top spot with a 4.861 on Saturday night's final session despite losing the blower belt at about the thousand-foot mark. Bruce Litton, whom Millican would eventually meet in Sunday's final round, qualified his Lucas Oil-backed machine number two at 4.877 seconds.

"I know everyone says it, but it was my team that won that race," Millican insisted in victory lane after his 4.794 at 294.63 defeated Litton's 4.849 at 304.19 combo. "When the belt came off in qualifying, the pulley hit me in the shoulder and I was hurting all weekend. They really had to carry me for this one."

In the IHRA's other fuel class, Doug Vancil also started his season title defense on a positive note by defeating Ray Price in the Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley final.

Doug Vancil (sitting in truck) usually has one of the largest rigs on the grounds at an IHRA event to transport his 2001 championship-winning Nitro Harley, but his tractor burned a front wheel bearing just 200 miles from his Albuquerque, NM, home on his way to Rockingham. "This was the quickest and cheapest way to get here," Vancil said. "If I win, maybe I'll move up to a Ryder." (Ian Tocher photo)

Vancil had to overcome considerable adversity, though, beginning with a truck breakdown on his way to the race that led to him arriving in a small rental van. He then got bumped temporarily from the eight-bike field in qualifying, but in his last attempt made it into the number-four slot.

On raceday, Vancil's bad luck got worse in the first round when the bottom end of his engine came apart just past the finish line after he defeated Johnny Mancuso. Then, with a new engine in place, he brushed the right guardwall in the shutdown area after barely edging Mancuso's teammate Steve Stordeur for the win in round two.

It all came together for Vancil in the final, however, starting with a big holeshot over Price, then posting his quickest pass of the day at 6.636 seconds while Price coasted to a 7.439 shut-off run.



 

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