New Faces in Norwalk's
Winners' Circle

Words by Ian Tocher
Photos by Roger Richards

uge crowds showed up at Norwalk Raceway Park Aug. 21-24, where they saw Bruce Litton win in Top Fuel, Thomas Patterson in Pro Mod, Jim Sickles in Alcohol Funny Car, and Doug Kirk in Pro Stock at the 26th Annual Sunoco World Nationals presented by PPG. Frank Gugliotta also went home a winner in Saturday's special-event Sunoco Pro Stock Shootout.

The World Nationals also marked the return of Scott Kalitta to a Top Fuel driver's seat and the competition debut of former Funny Car champ Von Smith in a Pro Mod. In fact, Smith pulled double duty in Norwalk, as he raced in the Funny Car class, too.

Unfortunately, the event was marred by the death of Pro Mod racer Jack O'Dell, who collapsed after a qualifying pass on Saturday. O'Dell, whose son Kevin also races in the class, was taken to Fisher-Titus Hospital in Norwalk, where he passed away.

TOP FUEL

The Top Fuel field was twice as big in Norwalk, but the final round came down to a very familiar pairing for IHRA fans. Two-time defending series champ Clay Millican squared off against Bruce Litton in the final, where Litton scored his second win of 2003 with a 4.938-seconds pass at 294.50 mph. Litton also won over Millican at Edmonton in June and remains the only driver to beat Millican all year.

Bruce Litton and his Lucas Oil- backed team earned their second win of the season at the IHRA's biggest race of the year.

Despite the race featuring the IHRA's first 16-car nitro field in more than three decades, number-one qualifier Litton had a bye in the first round when Tim Gibson's car refused to fire on the line. Then, Litton made another solo pass in the quarter-finals when Jack Ostrander couldn't answer the call after blowing up his engine in the opening round. Litton had a real test in the semis, though, against former NHRA Top Fuel champion Scott Kalitta, who was racing for the first time since 1999. Both drivers left together, but both lost traction early and Litton won the pedaling contest, while Kalitta's engine let go near halftrack.

Meanwhile, Millican trailered Louie Allison and Bobby Lagana -- despite Lagana running a career-best 4.878 at 303.50 -- before enjoying his own bye in the semis after Mitch King couldn't make repairs in time after suffering an engine fire in round two.

Millican actually left first in the final with a .059 reaction time, his best of the day, but Litton drove around him at the top end when Millican's engine started mixing up cylinders and finally let go in the lights.

"I have always felt that when you have sixteen-car fields, it always seems to bring out the best in everyone," Litton said. "It makes a better show for everyone in the end."