s the last leg of NHRA's 2003 Western Swing arrived in California the electorate was restless and demanding a change in the Sacramento government. With the consistency and performance of the Miller Lite Dragster and crew chief, Dick LaHaie might be a better choice than many of the current 300-plus candidates vying for the Governor's office.

Two other Californians, Larry Dixon and John Force had a shot at winning and sweeping the Swing, but of course there were 15 other candidates in their class with ideas of knocking them off.

Friday, Force quickly proved his intentions by setting a track record at 4.814. Oakley's Gary Scelzi then set a track record 318.92 mph. The track records kept dropping at Famoso Raceway, as the Kalittas nailed their 4.531 at 325.77 to a cheering crowd. By the end of the evening Dixon was paired with Cory McClenathan and, although crew chief LaHaie had ordered a frantic blower pulley change in the back of the staging lanes (below), ultimately he decided the team would sit in the #2 spot after Connie's booming number.

As the crew turned Dixon around to resounding Sonoma boo's, it looked as though it would come down again to the thundering red and blue cars since the track was plenty good this time!