Another NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season has arrived
and I’m excited to be back in the cockpit of the U.S. Army
Top Fuel dragster.
We kicked off the 2010 campaign last weekend in Pomona,
Calif. at the 50th annual Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals.
Unfortunately, our day ended in the semifinals courtesy of Larry
Dixon.
If you hadn’t heard already, the race with Larry was
quite unique — we actually posted identical elapsed times and
speeds. Now, you’re probably wondering why this race
wasn’t declared a tie. Well, it was Larry’s slightly
better reaction time at the starting line that sealed the deal for
him.
Of course, Larry drives for my former crew chief (Alan
Johnson) and has my former team working on his car. We were able to
edge them out by two points for the world championship last season.
I guarantee you the battle will be just as intense this year.
Now, it won’t just be Larry and I fighting it out for
the title again. There are a bunch of other great teams and drivers
in Top Fuel right now. Anyone can step up at any given time for
race wins and, ultimately, the championship. We’re definitely
awaiting the challenge ahead.
Like our Army Strong Soldiers, we know preparation and
leadership will be the keys to our success this season. And to be
sure, we have a great leader in my crew chief, Mike Green, who also
prepares us extremely well. We’re very fortunate to have Mike
in our camp. He’s a very talented tuner as proven by him
winning his first title last year.
Beyond the normal on-track activities, I’m looking
forward to visiting with the Hometown Heroes and Army VIPs who will
be at the races throughout this year.
In Pomona, we hosted Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen Frennier and
Captain Kenneth Singleton, who hails from Lynwood, Calif. and was
our Hometown Hero.
A Bronze Star recipient, Captain Singleton is a very much an
inspirational person. We were panelists for the Youth &
Education Services program, which the U.S. Army sponsors. You could
clearly see the interested looks from the kids who attended the
event. It wouldn’t surprise me if some of those same kids
decided to join the Army after hearing him speak.
With the season opener in the rear view mirror, we’ll
now head for Firebird International Raceway outside of Phoenix this
weekend for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist Nationals.
I certainly have pleasant memories from my trips to Firebird
over the years. In fact, I have three victories to my credit out
there, which leads the Top Fuel class. I hope we can add to that
total come Sunday.
We need to come out of the box ready to roll down in the
Valley of the Sun. That means getting after it with the first
qualifying session. I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what
Mike Green has in mind.
With that, we’re off to Arizona. I want to thank the
folks at FOXSports.com for allowing me to submit these blogs once
again. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy
writing them.
“The Sarge” salutes you all. We have a couple of
weeks off before traveling to the famed Gatornationals in
Gainesville, Fla. So, we’ll be back with you just after that
race. Until then, y’all stay well.
