Bristol: Larry Dixon Friday summary

Dixon Sits Ninth After Friday Qualifying At Bristol JBRISTOL, Tenn. (April 30, 2004) -- Two-time defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon drove his Miller Lite Top Fuel dragster to the No. 9 qualifying spot Friday following the first two ...

Dixon Sits Ninth After Friday Qualifying At Bristol

JBRISTOL, Tenn. (April 30, 2004) -- Two-time defending NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon drove his Miller Lite Top Fuel dragster to the No. 9 qualifying spot Friday following the first two qualifying sessions at Bristol Dragway.

Dixon posted a run of 11.016 seconds at 86.38 mph on his first qualifying effort of the weekend after his Miller-back rail lost traction early in the run. Crew chief Dick LaHaie tuned the 33-time event winner to a performance of 4.617 at 320.58 to claim the ninth qualifying position after two of four scheduled qualifying sessions.

"After we smoked the tires on the first run, we needed to set the car up so that we got qualified and we did that," Dixon said. "I'm happy that we're now in the show because it's been proven that you can win from any position on Sunday."

Dixon, who won at Thunder Valley in 2002, aims to move up the Top Fuel ladder when qualifying resumes at 1 and 4 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.

ESPN2 will televise 90 minutes of qualifying highlights from the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals beginning at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 1 and show three hours of final eliminations at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 2.