Indianapolis: Larry Dixon completes test

CLAREMONT, IND (Aug. 22) Coming off of his fourth win of the season last weekend at Brainerd, Minnesota, Larry Dixon and Don Prudhomme Racing's Miller Lite Team celebrated taking over the lead in the Top Fuel points race with two days of test ...

CLAREMONT, IND (Aug. 22) Coming off of his fourth win of the season last weekend at Brainerd, Minnesota, Larry Dixon and Don Prudhomme Racing's Miller Lite Team celebrated taking over the lead in the Top Fuel points race with two days of test sessions which concluded Wednesday at Indianapolis Raceway Park site of next week's 47th Annual Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.

Dixon, who moved into the NHRA's top 10 for career wins in the Top Fuel category (14)with his victory on Sunday, returned home to Avon, Indiana just in time Tuesday to join Crew Chief Dick LaHaie's seven-member crew as they looked to test the newly resurfaced quarter-mile drag strip.

While Dixon and his teammates were not looking rewrite I.R.P.'s record books with full passes down the course, they did manage to record the best test time among Top Fuel Dragsters on Tuesday with their shortened lap of 4.714 seconds at 259.21 mph. Dixon's other lap on Tuesday, as well as his two laps on Wednesday were each scheduled shut-off runs designed to gain data rather than produce big numbers.

"Our biggest goal of testing here this week was to try and adapt to the weather conditions and the new track surface," said Dixon. "They have 400 more feet of concrete than before and they also have all new asphalt. The track has also been ground, so it's very smooth and flat. I think it's great."

Although the test sessions were short and sweet, Dixon believes that it was time well spent. He also does not think that winning last week's event on the Winston NHRA Drag Racing Series will give him any extra advantage coming into the most prestigious event of the year the U.S. Nationals.

"I would say that we got what we wanted out of the two days of testing," said Dixon. "Now we just have to wait and see what happens next week. Two years ago we came into Indy after winning at Brainerd and we didn't even qualify, so that will be our first order of business. Then, we will worry about the first round."

Dixon owns 1,412 points and leads second place Kenny Bernstein (1,404) by eightpoints heading into next week's U.S. Nationals. Dixon was only the third rookie in NHRA history to win the U.S. Nationals, a feat he accomplished during his 1995 Rookie of the Year campaign.