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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Showdown at The Rock

In the age-old battle between the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady once again will win the IHRA’s Knoll Gas Nitro Jam Funny Car World Championship. In a season-long duel that concludes this week at Rockingham Dragway with the 12th annual IHRA World Finals presented by the U.S. Air Force, Dale Creasy’s consistency trumped Bob Gilbertson’s speed and power for bragging rights and the $150,000 champion’s bonus. Although Gilbertson set IHRA world records for quarter mile time (4.841 seconds) and speed (318.09 miles per hour) and started his Trick Tank Chevy Monte Carlo from the No. 1 qualifying position three times, he was victimized by his own lack of consistency. While Creasy’s slow-and-steady approach netted six wins in the season’s first 10 races, Gilbertson returns to his home track still looking for his first victory of the campaign; his first, in fact, since Sept. 10, 2006 when he won at Epping, N.H. In addition to Nitro Funny Car, a category in which another unheralded driver, Jack Wyatt of Corydon, Iowa, will be seeking his fourth straight win at Rockingham Dragway, World Finals champions will be crowned in Top Fuel, Pro Modified, Pro Stock, Alcohol Funny Car and seven sportsman categories. Adult tickets are $35 Friday and Sunday, $40 Saturday. Junior tickets for kids 6-12 are $5 daily. Children under six are admitted free with a ticketed adult. Although parking is free in the main lot, preferred parking is available for $20 a day. Reserved seats are an additional $5 Friday and Sunday, $10 Saturday. "This is going to be a big weekend for me, my family, the team, all my friends, my employees, and especially the fans," Gilbertson said. "First off, we want to win the race. We've got a car that has what it takes and if the driver does his job and nothing breaks, we should be able to get the job done. “Since the weather has cooled down here in the Carolinas, track conditions should be perfect for racing. We currently hold the IHRA record and it would be nice to re-set those numbers and win the race if front of all of my ‘peeps,’” said the 52-year-old Gastonia businessman. A past winner on both the IHRA and rival NHRA circuits, Gilbertson has covered the standard quarter mile in as few as 4.762 seconds and is the Rockingham track record holder at 4.837 seconds. Nevertheless, while he has been the No. 1 qualifier at The Rock in two of the last three IHRA tour events, he has yet to reach the winners’ circle. He hopes to end that drought this week and generate momentum toward a planned 2008 title run. Gilbertson earned his first major victory when he won the 1992 IHRA Summer Nationals at Cayuga, Ontario, Canada. He won the 2000 NHRA SuperNationals at Houston, Texas to become one of only a handful of drivers to have won Funny Car races on both major circuits. In anticipation of a big weekend, Gilbertson is hosting an “after qualifying” party in his pit area on both Friday and Saturday nights featuring a live band. Among those expected to attend are 120 employees from his two Charlotte area businesses: Truck Equipment Manufacturing Company, Inc., which produces aluminum air tank reservoirs for military trucks built by Stewart and Stevenson, and Trick Tank, Inc., which manufactures the world’s only portable aluminum air tank.