Fuller wows Indy crowd with semi-final appearance

David Powers Motorsports
Valvoline / Louisiana-Pacific / 84 Lumber / Mac Tools

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 4) -- Top Fuel driver "Hot Rod" Fuller gave his fans a semi-final appearance Sunday at the NHRA's most prestigious annual event, the 52nd annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals but not before beating some big names en route.

Fuller's first round opponent, part-time racer Andrew Cowin had high hopes of going head to head with the Las Vegas driver but an engine malfunction sent Fuller on a solo run and win with a 4.508-second and 329.02 mph pass.

The second round match-up between Fuller and season-long nemesis Melanie Troxel resulted in win no. 2 in final eliminations. Fuller defeated Troxel with a 4.578-second and 324.20 mph run to her losing 4.613 and 306.46 mph effort.

The capacity crowd at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis was treated to a highly anticipated semi-final match-up between Fuller and current POWERade point leader Tony Schumacher. Despite Fuller's quicker reaction time, Schumacher edged out the Valvoline dragster at the lights with a 4.519-second and 330.88 mph pass, low for the round. Fuller crossed the stripe in 4.586-seconds and 324.12 mph.

"We certainly don't have anything to hang our heads about," Fuller said. "We beat some of the best our sport has to offer, ran some of our quickest times of the year at this event and came into Sunday's finals qualified 4th in the fastest field in history. That Valvoline crew is the best in the world and our owner, David Powers, has made it possible for all of us to come out here in our first full year and compete with winning teams that have been together for decades. I think that says a lot."

The Valvoline/David Powers Homes Top Fuel dragster team also claimed the Full Throttle Award at opening ceremonies Sunday. The award is given to the team that posts the most consistent runs in qualifying in each pro category.

Crew chief Lee Beard felt good about the weekend's performance. "Consistency is key to winning a championship," Beard said. "Each one of our team members plays a very important part in our overall success and I think that showed this weekend. We're heading into the home stretch of the season and I feel another win is right around the corner."

The next event on the NHRA POWERade drag racing schedule is Reading, Pennsylvania, stop 19 on the 23-event tour.