Dave Connolly knew he needed a near-perfect start in the final round of Sunday’s O’Reilly Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka if he was to challenge Greg Anderson. He missed it by eight-thousandths of a second on the minus side and fouled out in the battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 drivers in NHRA POWERade Pro Stock competition.
Anderson won with a 6.704-second, 206.86-mph performance to get the win. Connolly’s Torco Racing Fuels/Seelye Wright Automotive Group Chevy Cobalt had a 6.747 at 204.66 mph.
“I was happy getting to the final, ” said Connolly. “We didn’t run as well as we liked to today, not like we did at our last race at St. Louis (May 6). Overall, it was a good weekend. We’ve been here for three years and went to the finals all three. Unfortunately Greg has been the one to beat us both times.
“We had to go for it in the final. I got lucky to drive well enough to get there. It was one of those deals where he was outrunning us by four-hundredths (of a second) and he was leaving with a. 020-second to. 030-second (reaction time). I had to go for an 0 and just missed it a little bit. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. The guys did a great job. We are looking ahead to next week (at Joliet, Ill. ) to race in the King Demon Crown special race that pays $50 grand to win. ”
Connolly, the race’s No. 2 qualifier, eliminated Greg Stanfield in the first round (6.736 at 204.39 to 7.152 at 156.68), Kurt Johnson (6.739 at 205.07 to 6.743 at 205.29) and Jason Line on a hole-shot, 6.748 at 204.73 to a 6.713 at 206.32. Connolly had a. 012 reaction to Line’s. 090.
Connolly now has been to two straight final rounds. While he didn’t gain any ground on first-place Anderson, his total moved to 576, 35 ahead of Victor Cagnazzi teammate Jeg Coughlin.
Connolly’s team won NHRA’s Full Throttle Award for most-consistent qualifying times for the second straight time. It pays $1500 to the team.
Next up is the Torco Racing Fuels Route 66 Nationals at Joliet, Friday through Sunday.
Evan Knoll, founder of Knoll Gas-Torco Racing Fuels and a major sponsor of motorsports, has dedicated himself to bringing high quality racing fuel to every aspect of motorsports. When Evan is not spending time with his daughters you will find him following one of his many-sponsored race teams. Evan is a loyal family man and an avid drag racing fan.
The company also offers commercial and racing oils and lubes; SKULL Shine, a complete line of car care products; SKULL Gear, a complete line of apparel, traction compound, and racing-related accessories.
The Seelye Wright name carries every American manufacturer from General Motors to Ford to Mopar. They also have a prosperous Kia dealership and plan to add the Hyundai brand soon. Wright has been in business for over 25 years. Knoll became a partner in the thriving business in 2006.
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