Dennis Taylor -NHRA Las Vegas wrap up

Taylor Gets Gremlins on Halloween

Anaheim, CA – Dennis Taylor has had a challenging season in 2009 with his K&N Filters / Plumbing Concepts Funny Car. The first hurdle was a diminishing sponsor base, so Dennis brought in Trish Thompson, a marketing specialist, who’s signed several important one-race deals to bolster the program. Then, Taylor was forced to run a lighter schedule, due to his own business demands. Yet another challenge found the team stymied by a recurring, mid-year parts breakage issue, despite the fact that the component in question was top-quality and brand new. The word dedication fits this team the best, as they keep overcoming the set-backs.

During Friday’s opening qualifying session of the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Las Vegas, Taylor came out swinging and carded a 5.78-second run at 250.09mph, putting him 11th in the 16-car field, though 21 cars made attempts. It wasn’t a picture-perfect pass, however. Dennis explained, “I had to pedal it when it moved hard right, towards the centerline and the numbers certainly don’t reflect the true potential of that run.” The late session was cancelled, so teams had to wait until Saturday for their next volley.

That second session came after 3:00pm, with weather conditions much different than Friday. Again, Taylor’s car tracked towards the right in an abrupt uncontrollable motion. Crew chief, Terry Morrow and Dennis were beginning to suspect a cracked chassis upright or something similar, so a thorough inspection took place. Nothing was evident, so they plugged a hot tune-up in it and headed for the staging lanes. Once again, the car made a violent move towards the right and the only option for Dennis was to lift off the throttle. Naturally, his dejection over missing this tough field was palpable, but more inspection would provide the answer, although it was too late.

Morrow explained, “Upon further inspection, we feel strongly that our problems began with that first run, where the car launched and hit the wheelie bar hard. It appears to have bent the tubing in the process. On tracks as good as this, we put more load on the clutch and it hits the tires harder, which in turn, causes the car to ride out on the wheelie bar for the first few-hundred feet, or so. If the wheelie bar is bent, it’ll force the car out of the groove every time.” Taylor continued, adding, “These cars are built on a precision fixture which is perfectly flat and level. It’s virtually impossible to diagnose this type of problem when all you have is pavement to gauge it by. I’ve already put a call in to get a new wheelie bar fabricated in time for the Auto Club Finals in Pomona, two weeks from now. If this hadn’t occurred, our first run on Friday would have been a high 5.60, so we should be in good shape for the Finals.”

Taylor’s entire team sends its sincere thanks to Iron Horse Tattoos, Aliante Station Casino & Hotel, and Desert Nissan for their partnership during the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals in Las Vegas. While the result wasn’t what they hoped for, these Las Vegas businesses received immeasurable exposure in the competitive world of NHRA Championship Drag Racing.

Courtesy of Randall Fish