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JOLIET, Ill. - Every driver in the National Hot Rod Association dreams of a breakout year. A season when elapsed times dwindle and miles-per-hour swell on every pass down the quarter-mile strip. For Pennzoil Pro Stock driver Mike Thomas it appears that 1998 could be that dream season. Regardless of how the standings look when the final trophy is handed out in November, it would be impossible to deny that the year is progressing extremely well for Thomas. Ever since the season opener in Pomona, Calif., he has been sending a message to the rest of the Pro Stock class that he is ready to drive into victory lane and -- more importantly -- that he has the powerplant to take him there. The reason for the optimism is that for the first time in his career, Thomas is building his own engines under the name of Finish Line Enterprises. The obvious success the engines are forging on the track have already made Thomas' products so popular that several drivers are currently leasing their machines from Finish Line. Thomas' own success is his best sales pitch. In just his third qualifying run of '98, he reset his personal best elapsed time and mph marks when he scorched the California asphalt with a 6.954-second pass at 197.93 mph. His marks easily qualified him for the elimination rounds in Pomona, a feat he has accomplished in eight of nine national events this year. Flexing his horsepower, the Tennessee resident has continued to make the previously unattainable sub-seven second pass the norm this season. In Gainesville, Fla. he reset his personal-best time and speed on consecutive trips down the strip. In Houston, where he reached the final elimination round for the first time of his career, he laid down eight consecutive sub-seven second runs including an NHRA all-time top-five elapsed time of 6.889 seconds. The unbelievable pass put Thomas in the elite company of Warren Johnson, Kurt Johnson and Jim Yates as the only Pro Stock drivers to ever trip the lights in under 6.89 seconds. He also reached 199.11 mph in Texas, the fastest speed he has ever achieved. At the invitation-only Winston race in North Carolina and the Fram Nationals in Georgia, the soaring Thomas solidified his engine's overall dominance by reeling off eight more sub-seven second passes. In all, seven elimination round wins came courtesy of Finish Line powerplants in Atlanta including four by eventual winner Mark Osborne. On April 22, Pennzoil rewarded Thomas for his stellar performances by replacing his Gumout Pontiac with the aerodynamic Pennzoil rig that he is currently piloting. Thomas then used the next two races to find the best combination for his superior engines and his new, trimmed-down chassis. When he was finally satisfied, he headed to the Mopar Nationals in Englishtown, N. J. and immediately recorded a lightening-fast 6.92-second run. He also participated in the elite field of the Pro Stock Challenge and was able to eliminate points-leader Warren Johnson.
With all the pieces finally in place, Thomas now heads to the Inaugural Route
66 Nationals in Joliet, Ill., hoping that his lethal new car and tremendous
engine will carry him to victory lane.
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