Bruce Litton and the Lucas Oil dragster stole the show at this weekend's IHRA River Cree Resort and
Casino Rocky Mountain Nationals. Litton claimed top speed of the meet, took home both Last Man
Standing honors, and went all the way on Sunday to gain his second Iron Man of the season. Litton
qualified solidly with a 4.844 at 302.41 mph. From the number two qualified position he faced off
against Bobby Lagana Jr. in round one. Litton was the better of the two in a pedal-fest to move on
to round two where he met up with Terry Haddock. Litton's 4.987 was no match for Haddock as he had
to abort the run early. The final round paired Litton against Mitch King. King went up in smoke and
Litton laid down a 4.908 at nearly 300 mph to claim his second victory in 2009.
"This victory belongs to the team," tells a humble and grateful Litton. "They did a phenomenal job
all weekend. All I had to do was steer. I want to say a special thanks to Richard Hartman and Mike
Wolfart for their hard work and expertise in getting this Lucas Oil Dragster down the track
perfectly every time. There was some tough racing out there, but these guys got the job done. I'm
proud of my team and their accomplishments in this victory."
Litton and long-time backer Lucas Oil make a great team and the response from Canadian fans of both
Litton and Lucas Oil was notable this weekend.
"It's unbelievable the following of Lucas Oil's Canadian customers. I have always been proud to
have Lucas Oil on the side of my car and I was reminded of that again this weekend. Lucas Oil is
well, well known in Canada and highly used throughout the country. It's awesome to be paired with
such a great company where people know, value, and use their product across the board. There's not
a place we go in the U.S. or Canada where fans aren't assuring me of their belief in the Lucas
product.
"You know, it's quite a drive from Indianapolis, Indiana out here to Edmonton, but United Trailers
are built for the long haul and our trailer made the trip without difficulty. It gives you a peace
of mind to have something you can depend on and not worry about when you travel the miles that we
do. I wouldn't have it any other way.
"It obviously takes a lot to run one of these operations and I'm grateful for our Canadian sponsor
stepping on board. Global Power makes quality generators and other electric power equipment. I
appreciate their help in this weekend's win.
"It's definitely a team effort from days at the shop, to traveling the miles, to running 300 mph
down the track and turning on the win light. There are a lot of people that go into making this a
successful operation and I can't thank them enough for their part in this Lucas Oil team. It's also
great to see people pull together and support a common cause that directly or indirectly affects us
all. As most people know, I am running a decal on the Lucas Oil dragster to honor the life of young
Karsyn Bell who lost a battle with cancer earlier this year. Karsyn took treatment at the Riley
Hospital for Children and they continue to work for the health and cure of other children facing
terminal illness. It's great to see people come behind the efforts of this team to promote the good
work of Riley with their support and prayers. Every victory for this Lucas Oil team is hopefully a
small victory for Karsyn and Riley Hospital as well."
This weekend's incredible feats give Litton a deeper lead in the IHRA points battle. He now stands
84 points ahead of second place man, Del Cox Jr. Litton soon heads to the second consecutive
Canadian event for IHRA, the Mopar Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Ontario, July 17-19. The Rocky
Mountain Nationals completes five IHRA National Events, and Litton has been a final round player in
four of those. With such an incredible record, Litton is grateful for the season's accomplishments.
"We race against some tough competition and I feel fortunate to do as well as we have. I've got a
great team and great people standing behind this Lucas Oil dragster and every victory is
hard-fought and we're just thankful for the chance to be in the fight."
