Dennis Taylor set two goals going into Medford, Oregon, with his K&N Filters / Plumbing Concepts
Funny Car. One was to prove his valvetrain problems were corrected, and the other was to move into
the Top 10 in NHRA Division 6 points. The first goal was realized on Friday during qualifying as
Taylor sped to a 5.89-second lap at 240.64mph, to secure the fourth position. Subsequent teardown
uncovered residual effects of the breakage issues from his previous two races, so a fresh engine
was installed for eliminations.
Saturday, temperatures reached into the low-90s as forecasted and the track temperatures hovered
near 115. In Round One, Dennis was on his game against Sean Bellemeur, a driver who's well known
for great starting line reactions. Taylor put a few hundredths in the bank (.063 to .099) on the
launch and outran Bellemeur's quicker 5.84 by getting to the stripe first with a 5.87.
Round two went off just after 4:30pm and Dennis was up against Jason Rupert, who was subbing for
Ken Webster in the Syn Oil Funny Car. Taylor noted, "I was a little late off the line, but the car
made a hard move down low. It was moving around so much, I almost lifted, but it settled down and
trucked right on through for the win." The scoreboards read 5.852/230.06 to a losing 5.95.
On the other side of the ladder, number-one qualifier, Brian Hough, received a bye run in the
second round to set up the final, but the match was over in 100 feet, as Taylor spun the tires
hard. Dennis commented, "We knew the final would be tough. Brian had the field covered by a tenth
(of a second) and he tested here for the last two weeks to prepare. We went for it and since we
didn't have lane choice, the track didn't hold the power. We congratulate Brian and his team for
winning the Division 6 championship. They ran great all weekend." Taylor closed adding, "Once
again, my guys did a great job and both of our goals were met. I have to send special thanks to
Lithia Nissan (of Medford), for supplying a brand-new Nissan Armada support vehicle, and also, the
Rogue Regency Hotel in Medford. We'll go home and gear up for the last two national events of the
season."
