"It's been a real dream-season for us," Lang said. "After we won the championship last year, the only thing we could do to follow it up is to win again, and we've set ourselves up to do that. But, I'm not counting any victories before the light comes on."

Coming into Rockingham, Lang has won three nationals in a row and produced a season for the record-books. Overall, he has visited the final round nine times and won four times.

"There was an outside chance that if something happened and I didn't show up, I could actually lose the championship, and I didn't want to allow that to happen. We've kept everything on the car virtually the same as it's been the past several races - and that seems to be working. I even decided not to run a couple of other events just on the far outside chance that something might keep us from showing up here at the Rock.

"I've got to thank the folks at IHRA for all their hard work this season. They have put on a great show, and it's been an honor to be a part of everything. I know things are changing for next season, and I think that makes what we've been able to accomplish here even more special. Who knows exactly what the future holds - no one. I can tell you this, though, it's not going to look like it used to, and I am proud to say we had an incredible season, the last year it'll be run like this in IHRA.

"I love racing at Rockingham. It's a historic track, so full of stories and memories - and we're all planning on adding some more here this weekend," Lang said.

Courtesy of Matthew Brammer