Tue, May 26, 08:41 AM Team Pennzoil

Courtesy of Bob Brown Fram Route 66 Nationals

JOLIET, Ill. - A blank record book and an untouched Victory Circle has every driver in the Pennzoil paddock anxious to make history this weekend during the Inaugural Fram Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. Considering how the current National Hot Rod Association season has progressed, Chicago-area racing fans have a good chance of seeing Team Pennzoil cruise to its first win of the year.

Here's the latest news from the Pennzoil pits as each team puts the final touches on its preparation for the weekend.

Eddie Hill, the pilot of the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster, readily admits that he hasn't slept much since his last race. During the second round of eliminations at the national event in Englishtown, N.J. on May 17, Hill ran the quickest elapsed time (4.625-seconds) and fastest speed (312.64 mph) of his 43-year career. The only problem was that Hill had tripped the timing light at the starting line one-thousandths of a second before he should have, disqualifying him from the race. The NHRA Hall of Fame driver found little solace in the fact that the personal-best speed and time he recorded during the run were valid and he immediately set out to correct his mistake.

"I've spent more time working on my reaction times with my practice (starting light) tree in the last few days than I have in a long time," Hill said. "Our car is as close to perfect as any car I've ever had. I can't wait to try out the knowledge I've gained from practicing at this beautiful new race track."

Hill is no stranger to breaking in new tracks. He blistered the surface of the Texas Motorplex when it opened over a decade ago, a move that surprised everyone including Hill himself. "I remember looking down the track when I was sitting in the car and thinking that this was going to be a stunt," Hill said. The pristine track had no groove of rubber for Hill to follow and provide him with some much-needed traction. "It looked like a ballroom dance floor," he said. "Frankly, it scared me."

Hill got over his fright and eventually used the track to shatter what many experts at the time considered to be the last great barrier in drag racing -- covering the quarter-mile in under five seconds. "We can use that information on exactly how we set up the car for a new track and use it to our advantage here in Chicago," Hill said. "This is a great town and we're super excited about being here. I'm ready to win."

Bruce Allen, the driver of the Outlaw Fuel Additives Pro Stock Pontiac, enjoyed his last foray into the elimination rounds when he upset current points leader Warren Johnson with a quicker reaction time in Round 1 of the Dallas event. The race marked the biggest upset of the weekend as Johnson had qualified in the top spot. Unfortunately, a bad clutch ended the excitement in the next round and Allen had to wait for another race to prove himself.

In Englishtown, N.J., Allen competed in the 14th Annual Pro Stock Challenge, a special, invitation-only event that invites the top eight qualifiers from the last year. It was the 10th time that Allen had earned his way into the exclusive field.

Allen battled tire shake throughout the Challenge and the regular Englishtown event and failed to win any races or qualify for the elimination rounds. The disappointing finish has the 13-year veteran eager to start over in Chicago. "This has been a serious few days of hard work," Allen said. "The entire crew and I were upset after Englishtown and we have spent several late nights correcting the problems. Winning the first-ever Pro Stock championship at this track would be a nice way to rebound." Watch out for the Outlaw.

Mike Thomas, the driver of the Pennzoil Pro Stock Pontiac, enters Route 66 Raceway feeling that he is the man to beat. His new Pennzoil rig and a freshly-built Finish Line engine garnered Thomas the No. 2 qualifying spot in New Jersey. His emergence over the past 15 races also earned Thomas a spot in the Pro Stock Challenge where he followed Allen's lead and posted a win over Johnson. Overanxious to show off his horsepower, Thomas let his superior car be beaten by better reaction times in both the Challenge and the Englishtown event.

"The only thing beating this car is me," Thomas said. "I think the fact that three of the top 10 drivers in Pro Stock are running my engines says a lot about the power we're producing. Now that I've got a few races in the Pennzoil chassis (which he started driving on April 23), I'm as comfortable as can be. I think we've got it dialed in. Now I just need all the parts to work, some steady reaction times and a little luck and we'll be cruising into Victory Lane."