IHRA’s Sunoco World Nationals, presented by PPG, originally scheduled for late August is hampered by major rainstorms. When the rains arrive big time just when final eliminations begin officials are forced to postpone the conclusion until Oct. 9th due to the wash out.

New Jersey’s Doug Foley shocks the IHRA Top Fuel contingent again by winning for the third time this season. Foley gets into the program on the bump (5.012 secs) and then never does run fast during eliminations but still wins based on some well-timed breaks. Foley’s good fortune includes the final when even though he smokes the tires his 6.722 secs at 220.04 mph manages to win over Clay Millican who also smokes his tires.

Millican clinches an unprecedented 4th straight IHRA Top Fuel crown during the Norwalk event. Millican ran the Werner Enterprises dragster to both low ET and top speed (4.656 secs / 316.15 mph) before being denied by Foley in the final round.

IHRA Top Fuel racing includes a couple of surprise entries. NHRA regular Cory McClenathan qualifies the Carrier Boyz dragster #6 on the original weekend but then withdraws from competition when the rescheduled date conflicts with NHRA’s event at Reading PA. Australia’s Andrew Cowin also tries his luck in IHRA for the first time and qualifies #7. Cowin beats Rick Cooper in round one with a 4.753 secs at 313.51 mph but then cannot fire the car giving eventual winner Doug Foley an easy single to the final round.

Pro Stock racing sees the win go to former IHRA World Champion Mike Bell who scores driving his independent Ford Escort ZX2. Bell denies the Toronto-based Paone Brothers race team their first ever national event win when he wins with a 6.525 secs at 212.59 mph. Paone Brothers team driver Ron Miller shuts down after his Chevy Cavalier shakes hard on the 1-2 shift.

Pro Stock racing is paced by Florida’s Robert Mansfield who takes the pole driving his Pontiac Grand-Am at 6.552 secs. It is however the Ford products of Tony Gillig (6.475 secs) and John Nobile (214.76 mph) that grab the top performance marks overall for the class.

The Norwalk event’s first weekend attempt includes the lucrative $50,000 annual Sunoco Race Fuels Pro Stock Shootout. Pete Berner, who has been a regular racer on the IHRA tour for a number of years, but had never won a Pro title, changed all that when he drove his Jon Kaase-powered Mustang past Frank Gugliotta’s Escort ZX2 in an all Ford final round pairing. Berner prevailed in the extremely tight affair winning 6.608 secs 210.97 mph to 6.609 secs 212.39 mph. Berner, who had entered the shootout as the number two seeded driver, beat Elijah Morton and Rick Jones in earlier action. During eliminations Pete had better reaction times then all three of his opponents.

Pro Mod class racing also featured a win by a former IHRA World Champion. Pat Moore, who won the world TS title in 1989, won in a big upset driving Ed Steffey’s nitrous-injected ‘57 Chevy. Moore, who is from nearby, Kinsman, Ohio, outgunned Quain Stott’s supercharged Lee-Boy ‘63 Corvette in the final round, 6.310 secs to 6.358 secs.

Pro Mod racing attracted a strong field of race cars with 33 machines attempting qualifying runs. The event was paced by Shannon Jenkins who ran a 6.249 secs at 226.92 mph for the pole. It was however Canadian Rick Distefano who was the overall performance leader. The Calgary-based driver ran both low ET (6.193 secs) and top speed (230.29 mph) before losing out on a holeshot to Stott in the semi final round. Distefano moved into second place overall in IHRA 2004 points with the strong “final four” finish.

The Alcohol Funny Car title went to Jim Sickles who won his third title of the season driving the New York-based, Meyers RV Sales, Dodge Avenger. Sickles used a holeshot to defeat the Chevy Camaro of Fred Tigges in the championship final -- winning a 5.929 secs 239.57 mph to 5.881 secs 240.21 mph decision.

The AFC semi final round saw both 2004 championship points contenders Mark Thomas and Robbie Atchison fall out of competition. The 2004 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car title will thus be decided at the final event of the season at Rockingham in two weeks.

London’s Robbie Atchison did qualify on the pole at Norwalk with a 5.856 secs which was just ahead of #2 man Thomas who ran 5.894 secs. Atchison ran both low ET and top speed at 5.804 secs 242.10 mph to win in round two and with that appeared primed for victory. Robbie jumped to a major lead over Sickles in round three only to have the blower belt break.

The Top Stock title went to Matt Morgan who defeated Monty Bogan Jr in a all Chevrolet final round. Morgan (from Maryland) had paced the 13-car field with a run of 9.838 secs but his time of 9.616 secs at 137.43 mph in the final round was low ET of the meet.

Top Dragster and Top Sportsman racing at Norwalk were of particular velocity. In Top Sportsman no less then 84 cars showed for competition and produced a 48-car bump spot of 7.118 secs. In Top Dragster it took a run of 6.948 secs or quicker to make that 48-car field. In the end veteran class racers Marco Abruzzi (the 2003 World Champion) won in TS and Bob Mandell scored in TD.