The IHRA’s kickoff event for the 2005 Hooters Drag Racing season features a couple of familiar Pro winners with defending World Champions Clay Millican and Robbie Atchison picking up right where they left off in 2004.

Millican, driving for team owner Peter Lehman and sponsor Werner Enterprises, wins for the 38th time in his career. Despite struggling during both qualifying rounds, Millican and company find their stride on raceday to record their fourth straight Amalie Oil Texas Nationals Top Fuel title. The Tennessee-based racer beat Colorado’s Louie Allison in the final with a lap of 4.700 seconds at 304.80 mph when Allison’s car went into tire shake. Millican ran both low ET and top speed of the event in round one when he hit a 4.610 secs at 319.42 mph.

The Top Fuel field was paced by Indiana’s Bruce Litton who was able to face his demons at the event. Litton ran his all new Lucas Oil dragster to a 4.735 secs at 316.67 mph which helped to erase the bad memories he had at the event in 2004 when he suffered a horrific semi-final round crash.

Atchison’s win in Alcohol Funny Car came over the IHRA’s new 8-car eliminator format. The driver of the London, Ontario-based Erickson Manufacturing Pontiac defeated Indiana’s Terry McMillen in a hotly contested final round. The ironic thing is that Atchison likely wouldn’t have even made it into the final had not McMillen’s crew, among others, who helped him put a new engine into his Firebird. Atchison had suffered a very rare engine failure while winning over Mark Thomas in the semi final round.

Atchison was the fastest of the 11 Alcohol Funny Cars entered at the event resetting the track records in both ET (5.735 seconds) and speed (243.77mph).

Pro Stock racing produced the quickest and fastest runs ever seen in the sport. Robert Patrick didn’t make the final round in the Torco Race Fuels sponsored category, however he still served notice after a lap of 6.427 seconds during first-round qualifying. Patrick was able to etch that for a new IHRA ET World Record when he backed it up with a 6.459 seconds effort in round one.

In the end however it was former 1998 World Champion Dan Seamon who prevailed in the class. Seamon, from Ohio, beat Brian Gahm in the final round, after getting by the record setting Patrick in round two. Friday’s qualifying action saw runner-up Gahm turn in a blistering speed of 217.39 mph – the fastest ever seen in Pro Stock racing.

Amazingly, three other Pro Stock class races eclipsed the 217 mph barrier at the event, John Nobile (217.18 mph), Robert Patrick (217.14 mph) and Steve Spiess (217.00 mph). Going into the event the fastest all-time speed had been 216.62 mph set by Pontiac pilot Rob Mansfield last season.

The Texas Nationals was weather affected. Due to high winds, race officials were forced to cancel the first of three scheduled Pro sessions. That happened immediately after Jeff Dobbins crashed his car during the first pair of Pro Stock cars down track on Friday. A very strong cross wind picked up the parachutes of the Dobbins car and sent him on a wild ride and on his head. Dobbins was not injured however his race car received a major hit.

In Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified South Carolina’s Ed Hoover overpowered the competition to take home his first win in two years. Hoover, was rather methodical while dissected the competition driving the Trussell Motorsports Chevy Corvette as he was the most consistent Pro Mod car on the premises. Hoover, using the skills of his new crew chief Jimmy Rector, qualified #1 with a 6.162 secs at 232.32 mph (low ET and top speed) and went on to beat the nitrous-injected Camaro of Shannon Jenkins in the final.

IHRA’s attempt to keep a pulse going for it’s Top Stock class in 2005 did not get off to the rousing start they had hoped for as only 5 cars showed for competition at the Texas event. Joe Sorensen wheeled his Chevy Camaro past Joseph Aluise Jr in that final round.

Florida’s Joe Baker won his first career Top Sportsman national event title. The driver of the Hemi-powered Dodge Neon qualified #1 at 6.867 secs and prevailed over the 28 car field. Baker won the title when his opponent, Britt Cummings, fouled out in the final round.

Pro Mod racing at San Antonio included four Canadian entries. Manitoba's Kenny Lang, driving the ex-Rick Distefano '53 Corvette, was the top performer overall. The Grand Pointe-based racer qualified #9 with a 6.445 secs and then hit a career best 6.391 secs at 221.52 while losing out to Mike Lockwood in round one.

Calgary's Rick Distefano and Barrie's Al Billes also made the cut but both shook the tires hard in round one and lost out. Defending 2004 Texas Nationals event champion Glen Kerunsky, from Calgary, who had previously announced his intentions to run a 100% NHRA AMS schedule in 2005, was a surprise late event entry but was ultimately a DNQ.