IHRA’s event at Milan Dragway Southwest of Detroit Michigan is marred by a couple of major accidents involving two of it’s biggest star racers.

During the second round of Pro Modified qualifying Canadian Al Billes, crashes the IHRA speed record holding Dodge Stratus owned by Jim Oddy and sponsored by Summit Racing Equipment. Following a 230+ mph run, Billes has the parachutes fail and when the car begins to bounce in the shutdown area he is unable to scrub off speed and goes for a nasty spill in the top end sand trap. The car rolls four times and Billes (who had crashed his Corvette only two weeks before) is taken to hospital for observation.

Then during round two of Top Fuel eliminations on Sunday, IHRA points leader and 4X-defending World Champion Clay Millican experienced his first serious racing incident when his special-edition “General Lee - Dukes of Hazzard/Werner Enterprises” dragster does a spectacular “blowover” while racing along side Bruce Litton. Thankfully Millican climbs out of the car unscathed but is also taken to hospital as a precaution.

The event’s Pro Mod and Top Fuel titles ultimately are won by Mike Castellana and Louie Allison respectively. Castellana beats hometown favorite Harold Martin in the PM final driving his Western Beef-sponsored nitrous-injected Chevy Cavalier. Martin had been the event’s low qualifier in PM at 6.197 secs driving the ACDelco Pontiac, but he has an unfortunate (-.048) RT in the final to hand the event victory to Castellana. Castellana’s 3rd career IHRA win also included round wins over the supercharged Corvettes driven by Tommy D’Aprile and Ed Hoover.

Canadian Carl Spiering has a strong outing at Milan as not only does he take the Eaton Cutler Hammer ’63 Corvette to top speed of the meet (230.61 mph) he also finishes in the “final four” – red-lighting against Castellana.

Louie Allison’s win in Top Fuel is the second of his career and his 2nd consecutive Motor City Nationals victory. The Colorado-based driver for team owner Jack Ostrander wins the final over Bruce Litton’s Lucas Oil sponsored dragster, 4.799 secs 297.22 secs to 4.813 secs 309.34 mph.

Low ET and top speed in TF was set by Clay Millican during qualifying before his incident. Clay motored to a 4.647 secs at 317.41 mph.

Canadian Top Fuel racer Todd Paton ran well again at the Motor City Nationals event. Paton qualifies the Tim Horton’s/Eaton Cutler Hammer dragster #4 with a 4.746 secs but then loses out in a side-by-side tire smoking battle versus Bruce Litton in the first frame of eliminations.

Other Top Fuel class notables included a career best speed for Bobby Lagana Jr who’s 315.19 mph romp was just short of Clay Millican run for top speed of the meet. NHRA Fuel FC pilot Dale Creasy Jr tried his hand in IHRA Top Fuel racing for the first time. Driving Evan Knoll’s Torco-sponsored dragster Creasy just missed the program with a 5.057 secs best.

Canadian Funny Car star Robbie Atchison takes a much tighter grip on the 2005 IHRA Alcohol Funny Car points’ title following his 4th win of the season. Atchison drives the London-based Erickson Manufacturing Pontiac Firebird to a holeshot final round win over Jim Sickles: 5.843 secs 238.55 mph to 5.831 secs 240.85 mph. Robbie’s 13th career IHRA title includes low ET of the event at 5.799 secs which came up during qualifying.

Runner-up Sickles was credited with top speed at 243.55 mph and his final round finish pushes him up to second in IHRA points now ahead of Mark Thomas.

Daniel Seamon, who won the IHRA’s season-opening event in Texas last March scores in Pro Stock. Seamon also used a holeshot (.043 to .066) to beat his opponent Steve Spiess in the championship round. His Ford Escort, which is owned by Charlie Taylor, laid down a 6.536 secs at 214.52 mph to hold off Spiess’s slightly quicker 6.529 secs 214.18 mph.

Spiess, had entered the final round as the favorite after wheeling his Chevy Cobalt to both low ET and top speed (6.466 secs and 215.75 mph) during earlier action.

Sportsman class racing featured two “double up” winners as Dan Fletcher (from New York) won in both Stock and Super Stock and Rusty Cook (from Kentucky) scored in both Quick Rod and Super Rod.

Canada’s Al Kenny (from Kingston, ON) just missed his first career IHRA national event win when he took his S&W chassied Corvette to the Super Rod final round only to lose out to Rusty Cook 9.908 secs 162.16 mph to 9.944 secs 146.72 mph.

Michigan’s Paul Mercure won the event’s Top Stock title which was run off on Saturday night. Mercure’s ’68 Camaro unloads low ET of the event for the class in the final as his 9.770 secs at 137.11 mph easily defeats Joe Teuton’s Louisiana-based Plymouth Barracuda.

Pro Mod class racing included the first circuit appearance for Brian Robbins and car owner Keith Engling who ran their very unique ’72 Olds Cutlass (which is normally a NSCA car) at Milan. The team was rewarded with a strong 6.398 secs at 218.69 mph however that just barely missed the 16-car bump spot of 6.387 secs.