(Pro Racing Summary Courtesy of NHRA Media Relations)

DIXON COLLECTS MILESTONE 50TH CAREER WIN

Larry Dixon outlasted Antron Brown in a thrilling pedal-fest in the Top Fuel final at the 23rd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park to win for the second time this season and the 50th time in his career.

The other winners at the fifth event in the 23-race NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series were Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle).

The win in the Al-Anabi dragster – a 4.541-second pass at 222.36 mph to Brown’s 4.638 at 173.32 – moved Dixon into eighth place on the all-time NHRA Full Throttle Series wins list, breaking a tie with former owner and NHRA legend Don “The Snake” Prudhomme (49 career wins).

“That’s more than I thought I’d ever do in my lifetime … and I’m not done living yet,” said Dixon, who proceeded to dedicate the win to his three-year old son Darien who was hospitalized earlier in the week with a bacterial infection. “He’s a tough, tough kid. He wanted us to win this race for him and we did. We’re going to bring this trophy home to him.”

Dixon moved into second place and he’s within 28 points of Cory McClenathan, whom he defeated in the semifinals.

Technically, Dixon also broke a tie with Jeg Coughlin (6.599 at 210.77), who moments earlier collected his 49th career Pro Stock win over Allen Johnson (6.596 at 210.77). Coughlin won No. 49 in his JEGS.com Chevy Cobalt on a holeshot, using a 21-hundredths edge on the starting line to build a lead over Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger that he never relinquished.

“This is a special place to me,” said Coughlin, who won his first career Pro Stock race here in 1997 and his first career Super Stock race here in 1994.

In Funny Car, 2009 Rookie of the Year contender Hagan collected his first career win with a 4.390-second pass at 247.57 mph in his DieHard Dodge Charger to runner-up Jeff Arend’s 4.714 at 231.20 in the DHL Toyota Camry.

“Other than my wife and kids, this is the best feeling in the world,” said Hagan, whose breakthrough came in his 33rd career race and third career final round. “Thank God we got it today. That’s the first hurdle you have to go over to win a championship.”

With the win, Hagan passed teammate Jack Beckman and Ron Capps in the standings and he’s within 70 points of first-place John Force, who spun his tires in a first-round loss to No. 16 qualifier Tony Pedregon.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, three-time champion Hines won for the first time in 2010 aboard his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson with a 6.998-second pass at 196.02 that was just icing on the cake as defending Series champion and current points leader Hector Arana fouled.

Hines moved up from 10th place in the standings all the way to fourth and he’s just 70 points shy of Arana. “To get the race win and all those points is a breath of fresh air for this team,” said Hines, who became the first Harley rider to win a Wally at Houston Raceway Park in the 23-year history of the event. “Coming here for (23) years and never winning a Wally … to win a Wally here in Houston is sweet.”

ROWE LASSOS PRO MOD FIELD (Courtesy of Wes Buck& NHRA Communications)

Danny Rowe scored his second straight victory at Houston Raceway Park at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals after defeating Melanie Troxel in commanding fashion with a 5.936-second, 248.93mph final round effort.

Moving into the No. 4 position in the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series points standings, Rowe cemented his position as a front-runner in the series’ inaugural season with his win over the best the category has to offer and will climbs within 22 points of the No. 1 slot.

Jimmy Rector [crew chief] and the Sterling Bridge ’68 Camaro Pro Mod shined all weekend with consistent low 5.9-second laps in eliminations after qualifying No. 3 in the stout 16-car field with a 5.864 at 249.35mph.

“I just couldn’t be more impressed with this Sterling Bridge team,” said Rowe from the winner’s circle at Houston Raceway Park. “As always, it takes a team effort to come out here and win at this level of competition and I couldn’t be happier to be taking a NHRA Wally back home with me. We had a little luck on our side, that’s for sure, but I think you basically have to when you’re racing against the caliber of cars and teams that we have out here.

It wasn’t any easy win, by any means for Rowe, who qualified third for the event. Rowe drove past Pro Mod drivers Chip King, Mike Castellana, Joe Baker, and Troxel in the final round to earn the win.

The classes only female driver, Melanie Troxel, made it to her first final round appearance in the category after qualifying in the 16th and final spot in the field Saturday afternoon.

Canada’s Raymond Commisso set top speed in Pro Mod at the Houston area event hitting a 251.30 mph driving his R2B2-Racing Camaro. California’s Jay Payne set low ET in the class with a titanic 5.813 secs blast during qualifying. Both Commisso and Payne were however upset during round one of Pro Mod competition.