Larry Dixon Las Vegas test 2006-01-23

DIXON AND MILLER LITE TEAM COMPLETE FIRST TEST OF 2006

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 23, 2006) -- Two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon and Don Prudhomme's Miller Lite Top Fuel drag racing team completed their first preseason test of the 2006 season Monday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following four days of testing under very cool temperatures at Bruton Smith's Las Vegas facility.

After racing to three victories and a second-place finish in the NHRA Top Fuel standings last season, the Miller Lite team began preseason testing on Friday (January 20) as they prepare to compete for the NHRA Top Fuel championship when the 2006 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series season opens on February 9 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona (Calif.).

"I think things went fine," Dixon said. "Our main goal was to get all of our people situated in their new positions and to get a routine going, along with sorting out our new pieces and we got all of that accomplished."

Dixon drove the Miller Lite rail to eight passes during the four-day test, posting his best pass of the weekend, 4.593 seconds at 273.44 mph, on Sunday. Dixon's dragster posted impressive incremental numbers on Monday's first run before the veteran driver lifted off the throttle and coasted to a 4.845-second elapsed time. The team did not make a full quarter mile pass.

"We sorted out quite a few of the new parts," crew chief Don Bender said. "That was important. With the cold track conditions, we worked on the cool weather tune-up because we sometimes lack on the night runs and we obtained some good knowledge in that area. We had two good runs on the new Goodyear tire today, now we'll see how we do with the new tire when we get to Phoenix this weekend."

The Miller Lite Top Fuel team will resume testing on Friday, January 27 at Firebird International Raceway in Chandler, Ariz. at the National Time Trials.

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