Lee Callaway IRP preview

Callaway looking to rebound in Indy

CLERMONT, Ind. - One weekend after a disappointing first round loss, defending NHRA Division 4 Top Alcohol Dragster Champion Lee Callaway is ready to get back on track for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the biggest event in drag racing. Callaway qualified No. 4 for the event last year, and hopes to repeat that success this year.

Callaway, from Baytown, Texas, plans to put his first round loss from Great Bend behind him and concentrate on this weekend. He hopes his success on the divisional level this year will help him pick up his first national event win at the biggest race of them all.

"That was just a bad deal last weekend," said Callaway. "We had to run Mike Bowers in the first round, and I knew he was bad about playing games on the line, and staged first anyway. He hung me out there pretty bad and the car started to roll through and I had to bring the rpm's way down just to keep it in the beams. If he has to play games to win, he should stick with monopoly, not drag racing."

"We're going to put it behind us and focus on Indy," Callaway continued. "Based on some of the things we've learned this year, I think we have a good idea what to do to the car to get it to run at the national event tracks as it does at divisional tracks. This Chuck Haase' car hooks so hard, we just have to get after it more. Like my buddy Bob Perkins, who won in Great Bend says, we're going to have to 'floor it' to win this weekend."

Callaway's personal best elapsed time of a 5.45 came here last year on his No. 4 qualifying effort. This year, he feels he may need to better that mark just to make the field.

"We definitely want to run the best we can," stated Callaway. "There's supposed to be a cold front moving through, so that's really going to help the A/Fuelers haul, and there's going to be a lot of them. It may even take a mid .40 to make the show. Indy is always tough with so many good cars here. You better bring your A game here, because this is the biggest race in drag racing with the best of the best."

Qualifying will begin on Thursday for the alcohol cars and final eliminations will be ran on Monday. Stay tuned to InsideTopAlcohol.com for the latest news in alcohol racing.

-cr-