Oh, Canada - what a month!
Always among the most popular races on the Nitro Jam tour, the 2012 Canadian summer swing in Alberta and Ontario once again produced two incredible races and featured the return of some of Nitro Jam's all-time classic classes, including the fan-favorite "kings of the sport" Top Fuel Dragsters.
Reserved for this special stretch of MOPAR-powered events, the 320 mph, nitromethane-powered beasts returned to the strip in July at Castrol Raceway and Grand Bend Motorplex and once again wowed the crowd with some close racing and record times, culminating with the return of former champion Bruce Litton to victory lane.
Litton visited all four final rounds on the Canadian swing behind the wheel of his Lucas Oil sponsored ride, winning once in Edmonton to narrowly edge Bobby Lagana Jr. to take the Canadian Top Fuel crown and add to the legacy of one of Nitro Jam's all-time most successful drivers.
"As always we had a wonderful time during our visit to Canada. The car always seems to run well up there and we had another great showing this year," Litton said. "Meeting all of the wonderful fans and Lucas Oil customers and putting on a show for them is really what this is all about. The Lucas Oil car ran great at both events and we were able to go to all four finals thanks to Mike Wolfarth who won his first championship as crew chief. We are very happy with the performance of the car and feel very blessed to have the backing of a wonderful sponsor like Lucas Oil which allows us to go out and have this kind of success and do what it is we love to do."
Litton went four-for-four in finals this year with one win to hold off Lagana by 14 points for the crown of Canada's Top Fuel king.
Beginning in Alberta Litton, a multi-time winner at Castrol Raceway, added to his tally in western Canada with a Saturday night win and a runner-up finish on Sunday all while setting low elapsed time of the meet both nights at the MOPAR Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals.
The Indianapolis native defeated Bobby Lagana Jr. on opening night, laying down an event-best 5.007/290.44 to collect the Ironman trophy followed by a runner-up finish to Scott Palmer the following day to get his 2012 campaign off on the right foot.
Ironically Litton, the first man to ever win Top Fuel at Edmonton back in 2002, brought out the original car he won with that year and repeated with yet another win.
Two weeks later in Grand Bend Litton continued making waves by visiting both finals, but fell to Kyle Wurtzel and Lagana in the deciding rounds.
In race one Wurtzel and Litton gave the Ontario fans exactly what they came for with side-by-side 300 mph passes as Wurtzel edged his mentor by .029 at the line with a 4.900/302.55 to a 4.942/305.70 to give Wurtzel his very first Nitro Jam win. The following day it was Lagana picking up his first win of the year when Litton ran into trouble early in his run and had to shut it off.
The Grand Bend weekend also featured a new track record as Lagana blasted down the Ontario quarter-mile with a 4.827/320.81 Saturday night to drive straight into the record books.
But it was Litton that was ultimately able to secure the Canadian crown thanks to his streak of final rounds as he gears up for an even bigger role with Nitro Jam in 2013.
"We have big things planned for 2013 and I think fans are going to be really excited," Litton said. "It should be an fun year with a lot of new things in store. We can't wait to be back out on the track represented Lucas Oil and putting on a show for all of the great fans out there in an even bigger way next year."
