IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series Races 1-2 Winner Funny Car: Dale Creasy Jr.
Dale Creasy Jr. is still going strong at 66 years old.
The two-time IHRA Funny Car World Champion returned to the winner’s circle at the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series season-opener at Darana Motorsports Park, and then followed it up by winning again at Virginia Motorsports Park. You might ask how long has Creasy been racing. It’s a simple answer as Creasy is truly the definition of a racing veteran.
“I’ve been around racing my entire life,” Creasy said. “My dad raced and then I took over from him.”
That first race car was a 1968 Camaro which Dale bracket raced. Years later, Creasy is going significantly faster behind the wheel of an 11,000-horsepower, fire-breathing Nitro Funny Car.
Creasy had good starts to come out on top of a tough eight-car field at the Benson, N.C., track. He went 3.456 seconds at 204.11 mph to beat Jacob McNeal in the quarterfinals. Then, a battle of former IHRA champions took place in the semifinals with Creasy winning by the slimmest of margins over Del Worsham.
He got a break in the final round as Terry Haddock's broke. Creasy captured the $50,000 winner’s big check and the prestigious IHRA Ironman trophy.
“It was a good weekend. We’re starting to get our consistency back,” Creasy said. “That’s what we were lacking last year. I ran against Worsham the second round, and he was the big dog last year. To beat him, it’s definitely a feather in your cap. His car goes down the track all the time and he’s a good driver.”
The next race, they met in the final. They were only separated by .002 at the start before Creasy’s Dodge Charger had a winning run of 3.194 seconds and 278.40 mph. Worsham finished in 3.260 seconds and 277.32 mph in his Toyota.
Creasy had no idea how many times he and Worsham have faced each other in eliminations although it’s believed to be well north of 100 races. He normally has the attitude after a win to immediately turn his attention to the next race. This one was sweeter than normal with Creasy and his crew taking time to celebrate.
“We enjoyed that win because it had been a long time coming,” he said. “We’d struggled and we were trying to step it up. But, it’s harder than it looks.”
He had to get past Joseph Haas in the quarterfinals and Jacob McNeal in the semifinal to get to Worsham.
Creasy has a great relationship with teams and drivers in multiple racing organizations. His car is built on a John Force Racing chassis with a Dodge body. Now back in the saddle, Creasy is enjoying the sport as much as he ever has.
“I love all of it, the people and now back with IHRA, it’s such a great atmosphere,” Creasy said. “I’ve raced other places a long time, but the atmosphere is different with the way Darryl has it set up. It’s like it used to be where everybody helps everybody. This fits us where it works better for us.”