On The Run with Jason Cannon driver of the Caps Coach & Trailer A/Fuel Dragster

National Dragster, Oct 1, 2004 by Cannon, Jason

This has been an up-and-down year for us. Over the last few seasons, we have watched A/Fuel Dragsters increase their advantage over blown entries, so we entered the year in test mode to try some things to narrow the gap.

The lockup clutch showed potential, so we got our hands on one and did some preseason testing, but after encountering wheelstands on almost every run, we went back to our normal deal. We continued to experiment and found some gains, running a best of 5.371 at 267.22 mph in Houston, but setbacks and personal circumstances, including my mother dying while we were in Atlanta, continued to mount.

After losing to Marty Thacker in the semi's at the Lucas oil Drag Racing Series event in Bristol, where Guy Kelly won and all but wrapped up the Division 2 title, we decided to take a serious look at what we were going to do in 2005. My father Will and I came up with a plan and decided we needed an A/Fuel Dragster to make a run for the championship.

I have to admit that Tom Conway's success with Shelly Howard's new A/Fueler really sealed the deal for us. It's no secret that Conway got us to where we were with the blown entry, so it was a no-brainer once he switched to A/Fuel. Conway is not only a tuning wizard, but he has enough experience with these dragsters that he has encountered almost every problem. Not to mention the fact that he stocks all of the parts for his combinations; it kind of spoils you. Half of the time when I call Conway and tell him that I need that round thing that goes on the end of that other deal that turns, UPS delivers the part a few days later.

We had an A/Fuel car a bit quicker than we expected. We initially planned to put one together, but we caught word that Chris Ricketts had a nice, turnkey Uyehara for sale. We made a deal and got the dragster two weeks before Indy. We arranged for Ricketts to drop it off at Conway's shop in Seminole, OkIa., so Conway could change it over to his combination. As crazy as it sounds, it was pretty exciting going into Indy with no runs on a new combination, and "crazy" is a good word to use to sum up what happened.

My father left with the rig the Saturday before Indy to pick up the dragster at Conway's shop, and he and Conway were adding the finishing touches when Hurricane Frances hit Florida. My father and I run two boat dealerships in the Jacksonville, FIa., area, so I had to move 40 boats inland from the beach dealership as well as make other preparations that come about when dealing with a storm of that magnitude. In addition, my wife Mindy is a nurse and had to work that Saturday, so I really had no choice but to pull the plug on going to Indy so that I could take care of matters at home. I wasn't too worried about my father; I was sure he'd find something to do at Indy.

As I am writing this, we are getting ready to go to Dallas and debut the A/Fuel Dragster, but, again, another storm is heading toward Florida, so it's pretty crazy. We plan to hit Dallas and Chicago and finish the season at the divisional races at Louisiana's No Problem Raceway and Florida's Gainesville Raceway. We have not won a national event, and that is a big goal for us. Kelly has all but locked up the division title, but we would like to carry a single-digit number on the wing next year.

Our goal for the rest of the season is to learn the new combination and be ready to make a run for next year's championship. I'm really going to miss the blown dragster, but the writing had been on the wall for a while.

I hope we can get a jump on next year for sponsors Caps Coach & Trailer, InsideTopAlcohol.com, Valvoline, Haulmark, Hoosier, and Caps Marine Center. I also want to thank the people behind the scenes, like my father, who makes sure that our business makes money to support our racing. John Hammill goes to some races with us and handles all of our shipping and chassis needs. My father-and mother-in-law Mac and Cindy McLean are a big help as well: They feed us at the track, and Mac helps with the car. We've also had a few guys help at individual races, including Rick Hanna, Terry Coldwater, Tracy Alvers, Bruce Meyer, and Glenn and Tim Braksator.

It's time to get back to work. We'll see you at the track and, I hope, in a few winner's circles.