Oh So Close

National Dragster, Jan 20, 2006

In drag racing, the pinnacle of competition is reached in championship chases that come down to the final round of the final event of the season. The winner's heightened anticipation turns into jubilation, and the loser's defeat is magnified as well. Such was the case when Greg Stanfield came up eight points shy of capturing the 1996 Comp title away from Bo Nickens hy virtue of a loss to Andy Manna in the final round of the season closer in Pomona.

Manna never looked back as his roadster was quicker off the Une and farther under his index than the C/Econo Dragster driven by Stanfield, who had won four championships in the Super Stock class. "It's ideally how you want it to happen," said Stanfield, "the last round of the last race. It's like the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl with five seconds left on the clock. We just didn't get it done. That was a heartbreaker."