Top Fuel pit stop a hit with capacity Utah crowd
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (June 21, 2011) – Bobby Lagana Jr. and his wild clan of road warriors are known for their crazy antics.
From late nights at local dives, to allowing fans to actually sign their dragster before a run, to finding out exactly how many different machines – from lawn mowers to golf carts – can run on nitro, the Lagana's are always a good time waiting to happen.
A second generation racer from New York, Lagana and his family have spent nearly their entire lives on the road traveling from race to race campaigning an entry in the sports quickest and fastest drag racing class while having plenty of fun along the way. But usually, that fun is reserved for time away from the track.
On the track it is typically all business as Lagana, his brother Dom, his father and the rest of the team prepare the car for yet another run of over 300 miles per hour on quarter-mile strips across North America.
Recently, however, Lagana decided to take his wild antics usually reserved for the pits and apply them to the track itself.
At the recently completed IHRA Salt Lake Nitro Jam at Rocky Mountain Raceways, Lagana sat down with fellow Top Fuel competitor Bruce Litton and devised a plan aimed at wowing the capacity Utah crowd and attempting something believed to have never been done before.
Lagana was going to attempt the sport's very first 'splash and go' pit stop on the track.
"Well, we thought what the heck. We were having a bit of trouble getting down the track and we really wanted to put on a good show for the fans so we came up with the idea for a little refueling after a long burnout," Lagana said. "We have been doing long burnouts for a while now and the crowd response has been tremendous so we decided 'why not take it farther?'"
Already known for his freakishly long burnouts in a machine requiring the most precise of measurements to make a clean pass, Lagana decided that he was going to take that to new heights in Salt Lake City and attempt a burnout approaching 1,000 feet – a distance usually reserved for old floppers and exhibition vehicles.
To do that, however, Lagana knew he was going to require a bit more fuel after the run and that is when his crew decided to attempt something unique to the sport of drag racing, a rare pit stop.
"It actually worked out pretty well. I did the burnout, backed it up and Dom and the guys topped me off," Lagana said. "It went really smoothly and just like that we were ready to make our run. It was definitely different and to be honest a little exciting and the fans were really behind us.
"Most of the fans actually got to sign the car before the run so most of them were watching as their signature went down the track. The fan interaction with the new Nitro Jam format and the ability to try new things has really made this into an event you can't see anywhere else. I am glad to be a part of it."
With tens of thousands of fans watching from any vantage point they could find, hanging on the railing alongside the VIP tower, filling the grassy hill beside the grandstands and lining the fence half a dozen deep, Lagana pulled onto the track for his final pass of the night Saturday and began a burnout that had all the flare and excitement of the days of old when drag racing was as much about the show as it was about the race.
After completing his smoky tire-roll nearly to the scoreboards, Lagana threw it in reverse and began his journey back to the starting line while in the other lane Litton began his own burnout.
Once he was back at the starting line, Lagana's crew quickly went to work tapping into the nithromethane keg and topping it off with a few gallons of liquid fire before sending Lagana on his way.
From the stands there wasn't a seat being used as every individual watched the two cars light the ambers on the tree. A few seconds later the pair was away, barreling toward the scoreboards at speeds unthinkable to the everyday Sunday driver.
Just like that, five seconds later, it was all over. For Lagana, the run ended in a bit of disappointment as he smoked the hides at about halftrack allowing Litton to cross the finish line first. Still, despite the fact that he didn't turn on the win light, Lagana took refuge in the fact that he attempted something new and exciting and the fans took notice.
"We love spending time with our fans and always encourage them to come hang out in the pits with us," Lagana said. "Despite the fact that we lost, it was comforting to know that we tried something new and it was a hit. Who knows what we will come up with next."
While it is not clear if or when Lagana will try his now famous "splash and dash" again, it is clear he has gained even more respect among the fans as the drag racing outlaw who will do just about anything to give them a show.
And for Lagana, that is exactly the way he likes it.
