NORWALK, Ohio (November 11, 2013)
– With one runner-up in the Summit Tournament of Champions already in
his career, Austin Cowan was determined that this time would be
different.
Cowan
finished runner-up in the 2011 version of IHRA's championship
tournament in Top Dragster and with another shot at a world championship
at stake, Cowan buckled down and prepared for one of the biggest
rides of his life.
Fortunately
for him, that intense final run was transformed more into a leisurely
victory lap after final round opponent Trevor Ritchie, travelling all
the way Alberta, Canada, broke on the line and couldn't complete the
pass.
Austin Cowan
"I
was pretty nervous for the final. I have been here before, but there is
still a lot riding on this run," Cowan said." I just kept telling
myself, stay calm, you have been here before, just go out and do what
you have been doing. Once I saw that my opponent had broke I went crazy.
I was screaming the whole way down the track. The guys at the top end
were trying to slow me down because I was flying around the bend, but I
was just so I excited. I couldn't believe it. Heck, I still can't
believe it."
But it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine for Cowan.
The
weekend for the Bulverde, Texas native actually began with a whole host
of problems Thursday night after they unloaded the car. First it was a
bit of tire shake and a change out of the ignition box. Then, the
throttle hung on Cowan's very fast dragster and he was forced to pull
the chutes and burned up the brakes. After that, it was just a feeling
of what else can go wrong?
"I
figured once Thursday was over, we had to have gotten all of the bugs
worked out. All of the bad stuff we were going through meant that it was
going to be a good weekend – at least that is what we told
ourselves," Cowan said.
Austin Cowan
But
it wasn't over just yet for Cowan. In the first round of eliminations
it was driver error, not car trouble, that almost cost him a round win
when he missed the tree. But in the other lane first round opponent
Michael White broke, giving Cowan yet another mulligan on his scorecard.
"That
first round was my lucky round for sure. We missed the tree and the guy
broke, which saved our weekend," Cowan said. "Having all of those
problems hit us at once, it does mess with you a little bit, but you
just have to put it aside and not worry about what might happen next.
You just have to focus on going rounds and getting it done on the
track."
And that is exactly what Cowan did the rest of the way.
Cowan
more than made up for his first round error with tremendous passes in
rounds two and three including a .007 package in round two against
series veteran Steve Dweck, producing a .002 reaction time with a
7.125 pass on a 7.12 dial. In the semis Cowan produced again, this time
with a .016 light and a perfect 7.120 pass on a 7.12 dial at 182.77
miles per hour to defeat David Johns who nearly equaled him, putting
together a .020 reaction time and a 7.161 on a 7.16 at 185.10 mph.
"Our weekend was just amazing. Once we got over the bumps the car was deadly all afternoon," Cowan said.
Top Dragster Final – Austin Cowan (near) vs. Trevor Ritchie
Sadly
the incredible final round showdown with Canadian Trevor Ritchie failed
to take shape as problems struck Ritchie, allowing Cowan to take it
easy on his final pass.
With
the win, Cowan wraps up a successful year that included two final round
appearances and a third place finish in Division 4 behind division
champion Matt Levatino. Ritchie also put together a strong year,
finishing with two wins and taking the Top Dragster championship in
Division 6.
And
for Cowan, he is convinced that it is the tough competition with the
IHRA's Renegades Division which allowed him to take the championship in
Memphis.
"Matt
was the top guy in our class and he was killing us all year long. He
did a great job and I believe if I hadn't been racing him so hard all
year long, I probably wouldn't be as good as I am this year," Cowan
said. "I would have to say that Texas has some of the best racers in the
world and that really toughens you up and gives you confidence when you
go out and face racers from around the country."
Now
Cowan can add the title world champion to his name and the No. 1 to his
car in a career that began racing Junior Dragsters at age 12.
