Larry Dixon
Miller Lite Top Fuel Dragster

"Everybody has to be hitting it."

During a recent NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series teleconference Larry Dixon talked about champions and more:

Don "the Snake" Prudhomme's Miller Lite top fuel dragster with crew chief Dick LeHaie directing the power and driver Larry Dixon in the "bang-seat" have won consistently in the 2002 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series.. Points-leader Dixon has declared he's not tired of winning yet, and he knows well the importance of every round. He also knows every run can teach a skilled team about winning.

It takes big money and tall talent to keep a dragster in NHRA contention and Prudhomme's team his Dixon feeling great about rolling into a race track knowing he's in a car that could win. Whether that confidence will roll down the stretch of the second half of the NHRA season and show the drag racing world that this top fuel team has the stuff of champions is in the round-by-round future.

Dixon's greatest goal is to bring a championship to Prudhomme, the man who gave him a big chance in 1994 when Snake retired.

Zoomster.com asked a few questions about champions of Dixon and he responded…like a champion.

How does the reservoir of drag racing experience from "the Snake" and Dick LaHaie help you through the frustrations of a DNQ?

"Those guys are not too worried about it. We've got bigger goals than just conquering St. Louis. Our goal since the start of the season was to try to win the POWERade championship. We have our sights set on that, and we hit a speed bump on the road towards that. You can't fix anything that happened in St. Louis, you just have to flush it and go to the next race. We're going to Denver, we won there last year. I believe our car and our team and everyone working on it that we have a great set up and go in there and perform well."

"We have won races but we haven't won championships. I look at the team that has the most desire that can come up with the best package. You look at the LA Lakers and they had a lot of talent for a lot of years with Shaq and Kobe but they didn't have the direction it took. It took a guy like Phil Jackson to let them know that they had the talent and capability to do it. Now here they are and they have won three straight. I think that is what Dick LaHaie has done. He brought confidence to our team and myself and to my driving. He is certainly the missing piece. If we were ever to win a championship, it will take someone like Dick LaHaie to make it happen. It just doesn't happen. It's a lot of hard work and a lot of money. We count on Prudhomme to hustle up all the money. It's the total package. Everybody has to be hitting it."

"I think passion and desire. Guys that I look at that have been overly dominant in their field whether it is Michael Jordan or Michael Schumacher or coaches or quarterbacks. They have that passion and desire. It's probably the number one trait of anybody who is a champion."