Five times Paul Lee had advanced to an IHRA Knoll Gas Nitro Jam final round. Five times he had come away empty-handed. All that changed Sunday at Milan Dragway when Lee defeated Dan Wilkerson to claim the Ironman at the IHRA Motor City Nationals.
In the semifinal against Matt Hagan, Lee’s luck carried him through. He smoked the tires at the hit of the throttle and lifted out of the run. Hagan was well ahead at half-track, but his car went into tire shake, forcing him to pitch left and cross the center line. Lee, meanwhile, got back into the run and coasted down the track to take the win light.
Luck had nothing to do with Bruce Litton’s win in the Top Fuel class. The Indianapolis-based defending world champion consistently clocked passes in the 4.60s to march through the field to the event championship. Scott Palmer could not get his car fired for the final round against Litton, but the defending champ zipped down the groove with a strong 4.678/287.66 pass.
Kenny Lang won his second- consecutive Ironman, backing up his win in Rockingham with a victory at the Motor City Nationals. Lang stopped Mike Castellana’s nitrous-powered ’68 Firebird in the final.
Lang assumed the Pro Modified points lead with his win in Milan.
Dr. Tom Carter, a dentist from Cuero, Texas, did something no one else has been able to do this season — knock off Laurie Cannister in Alcohol Funny Car competition. Carter defeated Cannister in the final round at Milan Dragway to stop her eight-round winning streak. When Carter moved into the Alcohol Funny Car ranks in the 2006 season, Cannister and her husband helped tune Carter’s car. At the Motor City Nationals he won the battle with his former teammates and close friends.
Carter, who set an IHRA national speed record with a 249.30 mph pass in the first round against Tony Bogolo, clocked a 5.802/248.43 pass in the final to top Cannister’s 5.842/242.98 package.
Jeff Dobbins  had a dominant weekend in Milan, finishing at the top of the qualifying sheet, making a career-best 6.294 pass during qualifying and blowing through four elimination rounds to win the Pro Stock Ironman.
Dobbins defeated Pete Berner in the final round.