ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Veteran Bruce Litton overcame years of championship frustration Sunday, claiming his first IHRA series championship in impressive fashion by winning the Top Fuel championship at the 12th-annual Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam World Finals at Rockingham Dragway.
Although he clinched the $150,000 championship with a first-round victory over veteran Luigi Novelli, the 51-year-old Indianapolis businessman closed the deal by stopping six-time former IHRA Pro Modified champion Scotty Cannon in a classic final round.
Litton won one of three championships that remained undecided entering Sunday’s eliminations, but was the only new series titleholder to also win the race.
Robert Patrick, who won his first Pro Stock title, was beaten in the final round by Jeff Dobbins. Mark Thomas, who became the most prolific champion in IHRA with seven titles, lost to Rob Atchison in the Alcohol Funny Car finale. Mike Janis won the Pro Modified title, but fell 15 points shy of Scott Cannon for the season championship. 
The door swung wide open for Litton when point-leader T.J. Zizzo was upset in the first round by Ken Jones. Litton didn’t fumble the opportunity, winning at Rockingham for the first time since taking the Spring Nationals there in 2000.
In getting his third win of this season and the 12th of his career, Litton put behind him the bridesmaid tag that had followed him throughout his pro career. In addition to runner-up finishes to Clay Millican in 2002, 2003 and 2004, he was third in points in 2000, 2001 and 2005.  Now, he finally is the Top Fuel champion.
“It’s awesome,” Litton said of the double victory.  “(But) I’m very humbled at the same time. We’ve had some good cars and some really good teams (in the past) but I think the key to this season was I got my guys back together.  I love these guys, and I think I needed to be surrounded by friends I really trust. Second (three times in the past) was okay,” Litton said, “but it wasn’t our goal. This was our goal and we finally achieved it.”
In one of the day’s most surprising developments, No. 1 qualifier Pete Berner squandered his chance to repeat as pro stock champion when he was guilty of a first round foul start against former champ Brian Gahm. Berner’s unexpectedly early exit, which came after he had lowered the Rockingham track record to 6.281 seconds during qualifying, opened the door for Patrick.
Scott Cannon, who locked up his first series championship – and his family’s seventh – by qualifying No. 1 on Saturday, saw his Rockingham winning streak ended in round two by Pat Stoken.  Scott Cannon, the 27-year-old son of six-time Pro Modified champ Scotty Cannon, had won his last two starts at The Rock but was victimized Sunday by tire shake that slowed his replica 1966 Pontiac to 6.727 seconds, well off the track record-setting 5.969 he recorded in qualifying.
In the Nitro Funny Car class, someone finally wrestled a Rockingham victory away from journeyman Jack Wyatt. Wyatt had won three straight Funny Car events at the Carolina track before Bob Gilbertson prevailed on Sunday, ending a frustrating season on a positive note.