THE CHAMPIONS ISSUE

“ I was really concerned that we would have a tougher time being competitive with a clutch car and a 3-speed that I have to manually shift, compared to the rest of my competitors who leave of a transbrake button and run auto-shifters,” Dimitrov admits.

The dynamic duo that is Dimitrov and Novotny campaign a unique ride that was built entirely by Novotny in 2000, just a few short years after he suffered a nearly career-ending accident at Cordova. Several years later, Dimitrov, a longtime crew hand, was given the opportunity to acquire his Top Alcohol Dragster license in the car referred to as“ The Rogue”, and took over driving duties in 2009. The car features a rare 527 ci Chet Herbert Hemi topped by a SSI Supercharger, and utilizes a Hays clutch with a B & J Transmission.

The Ohio based team lead by Novotny, 81, adapted to the newly established rules and had a season that will go down in the record books.

“ Reliability was the biggest factor in our championship season,” Dimitrov believes.“ It’ s all thanks to Lou. It’ s amazing for a dude his age that he still does almost all of the maintenance on the car at his house. He makes sure the car is right before every race. I’ m just too busy running my business these days to help him, and he handles it, no problem.”

After competing in the series for six years since its inception in 2009, Dimitrov remained winless – until the 2017 season, that is.

PHOTOS: COLE ROKOSKY

“ It was an amazing year,” Dimitrov says.“ We qualified No. 1 for our first time ever. Then we went on to collect our first-ever win. We even went on to win the remaining two races as well. We’ ve been doing this for a long time, and it meant so much to us to finally get that first win. Lou is truly a legend of this sport, and I really appreciate the opportunity he has given me to drive this car.

“ We couldn’ t do it without our crew, Nick, Cal, and John. We all make a great team, and we have a great time doing it. I’ d also like to thank Jim and Greg Curtis, Roberta Benedict, Denny Kochever, Carlos Pedro, and the rest of the crew at Thompson Raceway Park for providing a great track and facility for us to race at, and for always treating us like family. Oh, and Tom Lang for his coverage and all the other stuff he does. Thank you to zippityprint. com and Ken at Motorsports Unlimited for their unwavering support as well. We couldn’ t have won every contested round of the 2017 season without all of those people.”

– COLE ROKOSKY DI

NHRA TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER JOEY SEVERANCE

January / February 2018 DragIllustrated. com | Drag Illustrated | 81