Drag Illustrated Issue 140, January 2019 | Page 99

Man Cup Top Fuel A sure-filled showdown against Dave Vantine with a season title hanging in the balance. Facing elimination in the championship chase, McBride stepped up on Saturday night to run a 5.77 at 241 mph to defeat point leader and then No. 1 qualifier Vantine in the final of the rain-post- poned Dragway 42 final from July. The clutch win shortened the points deficit up to just 16, less than a round, heading into championship Sunday. What transpired on Sunday spoke to the un- predictability and unforgiving nature of Top Fuel. While most were expecting a McBride vs. Vantine, winner-take-all final, Norway’s Sverre Dahl had other plans. In opening eliminations Dahl snuck by Vanitne in a pedal fest, all but crowning Mc- Bride with the championship. “That shocked me. I hated it for Dave. He had a great season. I was very lucky to have won this championship,” McBride admits. “I smoked the tire twice against Dave this year, so I know ex- actly how he feels. Getting out run is one thing but beating yourself is another. It hurts a whole lot worse. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dave was battling the same situation I was.” McBride took the insurmountable points lead with a tire-smoking solo pass on his first-round bye. It was fortunate for McBride that he qualified in the top spot and earned the bye. “We made our best run when it mattered most,” McBride said. The event upsets were far from over. In the second round of eliminations McBride again was unable to make a clean pass, smoked the tire hard and was defeated by Ian King of England. “I knew it was all over and I was done right away,” McBride said. “It was a tough loss for my nitromethane burner can be more temperamental than a teething baby. Give it just what it wants and it can be beautifully peaceful and har- monious. Upset it and a boisterous, unruly fiasco can break out. Perhaps no one understands this better than 40-year Top Fuel Motorcycle veteran Larry “Spi- derman” McBride, whose Trim-Tex team became flummoxed and bewildered at what tune-up their 5.61 record-holding machine known as “Star” wanted to get down the track cleanly at the Man Cup World Finals from South Georgia Motorsports Park, Nov. 15-18. McBride trusted his team could find the magic formula to lead it to a 19th championship title. McBride struggled through qualifying, setting him up as an underdog in a gargantuan pres- Ja n u a r y 2 0 1 9 DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 99