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At the 1996 Houston event, Lyndon Rutland reached the final round of Super Comp, where he was turned back by Jeromy Hefler. It took more than a decade, but Rutland reached the Super Comp final again in 2018, and this time he closed the deal with a dynamic victory over two-time world champion Williams. The final was easily one of the best races of the weekend, regardless of class. Rutland and Williams left as one, with matching .018 reaction times, and Rutland put the nose of his M&M Race Cars dragster ahead at the stripe by an inch or so to take the win with an 8.901 to Williams’ 8.902. Ironically, Rutland’s top speed at the finish line was 180.07 mph while Williams braked to just 156.99 from his usual 170-mph pace. Rutland came out swinging in eliminations with a .001 light in the opening round and later claimed wins against Tony Brown, Jay Bunce, Trene Cressonie, and Derek Denney.