ESPN NHRA

Dave Connolly was born on New Year's Day in 1983. According to his birth records, the most surprising aspect of his birth is that it didn't occur at a drag race.

The 22-year-old phenom from Elyria, Ohio, has been competing in a variety of drag racing machines since he was old enough to hold a valid driver's license. He is a former Division 3 NHRA Super Gas champion, a frequent winner at various high-dollar bracket races held across the country, and last year, in the Bullet Motorsports Chevy Cavalier owned by Mike Dzurilla, finished third in the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings.

And he did it at an age when many racers are just beginning to get their feet wet.

So, it's no surprise that with the NHRA national event schedule on a two-week hiatus between the Mac Tools Gatornationals in Gainesville and next weekend's O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Connolly was in the saddle of his Super Comp/Bracket dragster over the weekend at the NMCA Pro Edelbrock racing event in Bradenton, Fla.

Why?

"Because it's like a free test session for some of the big dollar bracket races I run in," said Connolly. "This race doesn't pay a lot to win, but for the next couple of months, when I'm not racing the Pro Stock car, I'll be somewhere racing at a bracket event."

The economics of professional drag racing may not be as affluent as some people think. While Connolly receives a base salary for driving the Bullet Motorsports Chevy, the real financial rewards come from winning rounds and races. With six-figure purses being offered at some of the better-known bracket races Connolly enters, there's a pretty attractive payday possible away from the grind of the NHRA national event tour.

Connolly fouled out in the second round of the Bracket 1 class in Bradenton, so his seat time was held to a minimum. But with a $200,000 check waiting for this year's POWERade Pro Stock champion, Connolly has his sights set clearly on a big 2005.

"We had a great weekend in Pomona," he said. "But we chose the wrong lane in Phoenix and that cost us. Then we tried some new clutch pieces in Gainesville and we didn't have them figured out completely. Other than that, I think we've only made one bad run this year where we had to shut off early. We've been pretty satisfied with our program."

Dave Connolly loves drag racing and he gladly devotes every waking moment to his life-long passion. If seat time leads to racing success, then Connolly is well on his way to a future championship. But, does he think winning the first race of the season is a good thing or a bad thing? Does it really give the team a big dose of momentum or does it create expectations that may be hard to live up to?

"It's definitely a good thing," said Connolly. "You don't have to wonder if you're going to go all season without a win."

Bill Stephens covers NHRA for ESPN.com.