Gary Phillips has a stranglehold on the Top Alcohol championship with just two rounds remaining and this weekend at Hidden Valley Drag Strip could see the Lucas Oils Funny Car driver wrap up his 16th title in the category.

Phillips has a 93 point lead over second placed Steve Reed. If he can leave with anything greater than a 118 point lead over his nearest rival then it's game, set, match for the cagey Queenslander.

But Phillips says the last thing on his mind is championship hunting when there is a wildcard track like Darwin to tackle first.

"It's not my game to look that far ahead. We will go up there with an open mind and do the best we can do. But I'd rather be the target than the arrow," he said.

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Australia's quickest current female racer Debbie O'Rourke is hoping her first trip to race at Darwin's Hidden Valley Drag Strip in the ANDRA Drag Racing Series goes off without a 'bang'.

O'Rourke is one of the most experienced racers in the Top Alcohol category and knows the highs of 400kmh passes down the drag strip as well as the lows when things go wrong.

Like most of the other teams attending the historic event, the O'Rourke Motorsport outfit, supported by KTrans WA and 1320 Race Cars, says they will be taking a softer approach to initial runs to get to learn the Hidden Valley track's intricacies.

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Alice Springs drag racer Mark Probst will get a chance to compete in the ANDRA Drag Racing Series for the first time in his home state at next weekend's Top Alcohol championship round at Darwin's Hidden Valley Drag Strip.

The historic occasion, the first time championship drag racing has been to the top end, will see Probst not only trying to defeat some of the country's quickest teams but also trying to break his own personal best and see his unique Altered-chassis race car into the five second zone for the first time over the quarter mile race distance.

"The fives are what we are chasing, we are running in Alice Springs this weekend to get some more data," he said. "We are going to have to be on our toes because people like national champion Gary Phillips and track record holder Scott Maclean are going to be in Darwin and we want to be amongst it."

Darwin drag racer Scott Maclean may not have the vast experience of more seasoned drivers in the ANDRA Drag Racing Series, but when it comes to his home track of Hidden Valley Drag Strip, Maclean is going to be the man to beat.

On Saturday night Maclean beat his own track record again with a run of 5.685 at 251.95mph (405.46kph) over the quarter mile, which plays host to its first ever ANDRA championship rounds of Top Alcohol and Top Bike next Friday and Saturday, August 16 and 17.

In a warning shot to the nine other teams who are travelling to the event, Maclean said there is more to come yet from the AllTools Ford Mustang.