As history has shown, the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series rarely sees momentous shifts in the compass headings guiding the four professional championship battles during its annual Western Swing, that three-week endurance test which skips from Denver to Seattle to Sonoma.

This year was no exception as the four pro points leaders ended the Swing in their respective top spots, but that's not to say that there weren't major stories to reflect upon as the tour now takes a two-week break.

Here are the five biggest developments to break since the Swing began three weeks ago.

1. Larry Dixon's Dominance Is Unquestioned
A series of slipups, a stretch of bad luck, a costly mistake here and there, and defending Top Fuel champion Larry Dixon might have opened the door for Doug Kalitta to close in for the points lead. Not only did Dixon stay unbeatable, his sweep of the Swing was unmistakable testament to how solid he and tuner Dick Lahaie are as a team. The key to Dixon's sweep? Beating Kalitta in the first two final rounds of the western road trip in Denver and Seattle.

2. John Force Has Come To Life
Force ended his year-long slump decisively with two out of three wins on the Swing. He is now 199 points behind Tony Pedregon and inching closer to second place Whit Bazemore. His tuning team has overcome their early season frustrations, as we all knew they would, and now the stretch drive in Funny Car has become a truly fascinating subject of "what if's" and "why not's." Force is back.

3. Tony Pedregon Is Losing His Lock On 1st Place
Almost as unpredictable as Force's resurgence has suddenly become, so has Tony's downturn. Last year, he runnered-up in Denver and won in Seattle. This year, he failed to win a single round on the Swing. He leads Whit Bazemore by only 44-points after taking a triple digit lead into the west and unless his crew can give him the same race car that won six of the season's first 12 races, things could slip away even further.

4. Nobody Can Run With Greg Anderson
Granted, he won only a single race on the Swing, but Pro Stock points leader Greg Anderson went stride-for stride with Kurt Johnson, the only driver with any real hope of catching him for the championship. Warren Johnson won in Denver but would have needed at least another win out west to step back into contention, and following Jeg Coughlin's Sonoma win, the reigning champion has moved past WJ for third in the standings. But with Anderson still brandishing the quickest and fastest car in the class, and his driving almost as bankable, the Swing showcased how tough he'll be to overtake.

5. Angelle Savoie Needs To Get Back On Her Game
An absolutely stunning first-round loss to Michael Phillips in Denver. Then, a surprising loss to teammate Antron Brown in the opening round in Sonoma, only to watch Geno Scali increase his points lead over the three-time champion by winning at Infineon. Angelle has swapped the points lead with Scali throughout the 2003 season, and statistically, they've each scored the same number of wins. But unless Savoie can begin putting round wins and race wins together again, especially with the emotionally-charged U.S. Nationals approaching, her fourth title remains seriously in doubt.

Bill Stephens covers the NHRA for ESPN and ESPN.com.