Track owner Bill Bailey, family and crew had the Pine Valley Raceway quarter mile facility (race is eighth mile) in immaculate condition for the fifth event and halfway mark of the 2005 Outlaw Fuel Altered season. Eric Buchanan held an eight-point lead over rookie Gary Wheeler in the standings heading into Lufkin. Sixteen altereds came to rumble and the spectators were still two lanes wide lined up out to the highway as the first round of qualifying kicked off. Bailey said, "This is the biggest crowd I've ever had." That was just the beginning of a night the fans and Outlaw Fuel Altered members will never forget.

Qualifying was underway and saw some awesome performances from many teams. Seven cars dipped into the 4.20's including Buchanan, Marriott, Pruett, Reep, Hay, Wheeler, and Bouchey with Pruett leading the pack with a 4.20. Donnie Massey rounded out the top eight after the first session with a 4.38 bump; the quickest bump ever and one session was still remaining.

Second round of qualifying started around 9:30 p.m. with the air temp cooling down creating even better racing conditions. LaDonna Caulk dropped jaws in a big way with a stellar 4.17 at only 150 mph taking the number one spot from Pruett. Unbelievably, almost every car stepped up in the second session after such awesome times from the first. Pruett, Reep, and Marriott also dipped into the high teens and Rigler nosed out Tim Hay by .001 (one thousandth of a second) with a 4.295 to take the final qualifying position. Hay would have to settle for number nine spot and sit out eliminations for the second time in his rookie season. Donnie Massey found a crack in his fuel tank during between round maintenance and was forced to sit out the second session. The outstanding 4.295 bump was the Outlaw Fuel Altereds quickest bump of all time and is a record that will be hard to match. LaDonna Caulk took her first Meyer Enterprises low qualifier award with her career best elapsed time and was strong heading into eliminations.

Final Qualifying Order:

1) LaDonna Caulk - 4.17
2) Larry Reep - 4.191
3) Jim Pruett - 4.193
4) Bobby Marriott - 4.198
5) Gary Wheeler - 4.20
6) Eric Buchanan - 4.23
7) Travis Bouchey - 4.24
8) Brad Rigler - 4.295
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9) Tim Hay - 4.296
10) Donnie Massey - 4.38
11) Jack Hodgson - 4.40
12) John Tappan - 4.54
13) Jimmy Todd - 4.58
14) Kevin Broussard - 4.73
15) Paul Wells - 4.76
16) Bob Voirin - 6.65

First round eliminations cranked up an hour after qualifying ended with clear skies and a beautiful full moon dangling over the track. In a great first pair, Buchanan put Reep on the trailer with an awesome 4.16 at 170 mph to Reeper's 4.27 at 172 mph. Rigler drilled Marriott off the line and tripped the clocks with a 4.33 at 166 mph winning effort after Marriott shook the chute out at 330 feet. Number one qualifier Caulk fired up with fuel pressure problems and shut off on the line handing Wheeler first round freebie. Wheeler carried the front wheels to the 330 mark getting close to the wall that forced him to lift. Bouchey, still getting used to his new pedal clutch setup, chased Pruett down with a big top end charge after sleeping at the tree with a 4.27 at 164 mph to Pruett's loosing 4.55 at 167 mph.

First Round Results:

(W) Eric Buchanan (4.16 at 170 mph) vs. (L) Larry Reep (4.27 at 172 mph)
(W) Brad Rigler (4.33 at 166 mph) vs. (L) Bobby Marriott (4.37 at 149 mph)
(W) Gary Wheeler (4.57 at 119 mph) vs. (L) LaDonna Caulk (Broke)
(W) Travis Bouchey (4.27 at 164 mph) vs. (L) Jim Pruett (4.55 at 167 mph)

The clock struck midnight with a full moon in the sky; the final between Buchanan and Bouchey was underway. Buchanan got out of the gate first by three hundredths, but was too aggressive on their tune-up and immediately went in to severe tire shake breaking a wing strut. Bouchey proved his new combination with low elapsed time of the event, a monstrous 4.12 at 170 mph to take his second win of the season. This was Travis & wife Jodi's 12th wedding anniversary, one I'm sure they will always remember! Everyone was really happy for the both of them; they have really worked hard and deserved the win. A party broke out around the Bouchey's trailer and lasted until the wee hours of the night. Yet another great Outlaw Fuel Altered event was in the books.

Final Round Results:

(W) Travis Bouchey (.500 rt, 4.12 at 170 mph) vs. (L) Eric Buchanan (.479 rt, 10.00 at 41 mph)

Buchanan extended his points lead by eleven heading into the next Outlaw Fuel Altered event August 5th at Texas Raceway. The Outlaw Fuel Altereds will be a part of the very special 3rd Annual B.H.R.A. Nationals show honoring the late Bill Heilscher. The points battle looks hectic after Lufkin with a tie for second and third place. It will be a fight to the end as usual for the big boys of the Outlaw Fuel Altereds to see who will come out on top at the end of 2005. In a night full of records, first timers, and amazing performances Bouchey took home the crown and put himself back into the points chase. A special thanks goes out to race coordinator Ray "Snorter" McFarland for keeping the show rolling and everyone safe at each and every Outlaw Fuel Altered event.

Event Low Elapsed Time - Travis Bouchey, 4.129
Event Top Speed - Larry Reep, 172.61 mph