Reep Retires In Fine Style With North Star Win
Marriott Clinches 2008 OFAA Championship
North Star Dragway - Denton, TX
Event #8 of 8
Report & Photos: Chris Graves
It is hard to put to words exactly what it felt like to be at North Star Dragway on October 18th for the Royal Purple Outlaw Fuel Altered Finals. A series championship was on the line, every team wanted to end the season with a good effort and the rumors of Larry Reep’s retirement from a drag racing career dating to the 1960’s were confirmed. More on that in a bit as we talk championships. Nick Poloson held the Royal Purple points lead for almost the entire season but three time and defending champion Bobby Marriott took the lead after Mo-Kan and led by fourteen points coming into this final event of the year.
(J.T. Heslink is in the spirit as Halloween nears and the fuel altereds are out to play in the dark at Denton)
Fifteen fuel altereds along with a strong field of Southwest Junior Fuel Dragsters came to do battle here in Texas and the facility was buzzing with anxious energy among teams, drivers and fans alike. Every lap was precious. Every tuning call was crucial. Every driver had to be on their game to get the win tonight, let’s get it on!
Under the eyes of drag racing icons like Dale Emery and Vance Hunt who were in attendance amongst many other name worthy faces, Chris White in the “White Lightning” machine opened the action and had his hands full as the car, for lack of a better expression, acted like a fuel altered and was basically guardrail to centerline on a 4.50 at 157 mph lap. It turned out this was a preview of things to come. Next up was an important pair between Nick Poloson and Larry Reep. Poloson had to qualify better than Marriott to help himself in the points chase. Reep was entering his final OFAA event of his extensive and successful career, which is even difficult for me to type because Reep has been a permanent heavy hitter in this series for a decade. Poloson hiked the front end and drifted steadily to the right guardrail. He wrestled it as long as he could but had to lift as the car came insanely close to smacking the wall.
“I don’t think you could have put a business card between me and the wall. I scared the wall to death!” said Poloson laughing. Reep struggled in his first attempt and went 4.85 at 166 mph. Next up was the hottest kid on the block. John Broussard, the youngest OFAA pilot at 19, with the Louisiana based “Purple Haze” team who clicked off a strong 4.07 at 176 mph. Broussard had the most momentum heading into Denton, built from their first win and two straight final round appearances in the last two events.
Donny McSwain and David Purifoy rolled out to make their first hit at the track. McSwain had been plagued with tire shake issues and failed to qualify for the previous two shows, although prior to that this car was a consistent top half ride and McSwain still held a spot in the OFAA Top 5 coming into this event. The “II N’Tense” machine blew up the scoreboards with a stout 4.01 at 175 mph, nice. Purifoy wheeled the “Thrill Factor” to a 4.65 at 166 mph, off pace from their career best 4.15 set at the last event, but still respectable with one session remaining.
J.T. Heslink’s “Punisher” and Jack Hodgson’s “Southern Outlaw” laid down insane side by side burnouts past half track and finally came to a stop beyond the clocks at the eighth mile. These guys are in a personal battle for the Maxcacklephotos.com “Best Burnout” award and bragging rights of course, much to the delight of the fuel altered fans. Heslink carried the front end past sixty foot and drifted towards the centerline finally crossing and tagging the cones at the 330. Hodgson was right along side and had a front row seat as the “Punisher” logo on the side of Heslink’s car continuously got closer and closer forcing him to abort his first lap to avoid a possible collision. Whew, that was close! Next up Brad Rigler’s “Toxic” branded Danny Wright tuned machine clicked off a nice 4.11 at 173 mph while Bobby Marriott’s “Shockwave” went 4.46 at 119 in the opposite lane, a time he would likely have to improve on to qualify. The last hot rod remaining was your most recent winner Donnie Massey in the “Showtime” ride. Massey’s nitro combination has been lethal as of late with consistent 3.90-4.00 laps and Massey blistered straight down the groove to a 3.86 at 162 mph to knock the wind out of his competitor’s sails and easily take low elapsed time of the session.
(Jack Hodgson and J.T. Heslink blazing the hides)
Between rounds some serious drama unfolded in the Tim Hay pit area. The “High Voltage Hayride” had made some quick repairs and attempted to fire the motor, apparently with un-ignited nitro still trapped in the cylinders. Everyone is aware of the dangers of running racecars of this kind include the entire “High Voltage Hayride” team, but accidents happen and this one was scary. A bomb went off and and could be felt at the starting line as the team attempted to fire the motor during the warm-up. The entire left side of the cast iron Chevrolet blew out taking out both top and bottom frame rails and leaving two pistons sticking out the side of the now destroyed block and bottom end. Shrapnel flew and a mushroom cloud rose over the trailer as everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to see what had happened.
(No caption needed)
Crew chief Shawn Hay was hit in the leg by racecar parts acting like bullets as the energy of the explosion was in full force not a foot away from him as he started the car. Luckily, no life threatening injuries resulted from this intense and hair raising situation. Needless to say, Hay’s day was over but the team’s spirits were not dampened as smiles were found across the pit in thankfulness that no one was severely injured. Not all was a loss, as this just gave the highly anticipated post-race party an earlier start in the Hay camp. So the show must go on and that it did with the final qualifying session which could spell do or die as Poloson and Marriott battled for position.
Larry Reep brought the “Grim Reeper” to the line in the first pair of the final qualifying session and clicked off an impressive career best 3.99 at 178 mph, a great lap which secured him a spot in his final start behind the wheel. Poloson rolled out next, currently qualified eighth, along side J.T. Heslink who was outside looking in. Heslink tripped the beams with a 4.13 at 167 mph to get him in the show and Poloson did exactly what he needed to do with a nice 4.11 at 169 mph run to reserve his spot in the field and keep his chances alive. John Broussard was marching to another great lap when his torque converter gave way and he coasted to a 4.33 at 131 mph, the damage proved severe and Broussard had to sit out the elimination rounds. Dodad Burton had to run better than a 4.65 to bump into the field at this point, but in his last shot the car did it’s typical fuel altered routine and took out the centerline cones ending Burton’s season early. Burton, the 2007 OFAA Rookie of the Year, along with the entire “Free Spirit” team made huge strides in 2008 lowering their career best mark multiple times and will be back to more next season. Donnie Massey closed the session with a 3.99 at 172 mph and had the performance edge heading into eliminations. Two things are for sure, fuel altereds rarely go straight and North Star Dragway keeps lots of cones on hand when the OFAA is in town.
(Former Eric Medlen crew member Anthony Whitfield in "Mighty Mouse")
Jack Hodgson lost his first run to avoid Heslink and struggled in the second session falling short of the surprisingly reachable 4.65 bump. Tom Butherus and Anthony Whitfield, the two who traveled the furthest to attend the event, also fell short of the quick ten but surely will return for more fun in the 2009 OFAA campaign. Butherus Hodgson got a break as Broussard’s converter problems could not be repaired to run first round, so Hodgson was bumped in from the first alternate position.
Final Qualifying Order:
1) Donnie Massey (Little Elm, Texas) – 4.0076 (3.9924)
2) Larry Reep (Austin, Texas) – 4.0098 (3.9902)
3) Donny McSwain (Rockwall, Texas) – 4.019
4) John Broussard (Lake Charles, Louisiana) – 4.076
5) Brad Rigler (Heath, Texas) – 4.112
6) Nick Poloson (San Antonio, Texas) – 4.117
7) J.T. Heslink (Sasche, Texas) – 4.137
8) Chris White (Mansfield, Texas) – 4.217
9) Bobby Marriott (Pilot Point, Texas) – 4.461
10) David Purifoy (Texarkana, Texas) – 4.651
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11) Tom Butherus (Goddard, Kansas) – 4.755
12) Jack Hodgson (Waco, Texas) – 5.287
13) Anthony Whitfield (Elk City, Kansas) – 5.360
14) Dodad Burton (Tyler, Texas) – 7.273
15) Tim Hay (Burleson, Texas) – No Time
Marriott survived by qualifying ninth in the second slowest bump spot of the year, oddly coming after two straight record setting 4.15 bump spots in the two previous events. Some had predicted the first “four o” second bump spot would come here, but the beasts were angry this night and cones were flying all throughout qualifying. All that aside, it was time to go hard or go home as the tower called first round to the lanes.
Brad Rigler and David Purifoy got things started, neither one in contention but both equally hungry for a win. Purifoy got out of shape and headed toward the centerline while Rigler streaked to the win with a 4.21 at 164 mph. Rigler posted a 5-3 first round record and qualified for every event this season finishing within the top five in the final standings, not shabby for your two time series champ. Donny McSwain and Chris White were up next, but White ran into reverser problems on the burnout and was forced to idle down and McSwain soloed to a 4.26 at 159 mph. McSwain posted a 3-2 first round record with two runner-up finishes this season heading into Denton, but a 4.26 would likely not hold as one of the quickest two winning runs which advance to the final. Regardless, the team had a great season finishing in the top five after coming back from a horrific final round crash last season in Prescott, Arkansas. Next up was a monster match-up with Massey and Poloson. Poloson was only 11 points behind Marriott after qualifying and had to win this round to keep the championship within reach. Massey had been living in the threes and clicked off another 3.99 at 182 mph to take the win over Poloson. Massey’s win clinched the 2008 Royal Purple Outlaw Fuel Altered Championship for Bobby Marriott and team “Shockwave,” their fourth and well deserved series crown. Poloson’s car blew the tires off at the hit, which came as a surprise as no major tuning changes were made.
(Brad Rigler and son Christopher await the signal to fire up the "Toxic" machine)
(Donny McSwain in "II N'Tense)
(Nick Poloson launches in first round)
“We had a fantastic season and posted our best points finish as a team. This was our first year to go to the winner’s circle and it’s exciting for everyone involved. We had a lot of new help this season including Keith Miniard who I want to give special thanks, as well as Alamo Performance in San Antonio. We made strides all season, we were confident each time we brought the car to the line. We started out in the four teens and by the end of the year we had some four o’s under our belt and our team performed great this year and with very little parts attrition. Tom Wood is a great tuner, owner and friend and I’m glad to be a part of team “Sundown.” Royal Purple and Shannon Tigue of North Texas Lubricants have done great things for the OFAA group in a short period of time and we can’t wait for the first event of next year,” said Poloson.
Poloson and the Tom Wood owned and tuned “Sundown” team had a career year, collecting their first ever win at the season opener then notching their second in mid-season at Evadale. Poloson and team posted a 5-3 first round record along with their two wins, set multiple career best and should be very content with their season and second place finish in 2008. Good job guys.
Back on the track, Larry Reep’s “Grim Reeper” rolled through next along side J.T. Heslink’s “Punisher” in what could be Reep’s last drag race as a driver. All eyes were on Reep as he laid down another stellar 3.99 at a career best 182 mph to take the win. The pair of 3.99’s looked like a promising final round pairing, but two more cars sat in the water box including your champ, Bobby Marriott. He faced Jack Hodgson in the “Southern Outlaw” and the two laid down side by side burnouts. Massey was in the final already, with a 3.997 to Reep’s 3.999 winning time. If Marriott laid down his usual mid 3.90 run he would advance to the final round for the third time this year. Marriott had the fans on the edge of their seats as the “Shockwave” made a hard top end move to the centerline then another hard move back to the guardrail as Marriott fought to keep it in his lane as they went through the traps. Marriott’s 4.06 at 150 mph got the win over Hodgson but failed to bump out Reep’s 3.99, so it was a blown alcohol vs. nitro battle in the final between Donnie Massey and Larry Reep, the two quickest winners of the round.
First Round Eliminations:
(W) Brad Rigler (.207 rt) 4.21 at 164 mph vs. (L) David Purifoy (.059 rt) 4.83 at 121 mph
(W) Donny McSwain (.224 rt) 4.26 at 159 mph vs. (L) Chris White (No Time)
(W) Donnie Massey (.111 rt) 3.997 at 176 mph vs. (L) Nick Poloson (.081 rt) 5.72 at 86 mph
(W) Larry Reep (.042 rt) 3.999 at 182 mph vs. (L) J.T. Heslink (-.050 rt) 5.61 at 81 mph
(W) Bobby Marriott (.085 rt) 4.05 at 150 mph vs. (L) Jack Hodgson (.098 rt) 4.73 at 170 mph
For Massey, who jumped into second place in the standings by overtaking Poloson in first round, this was a chance to take home two wins in a row as he is coming fresh off a win at Evadale just two weeks before. Massey posted four number one qualifying efforts in the eight race season. His second place finish is his best effort since his 2002 series championship. For Reep, it was an emotional story of a true legend of the sport. Reep has piloted everything front engine dragsters at Green Valley Race City to Alcohol Funny Cars in the All American Funny Car series amongst many other ventures in the sport of drag racing, all with the “Grim Reeper” title and the trademark purple hot rods. This marked Reep’s second final of the season and the call went out to bring em’ to the lanes for his last pass in the seat.
Just before the OFAA final, Odie Coker took the win over Ricky Marshall in the Smiley’s Southwest Junior Fuel final round, setting a SWJFA series elapsed time and speed record with a 4.61 at 149.25 mph lap. Coker lost his grandfather and local drag racing legend Raymond Coker exactly a week before and wheeled the Ron Ussery owned digger to the emotional win. Congratulations to the team and Coker family. It was a toss-up for the altered final, both cars had run 3.99 twice in a row, both drivers were more than capable, so lay your money down boys and girls because it was time to crown an event champ.
“We’re so excited, to run a career best and go to the final is so awesome, I hope we can win this one for Reep,” said wife Mary just before the run. Reep got the jump at the gate and Massey had troubles right at the hit as he struck the tires immediately. The Reeper blasted down to a career best 3.95 at 180 mph to end his driving career where he should, on top!
Final Round Results:
(W) Larry Reep (.119 rt) 3.95 at 180 mph vs. (L) Donnie Massey (.130 rt) 10.80 at 51 mph
“You couldn’t have scripted it better. What a way to end his legendary driving career. What makes the racing so special today as opposed to decades ago is the community that the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association brings to drag racing. We root for each other even when we race each other. Donnie Massey wasn’t going to give him the win, but he told me he even wanted Larry to win! We want to thank Royal Purple for their support of this series which helps us do what we love, race. We have had so many people help us do this including Precision Engines in Austin, Ace Chassis, Spook Custom Paint, Manny’s Custom Cars and Precision Machine in Waco,” said Mary Reep.
A career best event winning run in his last pass behind the wheel of the “Grim Reeper” fuel altered, you couldn’t ask for a better story. A huge congratulations goes out to Mary and Larry Reep and crew Charlie “Tuna” Duncan and Rick Reep. What a way to end a career most will never come close to matching. “If it wasn’t for my wife Mary, my son Rick and my crew chief “Tuna” I would not be here and I can’t thank them enough,” said Reep.
Team “Shockwave” and Bobby Marriott celebrated their fourth OFAA Championship along with many of the fellow OFAA teams and friends at the post-race bash put on by the Massey and Hay camps that lasted long into the night and included things that “you had to be there” to talk about. Marriott also clinched the 2008 North Star Dragway track championship with 156 points over Poloson with 144. Marriott doubled up the points battles in a hard fought effort all year. The “Shockwave” team of Bobby and Nancy Marriott, Ray and Susan MacFarland and Allen and Diana Friar posted a 5-3 first round record and two number one qualifiers. Consistency proved to be the determining factor as both Poloson and Massey won more races than Marriott yet didn’t have the consistent threat it takes throughout the season to win it all.
“If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season if we would repeat our championship I would have said no, by looking at the caliber of cars in this group. I owe this year’s success to my wife Nancy and my crew Ray, Susan and Allen. They made all the right calls at the right time and all I had to do was drive it,” said Marriott.
(Bobby Marriott - 2008 Royal Purple OFAA Champion)
Click Here to see photos from this event.
Low Elapsed Time – Donnie Massey (3.86)
Top Speed – Larry Reep (182.78 mph)
Bonus Winners:
Smiley's Racing Products Progressive –
Max Cackle Photos Best Burnout – J.T. Heslink
Disciple Cycles Luck of the Draw –
OFAA ROYAL PURPLE TOP 10 FINISHERS:
1) Bobby Marriott – 309
2) Donnie Massey – 300
3) Nick Poloson – 293
4) Brad Rigler – 275
5) Donny McSwain – 253
6) Larry Reep – 246
7) John Broussard – 241
8) J.T. Heslink – 233
9) David Purifoy – 181
10) Chris White – 177
