"Shockwave" Scores at Dallas Raceway
Dallas Raceway - Crandall, TX
May 23rd, 2009
Event #2 of 9
Report & Photos: Chris Graves
It isn’t every weekend you get to race at a brand new facility, much less an all concrete drag racing palace that has been tickling the eyes and imaginations of drag racers in the area for it’s five year construction. The highly anticipated opening of the IHRA sanctioned Dallas Raceway had finally arrived and the Royal Purple Outlaw Fuel Altered series took the pleasure of headlining the track’s second weekend with open gates. Track owner Kenny Barnes and manager Sammy Lattner left no stone unturned in creating one of the most appealing facilities in the country, to both racers and fans alike. OFAA points leader and latest winner Donnie Massey looked to continue his hot streak in the “Showtime” machine as thirteen cars suited up to face-off for the quickest ten spots, including new comer Chris Trussell, who made his OFAA debut in the Darby & Trussell “Assassin” machine.
(Chris Trussell)
This is the first of back to back race weekends for the OFAA and doing well at both of these events will prove crucial to whoever plans on contending for the championship in 2009. The tuners must ride the fine line to run fast enough to win yet safe enough to make their parts last through two weekends of torture.
(DoDad Burton warming up)
(Team "Shockwave")
(Sammy Lattner and Bobby Marriott)
Bobby Marriott’s “Shockwave” lined up with Jack Hodgson in the “Southern Outlaw” as the first qualifying session got underway with Hodgson laying down a 4.31 at 166 mph while Marriott fought his car down the track pedaling to a 4.58 at 129 mph. Mary Reep rolled through next in the Austin, Texas based “Grim Reeper” machine along side the “Purple Haze” of John Broussard. Reep made history here as she became the quickest and fastest female at Dallas Raceway with a nice 4.14 at 175 mph with Broussard clicking off a 4.40 at 165 mph. Nick Poloson came out next in the “Sundown” with DoDad Burton’s “Free Spirit” along side. Poloson wheeled his Tom Wood owned and tuned machine to a strong 4.04 at 176 mph to take the top spot at the time, with Burton clicking off a 4.31 at 174 mph, a career best mile per hour.
Donnie Massey got the signal to fire and the motor popped when the crew spun it over, so Massey wisely elected to sit out the first session to prevent any possible damage to his car or himself. Donny McSwain kicked Poloson off the pole with a picture perfect opening lap, 3.99 at 179 mph in the “II N’Tense” Kenny Trumble tuned effort. Terry Anglin’s “Psychotic Express” flamed Fiat laid down a 4.36 at 165 mph on a solo pass with Anthony Whitfield’s “Mighty Mouse” and Chris Trussell’s “Assassin” following up with two pair remaining. Whitfield went 4.41 at 158 mph while Trussell pedaled his way to a 5.14 at 126 mph. David Purifoy in the “Thrill Factor” and Clint Cross in the “Crossways” were the final two of the session. Cross hiked the front end up at the hit and carried them past a hundred feet before finally lifting as the car drifted towards the centerline, while Purifoy in the other lane laid down a career best 4.10 at 173 mph in the Herb Whisnant owned Texarkana, Texas based team.
(Clint Cross reaches for the sky)
(On board with Clint Cross)
(Donny McSwain's "II N'Tense")
Showers delayed the event one week, as it was scheduled for May 16th, and with a 70% chance of showers and lightning in the distance the turn around time between rounds was very short. Less than an hour after ending the first session, the first pair of the second session were fired up and doing burnouts! The bump was a 4.58 held by Bobby Marriott. Donnie Massey, Clint Cross and Chris Trussell all were outside looking in while Marriott hoped he could get himself off the bump spot as he lined up with John Broussard to open the round. Broussard struck the tires early, while Marriott streaked right down broadway to a 3.96 at 189 mph to secure himself a spot in the top half of the field. Mary Reep came out and made her presence known with a career best 4.01 at 177 mph to qualify second. Jack Hodgson had problems early but stayed number eight with his 4.31 from first session. Chris Trussell and Donny McSwain lined up their beautiful machines as Trussell looked to bump Whitfield, who was now the bump spot with a 4.41. McSwain laid down a solid 4.03 at 179 mph while Trussell fell just short with a 4.64 at 153 mph.
“Choosing to leave mud racing to join the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association was a natural choice for me as I have only two passions in my life, welding and racing. The mud drags were going was great for me and I met many great people and am still friends with them. The OFAA is organized and professional and has a lot of room to grow. The night went well for just our fifth time out and first full pass on the car. We had problems with my helmet fogging up and a few other ‘newbie’ related issues. I had to lift twice on my second qualifier and we just missed the show, but the car has great potential. I just have to get comfortable in the seat. Thanks to my crew Rebekah, Steve, Terry, my mom and dad Sharon and Ken, and also my sponsors CELI Corporation, Trussell Welding Service and Shade Tree Metal Products. The OFAA family has been great to us and a big help! We are ready to go racing,” said Trussell.
Qualifying continued with Nick Poloson and DoDad Burton. Poloson continued his strong performance with a 4.06 at 176 mph and would start from the number four spot. Burton put down nice numbers with a 4.19 at 172 mph and would start sixth. David Purifoy hoped to throw down another strong number coming off his career best from first session and that he did with a solid 4.12 at 173 mph. Anthony Whitfield failed to improve and held the bump with a 4.41 with one pair left, including the “Crossways” machine which was not in. Clint Cross and Terry Anglin staged up in the final pair of qualifying, Cross’ car launched hard and hit the wheelie bar unloading the tires. A quick pedal job sent the wheels back up again and Cross had to abort the run while Terry Anglin laid down a very solid 4.20 at 170 mph, a career best elapsed time. For Cross, Trussell and Massey their next chance to dance will be next weekend, Saturday May 30th at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas.
(Clint Cross)
(Mary Reep)
(David Purifoy)
Final Qualifying Order:
1) Donny McSwain (Rockwall, Texas) – 4.003 (3.997)
2) Mary Reep (Austin, Texas) – 4.017
3) Bobby Marriott (Pilot Point, Texas) – 4.034 (3.966)
4) Nick Poloson (San Antonio, Texas) – 4.04
5) David Purifoy (Texarkana, Texas) – 4.108
6) DoDad Burton (Tyler, Texas) – 4.198
7) Terry Anglin (Terrell, Texas) – 4.209
8) Jack Hodgson (Waco, Texas) – 4.316
9) John Broussard (Lake Charles, Louisiana) – 4.404
10) Anthony Whitfield (Elk City, Kansas) – 4.414
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11) Chris Trussell (Canton, Texas) – 4.644
12) Clint Cross (Crossroads, Texas) – 4.860
13) Donnie Massey (Little Elm, Texas) – No Time
Bobby Marriott was the only nitro burner to make the cut as this was going to be an almost all blown alcohol eliminations field. Marriott and Hodgson started the show and this one was all Marriott. A 3.95 at 181 mph to knock off Hodgson, who went red on the line but still had a decent outing and could look forward to Denton next weekend. Nick Poloson looked strong with two four o passes in qualifying and had to handle John Broussard in first round who is always tough. Broussard had been struggling to get his car to hook up early and again spun the tires at the hit. He pedaled it but couldn’t catch Poloson and the “Sundown” car launched hard off the line and drifted towards the wall with tire shake, but got the win with a 4.26 at 156 mph.
(Nick Poloson)
“The Sundown Team was very happy with our qualifying effort, and we were really going to try for a spot in the OFAA “Three Second Club” in first round. We also knew we were up against another car with proven three second potential and one of the best leavers in our organization, the “Purple Haze” team with John Broussard. We mis-judged our clutch setting a bit and shook all through first and second gear, but still got to the stripe first. Not fast enough to make the final, but we didn't hurt anything and we're ready to try again next weekend in Denton," said Poloson.
Mary Reep and Terry Anglin came through the water next in another pair of sharp looking racecars. Ironically, both of these drivers were in their second event with the Outlaw Fuel Altered series and one of them would earn their first round win at the end of this one. Reep over-anticipated the tree and left before the timing system activated and laid down a very strong run according to computer numbers, but Terry Anglin took the green light and got the win with an 8.56 at 43 mph. Anthony Whitfield and David Purifoy were up next and Purifoy took a chunk at the tree and went red while Whitfield blasted to his best pass of the night, 4.23 at 165 mph, which put him in the final against Marriott at the time, with one pair left in the water.
(On board with Mary Reep in first round)
(Anthony Whitfield)
Unfortunately for Whitfield, DoDad Burton and number one qualifier Donny McSwain were the two cars remaining, both capable of big numbers. Burton got a slight jump on the tree but just couldn’t outrun the “II N’Tense” horsepower as McSwain drove around him to a 3.97 at 180 mph that ended Whitfield’s chances of a first career final. McSwain clicked off three consecutive quick laps down the Dallas Raceway eighth mile and advanced to the team’s fourth final round where they hoped to put it all together and earn their first OFAA event win. Bobby Marriott on the other hand is no stranger to final rounds and would be making his second trip in as many races this season. Marriott’s “Shockwave” nitro burner could run with some of the best bracket racers in the world with it’s quick and fast consistency, Marriott and company just ‘making it look easy’ out there.
First Round Eliminations:
(W) Bobby Marriott (.326 rt) 3.95 at 181 mph vs. (L) Jack Hodgson (-.033 rt) 7.64 at 66 mph
(W) Nick Poloson (.152 rt) 4.26 at 156 mph vs. (L) John Broussard (.080 rt) 5.41 at 100 mph
(W) Terry Anglin (-.316 rt) 8.56 at 43 mph vs. (L) Mary Reep (No time)
(W) Anthony Whitfield (.083 rt) 4.23 at 165 mph vs. (L) David Purifoy (-.369 rt) 6.22 at 74 mph
(W) Donny McSwain (.176 rt) 3.97 at 180 mph vs. (L) DoDad Burton (.157 rt) 4.26 at 169 mph
The last time these two lined up in a final round, McSwain lost control of the car at half track and drove straight into the guardrail in Prescott, Arkansas, shredding the front of the car off and erupting in a 150 mph shower of sparks, a scary situation that McSwain thankfully walked away from.
(Here's a look at the video by Clinton Warren from 2007 in Prescott)
Donny McSwain - Final Round Crash - Prescott, AR - 2007
McSwain spoke before the event that he was "really ready to win one of these things” and with both cars in the high 3.90 range it was a toss up as to who had the advantage in this one. Shortly past eleven o’clock, amazingly still without a drop of rain on the Dallas Raceway surface, the cars fired up for the final round.
Marriott got almost five hundredths on the tree and streaked right down the groove to a 3.975 at 190.51 mph to take the win over McSwain. The “II N’Tense” machine had stellar early numbers but was forced to pedal it about a hundred feet out, yet still went 4.09 at 178 mph. Marriott collected his first win of 2009 and took the points lead, while McSwain left with nothing to be ashamed of and had a plenty fast hot rod to play with next weekend in Denton. McSwain’s made the biggest move in the points standings with his number one qualifier and runner-up finish, jumping from ninth to third.
(The Final Round)
Final Round Results:
(W) Bobby Marriott (.130 rt) 3.97 at 190 mph vs. (L) Donny McSwain (.179 rt) 4.09 at 178 mph
(On board with Bobby Marriott in the final!)
David Purifoy and the Herb Whisnant owned “Thrill Factor” team made huge strides again this weekend with career best numbers and really impressed here in Crandall. Nick Poloson also ran very well, which bumped him into second place in points behind Marriott. These guys are players and they have proven it consistently. How tough are they? Poloson has held a Top 3 spot in the Royal Purple points standings consecutively since the season opener in 2008. Yep, do the math! Let’s not forget about Anthony Whitfield who nearly made his first trip to the finals, or Terry Anglin and Mary Reep who both set career best elapsed times. Keep your eye on DoDad Burton as team “Free Spirit” creeps up on their go-fast combination. Congratulations to Bobby Marriott and company on their win! Also, to everyone who was a part of this event from the very friendly and professional staff at Dallas Raceway, our event announcers Kay Wright and Ed Miller, to the OFAA racers on their great show and dedicated fans who stuck around as the rain showers danced all around the facility. Round two of the back to back race weekends will conclude at North Star Dragway, Saturday May 30th for event number three on the Royal Purple Outlaw Fuel Altered 2009 season.
(Team "Shockwave" - Number 1 at Dallas Raceway)
Click Here to see photos from this event.
Low Elapsed Time – Bobby Marriott (3.951)
Top Speed – Bobby Marriott (190.51)
Bonus Winners:
Marriott "Progressive" Bonus - Mary Reep
Reform Specialist Inc. "Last Man Standing" Bonus - Bobby Marriott
Massey "Top Speed, Non Qualifier" Bonus – Chris Trussell (157 mph)
Max Cackle Photos.com Best Burnout – Jack Hodgson
