Shockwave Scores at Super Chevy in Ennis
Hodgson Runner-Up In Wild Final Round
Texas Motorplex - Ennis, TX
May 22nd, 2010
Event #3 of 8
Report & Photos: Chris Graves, Max Cackle Photos
The Texas Motorplex in Ennis hosted the third event of the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association season. Headlining the exhibition portion of the Super Chevy Show, the OFAA brought fourteen fuel altereds to come put on a show and battle down the all concrete 1/8th mile. After his win in Crandall two weeks before, Terry Anglin and the “Psychotic Express” team came in as your points leader, in only their second year with the series. Nipping at his heels is Nick Poloson in the “Sundown” machine owned and tuned by Tom Wood, followed by defending series champion Bobby Marriott in third.
(Terry Anglin)
(Jack Hodgson)
(John Hale)
After enjoying a beautiful warm Texas afternoon admiring many beautiful Chevrolet powered machines on display, the OFAA teams warmed up their hot rods and soon after the call went out from event announcer Lynn Nickerson to bring the fuel altereds to the lanes for the first qualifying session. Fans and car show entrants grabbed their seats, eager for some high intensity fuel altered drag racing at the Motorplex!
(David Purifoy)
("Shockwave" Crew)
Bobby Marriott and DoDad Burton got the action started as Marriott laid down a nice 4.06 at 184 mph to Burton’s 4.50 at 162 mph. Nick Poloson pedaled his way to a 4.20 at 160 mph along side Chris Trussell’s 4.41 at 169 mph. Donny McSwain put down a solid 4.06 at 177 mph but all eyes were on Mary Reep in the opposite lane as the “Grim Reeper” machine let out a big flash fire. As Reep neared the stripe, the left side of her car lit up in flame escaping from the back of the left cylinder head. Further examination back in the pits determined the damage was quite severe.
(Mary Reep)
“It was on a run. The engine expired at 3.5 seconds and we still ran a 4.13. At this moment, we do not know what caused the explosion. We hurt everything, the block, both heads, transmission and most of the internal motor parts. Reeper is determined to figure this out, so it’s only a matter of a day or two before he identifies the problem. This may keep us from the next race or two, while we regroup, but we will be back,” said Reep.
(Donnie Massey and David Purifoy)
(Aaron Leyda and John Broussard)
John Broussard’s “Purple Haze” rolled out next with Aaron Leyda’s “Hemi Hunter” with Broussard’s 4.29 leading Leyda’s 4.43. David Purifoy clicked off a 4.21 at 168 mph in the “Thrill Factor” with Donnie Massey’s “Showtime” blasting to a 4.18 at 175 mph in the opposite lane. Jack Hodgson got back on track in the “Southern Outlaw” with a 4.18 at 175 mph while Keith Anglin ran into transmission issues in the “Texas Gold Rush” with a 9.66. Terry Anglin and John Hale closed the session, Hale drifted toward the centerline and threw the chute slowing to a 4.43 at 127 mph while Anglin went right down broadway to a 4.23 at 169 mph.
(On board with Keith Anglin - Friday Test Pass)
(Keith Anglin and Jack Hodgson)
It was a busy scene in the OFAA pits for a few teams after first session. Donny McSwain was forced to pack up early after a windage tray came loose in the oil pan during his pass which sent metal fragments throughout the engine. Keith Anglin was forced to also load up early with terminal transmission issues, an issue Anglin has been fighting and hopes to solve in two weeks at the next OFAA event at North Star Dragway in Denton, June 5th.
(Chris Trussell)
(Chris Trussell and Nick Poloson)
(DoDad Burton)
Second session was shorter on cars but none the less very exciting as Bobby Marriott laid down a 4.08 at 185 mph in the “Shockwave.” David Purifoy stepped up to a 4.13 at 171 mph in the Herb Whisnant owned “Thrill Factor” and Donnie Massey stepped up to a 4.16 at 175 mph. Chris Trussell, with the help of hired gun crew chief Dennis Piranio, stepped up to a 4.23 at 172 mph. Nick Poloson also improved to a 4.19 to qualify eighth. John Hale, driving Dick Demets’ “Bowtie Bandit” nitro burner laid down the pass of the session with a 4.08 at 202.88 mph. As the car neared the stripe, a fuel rail plug in the back of the right cylinder head failed, spewing oil and fuel all over both car and driver. Hale lifted and the car made a move to the wall, Hale corrected and got the car up on three wheels at over 200 miles per hour but brought it to a safe, oil covered stop. What a pass!
(Hale on three wheels at the big end at 200 mph!)
(Dick Demets, Yancy Pedleton, Chris Reynolds - Bowtie Bandit Crew)
Unfortunately, Hale & Demets opted to sit out first round and save their very happy motor and parts for the next race in two weeks as they lacked the proper replacement parts. With the additional loss of McSwain and Reep, the door opened for John Broussard, Aaron Leyda and DoDad Burton to bump into the quick ten, who hadn’t run quicker than the bump spot of 4.23 held by Terry Anglin. Broussard had sat out the second qualifying session to pull the head on the “Purple Haze” and replace a burnt piston in hopes of making the call for first round, which they did.
Final Qualifying Order:
1) Bobby Marriott (Pilot Point, Texas) – 4.062 @ 184 mph
2) Donny McSwain (Rockwall, Texas – 4.063 @ 177 mph (Broke)
3) John Hale (Dallas, Texas) – 4.08 @ 202 mph (Broke)
4) Mary Reep (Austin, Texas) – 4.136 @ 156 mph (Broke)
5) David Purifoy (Texarkana, Texas) – 4.138 @ 171 mph
6) Donnie Massey (Little Elm, Texas) – 4.16 @ 175 mph
7) Jack Hodgson (Waco, Texas) – 4.18 @ 171 mph
8) Nick Poloson (San Antonio, Texas) – 4.19 @ 171 mph
9) Chris Trussell (Canton, Texas) – 4.235 @ 172 mph
10) Terry Anglin (Terrell, Texas) – 4.235 @ 169 mph
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11) John Broussard (Lake Charles, Louisiana) 4.29 @ 167 mph
12) Aaron Leyda (Independence, Kansas) 4.41 @ 162 mph
13) DoDad Burton (Flint, Texas) – 4.50 @ 163 mph
14) Keith Anglin (Terrell, Texas) – 9.66 @ 35 mph
With some legendary Texan drag racers like Vance Hunt, Watus Simpson and David Pace looking on, the first round provided some great side by side racing, starting off with DoDad Burton’s 4.37 at 171 mph taking out Chris Trussell’s red lighting 4.45 at 145 mph. Trussell jumped the gun by -.018 but was surely pleased with his 4.23 with a brand new clutch package. Jack Hodgson raised everyone’s eyebrows with a stout 4.05 at 178 mph in a solo pass after John Broussard was forced to shutoff before the burnout with trans-brake issues, a tough loss for Broussard and team who thrashed to be ready for first round. This was a big time accomplishment for Hodgson and company as their streak of not bad, but awful luck appeared to over! Bobby Marriott and Donnie Massey lined up next in an all nitro battle, with Marriott taking the win with a 4.08 at 184 mph over Massey’s 4.21 at 175 mph.
(Jack Hodgson)
Nick Poloson put down his best numbers of the night with a 4.09 at 176 mph to defeat Aaron Leyda who also put his best numbers down with a 4.37 at 162 mph. Leyda took home the Good Vibrations “Quick Reaction Time Bonus” with his .028 reaction time, the best of the first round. In the final pair, it appeared Jack Hodgson and Bobby Marriott were headed to the final as the two quickest winners so far, but Terry Anglin and David Purifoy, who have both been quicker than Hodgson’s 4.05 at the last event in Crandall, were ready to steal a spot into the final.
Anglin got the jump on the line but Purifoy had the power and drove around him for the win, with a 4.14 at 171 mph to Anglin’s 4.19 at 169 mph, the closest pair of the round, but not quick enough for a spot in the final as Hodgson and Marriott were moving on.
First Round Eliminations:
(W) DoDad Burton (.126 rt) 4.37 @ 171 mph vs. (L) Chris Trussell (-.018 rt) 4.45 @ 145 mph
(W) Jack Hodgson (.090 rt) 4.05 @ 178 mph vs. (L) John Broussard (Broke)
(W) Bobby Marriott (.119 rt) 4.08 @ 184 mph vs. (L) Donnie Massey (.138 rt) 4.21 @ 175 mph
(W) Nick Poloson (.091 rt) 4.09 @ 176 mph vs. (L) Aaron Leyda (.028 rt) 4.37 @ 162 mph
(W) David Purifoy (.048 rt) 4.14 @ 171 mph vs. (L) Terry Anglin (.037 rt) 4.19 @ 169 mph
This was Marriott’s second trip to the finals this season while Hodgson was making his first trip to the last dance since August of 2007, where he faced Bobby Marriott at Texas Raceway and red lit. Hodgson had the performance advantage over Marriott and we were set for a great alcohol vs. nitro fuel altered final.
(Final Round)
Most of the fans were still in their seats ready to see the last pass of the night as Marriott and Hodgson crept into the beams. Hodgson lit the last bulb and left before Marriott, unfortunately too early with a -.039 reaction time. Hodgson never saw red and kept it wide open as he and Marriott charged for the finish line. Marriott laid down a 4.06 winning pass but all eyes were on Hodgson as the car went shooting across the centerline just past the stripe. Through a cloud of dust it appeared Hodgson kept the car away from Marriott and on all four wheels and for the most part off the wall, although no one was sure and safety crews immediately rolled to the scene. Hodgson climbed out under his own power and was responding to medical staff with problems, it was later reported that Hodgson actually did a 360 degree rotation on all fours before the car finally came to a stop back in the left lane.
“We were so excited to advance to the final round. My crew has stuck with me through a really bad season in 2009. In the final, I never saw red and I never saw Bobby and I knew we were in a good race. The gasket on the back of the intake manifold failed and I was completely covered in oil and couldn’t see a thing as we crossed the finish line. I steered to the left almost trying to hit the left wall to stay away from Bobby’s lane and then I felt the car shoot to the right, slamming me to the right in the rollcage. Apparently, we grazed the rear slick with the right guardrail just past the finish line and a few people told me I did a full spin and the headers kept it from rolling over. I got the car stopped and got out to see the only thing we hurt were the headers. The Motorplex safety team were right on me and I can’t thank them for their help. The other OFAA teams were all very worried and I want to thank them for coming to check on me back in the pits. The car is back, my crew is awesome and we are ready for more in Denton. Congratulations to Bobby Marriott and the “Shockwave” team on their second win of the year. Next time, there won’t be any red lights in the other lane!” said Hodgson.
Final Round Results:
(W) Bobby Marriott (.186 rt) 4.06 @ 185 mph vs. (L) Jack Hodgson (-.039 rt) 4.17 @ 168 mph
(Bobby Marriott & Team "Shockwave" in the winners circle!)
“I didn't see that Jack had redlit, I just thought he had left on me like he always does. I tried to run him down but didn't catch him until right past the lights apparently at that point I guess he was just trying to stay off the wall and keep it upright. I didn't get to see any of the action, but heard he did a great job of saving it,” said Marriott.
The next stop on the OFAA 2010 tour is in two weeks, at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas on June 5th as the OFAA and Texas Blown Fuel Association headline the Witko Nostalgia Nationals.
Click Here to see photos from this event.
Low Elapsed Time - Jack Hodgson (4.05)
Top Mile Per Hour - John Hale (202.88 mph)
Bonus Winners:
Good Vibrations Quick Reaction Time - Aaron Leyda
