Texas Tremor Tops Record Field at Denton
Event 2 of 8 – North Texas Dragway – Denton, TX – May 7th, 2011
Report: Chris Graves - Photos: Max Cackle Photography
The Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altered Association thundered into North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas on Saturday, May 7th and brought with them a record number of blown fuel altereds! Twenty teams came to mix it up and fight for those precious Painless points and for a spot in the twelve car field. Bobby Marriott and team “Shockwave” led the points after their season opening win two weeks before at Texas Raceway and it was time for round two as the fans packed the stands and lined the fence while fuel altereds flooded the staging lanes. Two teams have enjoyed much success at the first event of each season at North Star Dragway. Bobby Marriott and Donnie Massey have squared off in the final round of the spring Denton events for the past two straight seasons and hoped to continue that streak under the lights in north Texas.
As usual, a crowd of Texas nitro legends filled the pits to see the fuel altereds in action including Vance Hunt, Dale Emery, David Pace, Ronnie Young, Ron Ussery and current Top Fuel pilots Spencer Massey and Scott Palmer.
First Qualifying Session:
The OFAA welcomed the return of several competitors to the fold including the “Nitro Madness” team of Scott Gaulter of Des Moines, Iowa with the always entertaining and talented shoe Sean Belt behind the wheel. Belt was the first car to roll through the waterbox and laid down his well known 330’ burnout along side Nick Poloson in the “Sundown” machine. Belt had clicked off career best numbers in testing on Friday night and blasted down the eighth mile, side by side with Poloson to nice 4.08 at 183 mph to Poloson’s 4.10 at 174 mph. A great opening pair to start the action in first round of qualifying and side by side low four second passes would be a common treat for the eager fans.
(Sean Belt in the "Nitro Madness" Fiat)
(Donnie Massey's "Showtime")
DoDad Burton’s “Free Spirit” rolled out next with Donnie Massey’s “Showtime” nitro burner as they too laid down side by side passes, Burton’s 4.20 at 171 mph leading Massey’s 4.21 at 173 mph. A pair of cackling 1923 T bodied machines were out next as Howard Farris and Bobby Marriott crept into the beams. Marriott’s car launched hard and flew through the traps to a 4.14 at 183 mph with Farris posting solid early numbers but getting out of it a bit early with a 4.39 at 140 mph. Out next, OFAA rookie of the year campaigner, Terry Brian, wheeled the Kenny Trumble tuned “II N’Tense” machine to a nice 4.02 at 176 mph to solidify his spot in the big show with defending OFAA Champion, David Purifoy, right along side clicking off a strong 4.06 at 175 mph in Herb Whisnant’s “Thrill Factor” machine.
(Terry Brian in "II N'Tense")
(Terry Brian in "II N'Tense")
Mary Reep and the Austin, Texas based “Grim Reeper” machine was out next with Mike Wheeler’s “Rapture” as Reep used a quick pedal job to click off a nice 4.09 at 178 mph to Wheeler’s 4.59 at 154 mph. Brad Rigler’s “Toxic” machine tuned by Danny Wright rolled through next along side rookie campaigner Raymond Dawson in the “High Octane” machine. Dawson laid down a 4.73 at 156 mph, steadily improving on his tune up, while Rigler tripped the clocks with a 4.13 at 172 mph.
(Mike Wheeler in the "Rapture")
Chris Trussell and team “Assassin” rolled into Denton with confidence after a runner-up finish at the season opener and fought through early tire shake with a quick pedal job, then killed several cones at the finish line in a 4.37 lap, causing Keith Anglin to loose his opening session elapsed time in the “Texas Gold Rush” machine who had the best seat in the house to see the cones fly!
(Chris Trussell & Keith Anglin)
(Jim West in the "Wild Wild West" Fiat)
Next out was Keith’s father Terry in the “Psychotic Express” along side Jim West’s “Wild Wild West” machine in a battle of Fiats. Anglin laid down a 4.30 at 141 mph and West also battle tire shake with a quick pedal job, blasting through to a 4.82 at 122 mph in his nitro burner. Jimmy Jones and the “Texas Tremor” gang rolled through the water next sporting a stunning new look paint job with 2010 OFAA Rookie of the Year, Aaron Leyda and team “Hemi Hunter” along side. Leyda blasted to a 4.15 at 172 mph in the Dale “Lurch” Wilkens owned and tuned machine while Jones ripped off a near perfect 4.01 at 173 mph lap to steal the top spot as the first session neared conclusion.
(Jimmy Jones in the new look "Texas Tremor")
(Mitch King behind the wheel of the "Purple Haze")
Two time IHRA Top Fuel Championship winning car owner and famed North Star Dragway fire burnout pilot Mitch King subbed in for John Broussard piloting the “Purple Haze” machine as Broussard healed up from a recent knee surgery. King blasted to a 4.13 at 173 mph to get the Lake Charles, Louisiana based machine in the show after one. Rich Howell closed the session with the debut of his “Power Play III” blown alcohol machine and on just the third pass on the car put down a solid A to B lap with a 4.59 at 159 mph to end the session.
(Rich Howell's "Power Play III")
Second Qualifying Session:
The first round of qualifying seemed more like a sixteen car first round of eliminations, all twenty cars were in the four second zone and the bump was already a 4.21 heading into the final qualifying session, and that’s with qualifying twelve cars instead of ten as in previous seasons.
(Bobby Marriott with header flames high in the "Shockwave")
Points leader Bobby Marriott opened the final qualifying session in the “Shockwave” nitro burner and improved to a 4.10 at 183 mph to secure a spot in the top twelve. DoDad Burton and Mitch King were out next, both having a bit of trouble and not improving. Burton could only hope his 4.20 from first session would hold while King looked safe with his 4.13 from first session, although there were seventeen cars waiting behind them that hoped to ruin their chances. Terry Brian came out next in a single and blasted to a beautiful 3.99 at 175 mph but took out the top end cones, yet looked strong heading into eliminations, qualifying for his second straight field, which is obviously no easy feat, especially as a rookie.
(Sean Belt & Donnie Massey)
Donnie Massey and Sean Belt staged up next and thundered down the eighth mile side by side, both improving, with Belt’s 4.05 at 177 mph leading Massey’s 4.12 at 176 mph. Belt and company had a pocket full of 4.0 passes to work with as they posted a number six qualifying position and prepared for first round. Massey missed the first event of the season after pre-season testing resulted in engine damage that was repaired literally a day before this event. The hard work by team “Showtime” paid off as they secured a spot in the field.
(Nick Poloson in "Sundown")
Jimmy Jones and Nick Poloson were the next act on the stage in a pair of strong running blown alcohol machines. Jones launched hard and it stuck, ripping off a 3.97 at 180 mph while Poloson improved to a nice 4.08 at 171 mph in the “Sundown” machine, both solidly in the field. Mary Reep proved her place in the ranks with a picture perfect 4.01 at 185 mph in the next pair along side Keith Anglin who’s 4.54 at 160 mph missed the cut, although the “Texas Gold Rush” team had two nice A to B time slips to work with as they learn a new transmission combination.
(Mary Reep's "Grim Reeper")
(Keith Anglin in "Texas Golf Rush")
Chris Trussell and Brad Rigler were showcased in the next pair as they crept into the beams, brought up the RPMs and bumped into the second stage bulb. Trussell was on a pass but was getting uncomfortably close to the guardrail and lifted early yet still improved to a 4.04 at 160 mph while Brad Rigler clicked off a career best lap, joining the OFAA 3 Second Club with a 3.96 at 181 mph in “Toxic”. What a pair! Trussell got in on a last ditch effort after flying cones voided his opening session elapsed time. Good news for team “Assassin” but bad news for DoDad Burton who now became first alternate in the thirteenth qualifying position.
Aaron Leyda and Raymond Dawson continued the show as Leyda blasted to a 4.16 at 161 mph and hoped his 4.15 from the opening session was enough as he sat on the bump spot with several unqualified cars waiting in the lanes. Dawson fell short of the quick twelve but improved the cars performance and had two A to B passes to carry into the next event, all smiles in the “High Octane” camp.
(Raymond Dawson in "High Octane")
Terry Anglin and Mike Wheeler were next up and white knuckle as they crept into the beams, both outside looking in. Anglin’s 4.34 at 153 mph and Wheeler’s 4.54 at 155 mph both missed the cut in what was now the quickest OFAA field in the series fifteen year history.
(Terry Anglin in "Psychotic Express")
David Purifoy and Jim West were the final pair of the final session, with Purifoy solidly in the field and West outside looking in. West’s car launched hard and looked good early but was shaking at half track and West wisely lifted, costing to a 5.70 and coming up short in this one while Purifoy blasted to a strong 4.07 at 175 mph and looked very consistent entering eliminations.
Rich Howell would again close the qualifying action and with a huge American flag waving high above the roll cage laid down a monster burnout in the “Power Play III” machine. This being just the second outing for the new car, Howell simply hoped to lay down solid A to B runs and improved to a 4.47 at 163 mph on a soft tune-up. Mission accomplished for team “Power Play” as they can now start to lean on it in their next outing.
(Rich Howell in "Power Play III")
Jimmy Jones’ 4.01 from first session held on to take the top spot heading into eliminations in the quickest field in OFAA history. Jones took the Napa Auto Parts and Competition Sales of Dallas Top Qualifier bonuses and was a favorite as the teams returned to the pits.
Final Qualifying Order:
1) Jimmy Jones (Dallas, Texas) – 4.016 @ 173
2) Mary Reep (Austin, Texas) – 4.018 @ 185
3) Terry Brian (New London, Texas) – 4.026 @ 176
4) Brad Rigler (Heath, Texas) – 4.038 (3.961) @ 181
5) Chris Trussell (Canton, Texas) – 4.04 @ 160
6) Sean Belt (Kansas City, Missouri) – 4.05 @ 177
7) David Purifoy (Texarkana, Texas) – 4.06 @ 175
8) Nick Poloson (San Antonio, Texas) – 4.08 @ 171
9) Bobby Marriott (Pilot Point, Texas) - 4.10 @ 183
10) Donnie Massey (Little Elm, Texas) – 4.12 @ 176
11) Mitch King (La Grange, Texas) – 4.13 @ 173
12) Aaron Leyda (Bartlesville, Oklahoma) 4.15 @ 172
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13) DoDad Burton (Tyler, Texas – 4.20 @ 171
14) Terry Anglin (Terrell, Texas) – 4.30 @ 141
15) Howard Farris (Tyler, Texas) – 4.39 @ 140
16) Rich Howell (Yorba Linda, California) – 4.47 @ 163
17) Mike Wheeler (Paradise, Texas) – 4.546 @ 155
18) Keith Anglin (Garland, Texas) – 4.547 @ 160
19) Raymond Dawson (Nevada, Texas) – 4.73 @ 156
20) Jim West (Addison, Texas) – 4.82 @ 122
The call went out to bring the twelve nastiest fuel altereds on the property to the starting line for first round! With no oil downs, no parts breakage and no need for an alternate to fill any positions, the top twelve answered the call and filled the lanes for what everyone anticipated to be an all out exhibition of horsepower in the opening round where the two quickest winners would advance to the last dance.
Starting the feature show, Mitch King and Chris Trussell laid down side by side burnouts and returned to the launch pad where teams made their final adjustments. King was out of the gate with a strong .041 reaction time and clicked off a solid 4.14 at 176 mph but saw nothing but the back end of the “Assassin” machine as Chris Trussell ripped off the quickest pass of the night with a 3.910 at 183 mph to take the win and set the bar for the ten competitors set to follow.
(Chris Trussell in the "Assassin" machine)
Brad Rigler and Donnie Massey thundered through the waterbox next and team “Toxic” had this one from start to finish. Rigler got the jump off the line and ripped off another 3.96 pass at 180 mph to take the nod over Massey who gave him a great race with a 4.14 at 179 mph. This continued Rigler’s wonderful comeback season after qualifying number one at the season opener and notching a strong first round win here in Denton, atop claiming a spot in the respected three second club. It’s hard to imagine the reality that his 3.96 elapsed time wasn’t safe with the caliber machines still sitting in the lanes.
(Brad Rigler in "Toxic")
Next out came red hot rookie Terry Brian paired in a dual with points leader Bobby Marriott. Welcome to the game Mr. Brian, let’s see whatcha got! Marriott got a slight advantage off the line as the flames reached past the rear wing and the front wheels danced in the air as they were side by side to halftrack. Marriott’s car carried both front wheels until he finally used a quick pedal job to keep from crossing the centerline, which gave Brian the advantage as he ripped off a winning 3.98 at 179 mph to knock out the points leader and claim the seventeenth, yes, seventeenth spot in the OFAA 3 Second Club. Brian and tuner Kenny Trumble had plenty to be proud of in their second outing with the OFAA as a team, but despite their 3.98 winning effort, would have to load up and wait for the next one as Rigler and Trussell still held their tickets to the final round as the two quickest winners as we reached the halfway point of first round eliminations.
(Terry Brian vs. Bobby Marriott)
(Bobby Marriott in the "Shockwave")
Mary Reep and Nick Poloson lined up in a central Texas based showdown, Austin vs. San Antonio. Reep has been on her game in the cockpit, qualifying number two and number four in her first two starts of the season and hoped to notch a round her first round win of the season here as the favorite on paper. A starting line hesitation for Reep plagued her chances as Poloson was out first with a .035 bulb and clicked off a winning 4.15 at 167 mph nibbling a piston at the top end with Reep trailing to a 4.39 at 126 mph. For team “Sundown” it was an improvement from the season opener, notching a first round win and putting down 4.0 passes in qualifying. Pending any catastrophic engine damage expect Wood & Poloson to be ready for more in their next outing. Reep earned the Napa Auto Parts Top MPH Bonus with top speed of the meet at 185.87 mph lap in qualifying and will carry that momentum into the round three next month.
Aaron Leyda brought the “Hemi Hunter” through the waterbox along side Sean Belt in the “Nitro Madness” fiat in an Iowa vs. Kansas battle. Belt got a slight advantage off the line but Leyda clicked off a very nice 4.06 at 176 mph to take the nod over Belt’s 4.18 at 178 mph. Belt and company had to reason to hold their heads, qualifying in the top half of the quickset field in OFAA history and taking back to Iowa with them a pocket full of 4.0 time slips. Leyda earned his first round win of the season and was bouncing around career best numbers in another solid outing for team “Hemi Hunter”.
(Aaron Leyda in the "Hemi Hunter")
With one pair in the box, Rigler and Trussell were still holding their tickets to the final round, so far so good! The bad news was that defending OFAA Champion David Purifoy and #1 Qualifier Jimmy Jones were sitting in the waterbox ready to wrap up the opening round. As the final pair crept into the stage beams all eyes were on the starting line. Purifoy got the starting line advantage and the cars were side by side trucking through half track. Jones started to pull ahead and lit the boards with a 3.912 at 184 mph to take the win over Purifoy’s great 4.05 at 173 mph in a top notch pair to close the round. Purifoy’s “Thrill Factor” team laid down the quickest loosing pass of first round and performed exactly as expected, consistently laying down mid 4.0 passes, which they proved through an eight race schedule will win you an OFAA Championship.
(David Purifoy in "Thrill Factor")
Following the first qualifying session, Dal Denton made a test pass which provided some incredible early numbers in the “Sudden Pleasure” fuel altered, which we may see in OFAA competition this season. Providing some post first round excitement for the fans, DoDad Burton and Howard Farris both made test hits which resulted in positive results. Burton clicked off a career best 4.14 mph at 172 mph blast and Farris posted his best numbers since his OFAA return in the “War Wagon”.
(DoDad Burton's "Free Spirit")
Tonight, it was time for Trussell and Jones to shine as the final round stage was no new surroundings for these two. This marked the third final in the last four starts for Chris Trussell and the fourth final in the last five starts for Jimmy Jones. Trussell toped Jones in their last final round meeting at North Star Dragway in the fall of 2010 and needless to say, a true battle of blown alcohol heavy weights would close the action and decide an event champion at North Star Dragway.
First Round Eliminations:
(W) Chris Trussell (.110 rt) 3.910 @ 183 mph vs. Mitch King (.041 rt) 4.14 @ 176 mph
(W) Brad Rigler (.090 rt) 3.96 @ 180 mph vs. (L) Donnie Massey (.124 rt) 4.14 @ 179 mph
(W) Terry Brian (.135 rt) 3.98 @ 179 mph vs. (L) Bobby Marriott (.104 rt) 4.10 @ 178 mph
(W) Nick Poloson (.035 rt) 4.15 @ 167 mph vs. (L) Mary Reep (.400 rt) 4.39 @ 126 mph
(W) Aaron Leyda (.049 rt) 4.06 @ 176 mph vs. (L) Sean Belt (.045 rt) 4.18 @ 178 mph
(W) Jimmy Jones (.073 rt) 3.912 @ 184 mph vs. (L) David Purifoy (.049 rt) 4.05 @ 173 mph
As the clock neared the tick of midnight the fans had been treated to a total of 49 passes with an average elapsed time of a 4.22, including twelve passes in the “four o” zone and seven passes in the threes, entertainment with no comparison! The Painless Performance OFAA series again proving it’s status as the top playground for heads-up outlaw racing in the southwest and the only place you’ll find twenty blown fuel altereds anywhere in the nation. It was now time to crown a winner as the final two cars fired up and the many remaining fans and racers found their spot to watch the last dance go down under the lights in Denton, Texas.
(The Final Round - Jones (Near) vs. Trussell (Far))
Jones earned the Good Vibrations “Quick Reaction Time” bonus in first round and again took the advantage off the starting line and blasted down the eighth mile with Trussell right on his heels. Trussell’s car started to shoot a few sparks as it reached the top end and lit the boards with a 4.11 at 172 mph just behind Jimmy Jones’ winning 3.93 at 184 mph, notching the first win of the season for the “Texas Tremor” team.
Final Round Results:
(W) Jimmy Jones (.027 rt) 3.93 @ 184 mph vs. (L) Chris Trussell (.063 rt) 4.11 @ 172 mph
Trussell notched his second consecutive runner-up finish of 2011 and held a grasp on the second position in the Painless Performance points standings and are looking forward to the next outing on Friday, June 24th at Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas.
For Jones and partner Paul Kelly, the years of experience driving and tuning blown alcohol racing machines made the transition from Top Alcohol Funny Car to an Outlaw Fuel Altered a somewhat easy task as seen in their instant success with the OFAA series. Three consecutive three second passes and a spankin’ new paint job made this win that much better for the “Texas Tremor” team as they found the winners circle for the third time in just their sixth start. Congratulations to the entire “Texas Tremor” team on your win at North Star Dragway!
(Jimmy Jones and team "Texas Tremor" joined by Scott Palmer & Spencer Massey)
“We picked up our body from Marcus Spence’s paint shop Saturday morning and were just set back and how well he did with the new paint job. The race in Denton was one of the best I’ve seen for everyone in the series, not just our team. Everyone was running really strong and there isn’t much room for error out here. With the quality, performance and amount of cars that were racing we feel lucky to be in the winners circle. We’d like to thank all the racers, Painless Performance and all the bonus sponsors for their support of the Outlaw Fuel Altereds this season. I’d also like to thank my crew and especially Scott Palmer for his help in getting us to the line for each round as my partner Paul Kelly wasn’t able to attend. The crowd was great and we look forward to the next race out at Kennedale,” said Jones.
Jimmy Jones propelled himself into the points lead from fourth to first with Chris Trussell on his heels just three points behind. Terry Brian is holding his spot in the top three with Bobby Marriott and Mary Reep rounding out the Painless Performance Top 5. Jimmy Jones and Chris Trussell accepted their Wizard’s Warehouse bonuses for advancing to the finals and DoDad Burton earned the Lenco Transmissions “Outside Looking In” bonus via qualifying as the first alternate.
With six weeks off, the Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altered teams will have plenty of time to prepare to unleash their beasts under the lights on a Friday night at Texas Raceway, June 24th in Kennedale, Texas. After round three in Kennedale, the OFAA series will enjoy a three month summer break before competing in five events in less than two months to close the season in the busiest fall schedule to date. To contend for the 2011 Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altered Championship check and a piece of the $10,000 payout pie, consistency is the key. Contending teams must be able to attend all the events and perform well without loosing any points due to mechanical failures during the coming five race fall schedule. Until then, look forward to round three at Texas Raceway on a Friday night under the lights, June 24th!
Click Here to see photos from this event.
Low Elapsed Time - Chris Trussell (3.910)
Top Mile Per Hour - Mary Reep (185.87 mph)
Texas Raceway Bonus Winners:
Good Vibrations Quick Reaction Time - Jimmy Jones (.027)
DFW Napa Auto Parts Top Speed - Mary Reep (185.87)
DFW Napa Auto Parts #1 Qualifier - Jimmy Jones (4.01)
Competition Sales of Dallas #1 Qualifier - Jimmy Jones
Lenco Transmissions Outside Looking In - DoDad Burton
Wizards Warehouse Finalists - Jimmy Jones & Chris Trussell
