The Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altered Association made their 2011 debut on a beautiful Friday night, under the lights at Texas Raceway in Kennedale, TX. A late April start to the season gave many fans and race teams plenty of time to build up anticipation for the season opener. As expected, a packed house of blown fuel altereds and nitro seeking fans ambushed the gates at the facility that hosted several of the original OFAA events back in the mid to late 1990s.

It had been four years since the Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altereds had assaulted the pavement at Texas Raceway. After reviewing the past results archives, Bobby Marriott and team “Shockwave” took home the win and Brad Rigler’s “Toxic” machine was the number one qualifier in the series’ last outing at the “Fastest Little Drag Strip in Texas” and those results might look familiar at the end of this one. Fifteen OFAA teams were on hand to assist the fans in their search for a nitro fix and battle for the precious Painless Performance points, points that could propel them to the biggest end of the year Championship payout check in OFAA history.

(The new look "Hemi Hunter")

2010 Rookie of the Year, Aaron Leyda and team “Hemi Hunter,” debuted a new paint scheme on the Dale “Lurch” Wilkens owned and tuned machine. Also with a new look, Howard Farris debuted the Evolution Custom Auto sponsored “War Wagon” now with a classic 1923 T body. The OFAA also welcomed two new members, Raymond Dawson in the “High Octane” machine and Terry Brian who is the new owner and driver of the “II N’Tense” ride formerly campaigned by Donny McSwain.

First Qualifying Session:

As the call went out for first round of qualifying, fans found their seats and the teams headed to the lanes to kick off the 2011 racing season. The first pair lined up your defending 2010 OFAA Championship team, the Herb Whisnant owned “Thrill Factor” wheeled by David Purifoy along side Terry Anglin’s “Psychotic Express” blown Fiat. Purifoy knocked the dust off their blown Chevy powerplant with a nice 4.16 at 171 mph to open the show while Anglin drifted toward the centerline and was out of the throttle a bit early with a 4.44 at 121 mph.

(Purifoy and Anglin backing up from their burnouts)

Brad Rigler rolled out next in his first official OFAA start since August of 2009 and blasted to a strong 4.04 at 171 mph in the Danny Wright tuned “Toxic” altered. Terry Brian then rolled out for his first official OFAA qualifying attempt and went right down broadway to a nice 4.05 at 172 mph to notch a spot in the field early. John Broussard’s “Purple Haze” and Aaron Leyda in the “Hemi Hunter” lined up next and went side by side through the traps, Broussard’s 4.19 at 169 leading Leyda’s 4.20 at 167 mph.

(Terry Brian gets all four wheels off the ground at the top end)

(John Broussard bouncing around as the "Purple Haze" comes to a safe stop)

(Nick Poloson with a the front wheels in the air at the traps)

Nick Poloson had his hands full in the Tom Wood owned and tuned “Sundown” machine as he crossed the finish line with a front wheel in the air tripping the clocks with a 4.47 at 149 mph along side DoDad Burton’s quicker 4.44 at 153 mph in the “Free Spirit” entry. In the next pair, Mary Reep clicked off a strong 4.06 at just 159 mph after lifting early as she drifted to the centerline while Raymond Dawson also had his hands full fighting to keep the “High Octane” machine in the groove, lighting the boards with a 5.01 at 119 in his OFAA debut pass.

(DoDad Burton's "Free Spirit")

(Raymond Dawson's "High Octane")

Mike Wheeler’s “Rapture” lined up with the hottest dude on the block, Jimmy Jones and the feared “Texas Tremor” machine as the final pair lit the hides. Wheeler was out of the throttle early with a 5.21 at 130 mph while Jones blasted to a nice 4.05 at 160 mph to nab a spot in the top half after first session. Bobby Lee Marriott and team “Shockwave” closed the session on a solo pass and with the pipes cacklin’ laid down a 4.14 at 178 mph as the teams headed back to the pits to prepare for their second qualifying session.

(Jimmy Jones in the "Texas Tremor")

(Team "Sundown" preparing for the final qualifying session)

Second Qualifying Session:

John Broussard and David Purifoy kicked off the second and final session as Broussard’s unfortunate luck from last season continued, this time with a leak in the front seal, which forced them to shutoff and leave Purifoy on a single. Purifoy blasted down the eighth mile to a 4.15 at 169 mph, reportedly fighting traction issues on the big end during both qualifying passes. Regardless, the defending Champ made two solid “A to B” runs and earned the number seven qualifying position heading into eliminations. Broussard’s problems were repairable but not in the allotted time before first round and the “Purple Haze” team opted to forfeit their qualifying spot and hope for better luck in their next outing.

(David Purifoy in the "Thrill Factor")

(Mike Wheeler in "Rapture")

Chris Trussell rolled out next in the “Assassin” machine along side Mike Wheeler. Wheeler launched hard but was out of it early, while Trussell blasted to a 4.08 at 172 mph in a last ditch effort to make the show after missing his first attempt with fuel delivery issues. A job well done for team “Assassin” as they returned to the pits to prepare for first round. Terry Brian was out next along side Howard Farris. Brian’s car left with good early numbers but was quickly moving around at the top end and he just nipped the cones at the strip forfeiting his 4.14 at 146 mph and also forfeiting Howard Farris’ pass. Farris luckily snuck into the field with a best of 4.91 as an alternate taking the place of Terry Anglin who was forced to load up early with transmission issues.

(Chris Trussell in the "Assassin")

(Howard Farris in the new look "War Wagon")

(Brad Rigler in the "Toxic")

Out next was Brad Rigler’s “Toxic” along side Aaron Leyda in the “Hemi Hunter” machine. Rigler put down another solid effort with a 4.12 at 164 mph while Leyda fell off pace to a 4.53 and looked to bounce back in first round. Bobby Lee Marriott and DoDad Burton were next out and Marriott put together another 4.14 at 167 mph while Burton laid down a 4.19 to qualify number nine. As the session neared conclusion, Nick Poloson and Raymond Dawson were lined up next as Poloson improved to a 4.15 at 170 mph and Dawson also improved to a 4.83 a 139 mph. Dawson would sneak into the field as first alternate, taking Broussard’s spot, while Poloson took the number eight qualifying position heading into first round.

(Mary Reep in the "Grim Reeper")

The final pair lined up Mary Reep and Jimmy Jones in a battle of heavy hitting blown alcohol machines. Reep’s car unexpectedly never moved when the green light dropped, as all eyes shifted to Jones who blasted to low elapsed time and top speed of qualifying with a stout 3.90 at 182 mph to close the session. Brad Rigler’s 4.04 from first session held on to take the poll under the “4.0 Qualifying Index” and lead the field into eliminations, which this season will include twelve cars instead of the usual ten seen in previous years. This gives two more teams a shot at the final round and the fans and track more bang for their buck, which was great news for Raymond Dawson and Howard Farris who would have found themselves outside looking but now hold a spot in eliminations.

Rigler took his Napa Auto Parts “#1 Qualifier Bonus” and free case of Brad-Penn Racing Oil, compliments of Competition Sales of Dallas, and hoped to continue his strong performances as the top twelve prepared for an all out first round. A round which included two rookies in Raymond Dawson and Terry Brian, who impressively made the show in their debut outing with the series.

(Brad Rigler accepting the Competition Sales of Dallas #1 Qualifier Bonus)

Final Qualifying Order:

1) Brad Rigler (Heath, Texas) – 4.04
2) Terry Brian (New London, Texas) – 4.053
3) Jimmy Jones (Dallas, Texas) – 4.054
4) Mary Reep (Austin, Texas) – 4.06
5) Chris Trussell (Canton, Texas) – 4.08
6) Bobby Marriott (Pilot Point, Texas) – 4.14
7) David Purifoy (Texarkana, Texas) – 4.150
8) Nick Poloson (San Antonio, Texas) – 4.159 9) DoDad Burton (Tyler, Texas) – 4.193
10) John Broussard (Lake Charles, Louisiana) – 4.199
11) Aaron Leyda (Bartlesville, Oklahoma) – 4.20
12) Terry Anglin (Garland, Texas) – 4.44
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13) Raymond Dawson (Nevada, Texas) – 4.83
14) Howard Farris (Tyler, Texas) – 4.91
15) Mike Wheeler (Paradise, Texas) – 5.21

The stands were packed on both sides of the track and all eyes were on the starting line as the first round anticipation mounted. The altereds were also under the watch of several interesting spectators including NHRA Top Fuel pilots Spencer Massey and Scott Palmer as well as veteran drivers Kebin Kinsley and Mitch King, whom both made mention of possible OFAA appearance in new racecars as soon as the next event in Denton. Legendary local top fuel duo Vance Hunt and Watus Simpson were in the house as well as Paul Gordon, who is rumored to be the very first driver to wheel a funny car branded “Blue Max” under ownership of Harry Schmidt. Gordon recently took ownership of a fuel altered and plans to debut with the OFAA this season! Last but in no way the least, the always entertaining Bubba Corzine was on hand to get his fix.

(The always smiling Vance Hunt)

Opening the first elimination round of the 2011 Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altered season was a blown alcohol showdown between rookie Terry Brian in “II N’Tense” and Nick Poloson in “Sundown”. Poloson was out of the gate first at .058 and recorded career best early numbers with both front wheels a foot in the air and the car drifting steadily to the centerline. Poloson held it wide open until the last second but had to lift as Brian was .098 on the tree and laid down a solid pass taking his first OFAA round win with a 4.04 at 160 mph, lifting a bit early.

(Nick Poloson hikes the front end at the hit)

Jimmy Jones and DoDad Burton rolled out next and as the cars backed up from their burnouts Burton’s crew noticed a small fuel leak and safely opted to shutoff, giving Jones the single pass. The “Texas Tremor” launched hard off the line but was out of shape early. Jones, knowing he needed to be one of the quickest two winners of the round to advance to the final, pedaled it several times before finally taking out the finish line cones on a 4.40 at 162 mph pass. This earned Jones the round win, but obviously forfeited his chances of a fifth straight final round appearance. This would be the first event Jones had entered since his mid-season 2010 debut, that he wouldn’t be advancing to the last dance.

(Jimmy Jones launches off the line in first round)

The next pair was another heavy hitting match-up with defending Champion David Purifoy and number one qualifier Brad Rigler. As the cars crept into the stage beams and brought up the RPMs, Rigler’s “Toxic” machine suddenly jumped forward and rolled through the beams. Shortly after, Purifoy blasted off the line and ripped off a 4.14 at 171 mph to take the win. Rigler’s injector blades had frozen and as he worked the throttle to break them loose the car jumped on him just before the tree dropped. An unlucky end for Rigler, yet overall a very successful “comeback” outing.

Mary Reep lined up with Raymond Dawson as Dawson made the show in his debut event with the series. Unfortunately, the team had issues getting the “High Octane” machine fired and Reep earned a solo shot in the “Grim Reeper” machine. As the ambers flashed Reep left the line but was off pace with electrical issues, yet earned the round win and precious Painless Performance points with a 5.12 at 122 mph and after qualifying well, can look forward to the next outing in two weeks.

Bobby Marriott’s “Shockwave” and Howard Farris’ “War Wagon” were out next in a ground thumping pair of 1923 T bodied nitro burners. The cars were almost even off the line as both held header flames high as they passed the 330’ cone, then Farris dropped off with nasty tire shake. Marriott blasted through the traps to a 3.99 at 184 mph to take the win. Farris’ car was running very strong before the shake managed to severely damage the rear wing, crack the brand new body and even blew a header tube off the side of the motor.

(Bobby Marriott on his way to a strong 3.99 at 184.90 mph)

(Dale "Lurch" Wilkens brings his driver Aaron Leyda to the line)

So with one pair in the box, Marriott was guaranteed a spot in the final while Terry Brian and company had their 4.04 elapsed time slip clinched in their hands and could only hope it would stay the second quickest as the final pair laid down their burnouts. Chris Trussell and Aaron Leyda backed up and the crews made their final adjustments. Leyda, known for his starting line dominance, was late out of the gate and had the best seat in the house to watch Chris Trussell blast ahead to low elapsed time of the round with a 3.94 at 180 mph to advance to the second career OFAA final round for team “Assassin” and bump Brian from a chance to win his debut event.

(Chris Trussell sets low elapsed time of first round with a 3.94)

First Round Eliminations:

(W) Terry Brian (.098 rt) 4.04 @ 160 mph vs. (L) Nick Poloson (.058 rt) 5.38 @ 85 mph
(W) Jimmy Jones (.193 rt) 4.40 @ 162 mph vs. (L) DoDad Burton (No Time)
(W) David Purifoy (.748 rt) 4.14 @ 171 mph vs. (L) Brad Rigler (No Time)
(W) Mary Reep (.174 rt) 5.12 @ 122 mph vs. (L) Raymond Dawson (No Time)
(W) Bobby Marriott (.183 rt) 3.99 @ 184 mph vs. (L) Howard Farris (.202 rt) 4.89 @ 107 mph
(W) Chris Trussell (.077 rt) 3.94 @ 180 mph vs. (L) Aaron Leyda (.147 rt) 4.37 @ 170 mph

Not long after completion of the first round and just a few ticks past 11:30 p.m. the teams brought their final round bound hot rods to the lanes, ensuring the final be completed before the track curfew of midnight. With an impressive amount of die hard fuel altered fans still in the stands, Trussell and Marriott rolled through the water to blaze the hides one last time.

As the cars pulled forward Trussell lit the pre-stage first and Marriott followed. Trussell then quickly lit the stage bulb and brought up the RPMs. Marriott crept in and lit the last bulb and they were off! Marriott had a chunk at the starting line and held the lead as Trussell’s car shook forcing him to pedal it. Marriott streaked ahead with header flames through the traps clicking off a 4.03 at 181 mph to take the win over Trussell’s 4.64 at 107 mph.

Final Round Results:

(W) Bobby Marriott (.123 rt) 4.03 @ 181 mph vs. (L) Chris Trussell (.245 rt) 4.64 @ 107 mph

(Chris Trussell (Near) vs. Bobby Marriott (Far) in the final round)

For Trussell and team “Assassin” it was a positive outing to say the least. Unexpected pre-season gremlins kept the team from testing before Kennedale and continued issues kept them from completing the first qualifying session, but the team didn’t give up and found their “A” game when it matter most, first round. Congratulations to the entire Trussell & Darby “Assassin” team as they look forward to returning to North Star Dragway for round two, where they won their first OFAA event last October.

Marriott notches his eighteenth win dating back to the 2002 season when OFAA results started being archived, the leader of the pack in that regard. The “Shockwave” team will take their momentum and points lead into round two at North Star Dragway on Saturday, May 7th.

(Team "Shockwave" in the winners circle)

“I didn't think we had much of a chance with the number Chris (Trussell) ran (3.94) and his driving ability. It's hard for my clutch car to hang with the high rpm alcohol cars on the starting line. I was able to leave with him and we both ran into tire shake down track. I was able to drive through it, while he had to lift. They did a great job and we had a little luck. It was great to have one of our original members Brad Rigler back in action and we want to welcome the ‘new guys’ Terry Brian and Raymond Dawson," said Marriott.

After a four year drought, Texas Raceway finally got it’s fuel altered fix and with a strong crowd and handful of 4.0 and 3.9 second passes everyone was smiles as the event finished before curfew and incident free.

“It was great to have the Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altereds back at Texas Raceway. The crowd and racers were pumped to open the season here in Kennedale. We knew the OFAA would put on a wild show and they did not disappoint! We are already pumped for the next race at Texas Raceway on Friday, June 24th and we will have plenty of cones on hand to handle these wild racecars!” said TXR owner and manager Cindi McMillan.

Nick Poloson left with the Good Vibrations “Quick Reaction Time” bonus from first round with .058 bulb, while Bobby Marriott notched the Napa Top Speed bonus with his 184.90 mph lap. Raymond Dawson collected the Lenco Transmissions “Outside Looking In” bonus as the first alternate and both Marriott and Trussell collected $50 gift certificates from Tom Akers and the folks at Wizard’s Warehouse as finalists.

That’s a wrap on the season opener for the Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altered Association. Marriott and company can expect a challenge in round two at North Star Dragway in two weeks as several teams plan to make their OFAA debut and fight for a place in the OFAA Top 10 at the end of the season. Names like Mitch King, Sean Belt, Anthony Whitfield, Rich Howell, Donnie Massey, Keith Anglin, Jimmy Todd, Hennen & Simpson, Jack Hodgson, Howard Knowles, Mark Bowman and Dal Denton all with running racecars that weren’t at Texas Raceway, you can only imagine how many cars could be on hand to do battle in two weeks at North Star Dragway. Until then, see photos from the season opener, check the points standings and find out more information on your favorite driver by visiting us online at www.ofaa.net.

Click Here to see photos from this event.

Low Elapsed Time - Jimmy Jones (3.90)
Top Mile Per Hour - Bobby Marriott (184.90 mph)

Texas Raceway Bonus Winners:

Good Vibrations Quick Reaction Time - Nick Poloson (.058)

DFW Napa Auto Parts Top Speed - Bobby Marriott (184.90)

DFW Napa Auto Parts #1 Qualifier - Brad Rigler (4.04)

Competition Sales of Dallas #1 Qualifier - Brad Rigler

Lenco Transmissions Outside Looking In - Raymond Dawson

Wizards Warehouse Finalists - Bobby Marriott & Chris Trussell