McSwain Masters Wild Season Opener
The Outlaw Fuel Altered Association kicked off its special 20th Anniversary season at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas on Saturday, May 7th. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 80's welcomed a full field of these wicked machines in what would be one of the most thrilling events in recent history. Defending series Champion Jimmy Jones was in the house, but some fierce competition joined him in the hunt for the first win of the season. With new title sponsorship from Lone Star Forklift, the OFAA's 20th season will be a memorable one as action got underway with eager spectators lined up past the finish line and both grandstands at maximum capacity.
Qualifying Highlights:
The first qualifying session was a showcase of horsepower as teams dipped into the three second zone on the regular, led by Ken Singleton's "High Risk" with a 3.84 blast at 177 mph. Bobby Marriott's "Shockwave" blistered the strip with a 3.89 at 193 mph and the Darby & Buchanan "Nitro Relapse" entry posted a solid 3.94 at 190 mph. Jimmy Jones' 3.95 secured his spot in the field and Donny McSwain, Nick Poloson and Donnie Massey joined the company with 3.99's. Fifteen cars made passes in less than thirty minutes as the action was non-stop and teams returned to the pits to prepare for the final qualifying session.
(Ken Singleton)
(Jimmy Jones)
(Nick Poloson)
As the sun set over the North Texas skyline, the call went out to fire the first pair of the final qualifying session. At rapid pace, fuel altereds lined up and blasted down the eighth mile and Eric Buchanan held low elapsed time of the round with a 3.81 at 187 mph as Doyle Smith and Bobby Marriott brought their nitro burners to life. This is when things got very scary at North Star Dragway.
At the flash of amber, the cars were off the line together and charging hard. Just as the cars neared the 330' foot mark, Marriott's engine let go and erupted into flames with oil spewing under the rear slicks and Marriott battling for control. The car made an abrupt move to the centerline and into Smith's lane as Marriott, now covered in oil and fire, was still fighting to keep control and somehow still got the chutes out and fuel shutoff before being impacted from the rear by Smith's entry. This wild impact sent both cars bouncing across the top end as the left rear slick exploded on Marriott's car shortly after both cars crossed the finish line in the same lane, Smith's scoreboard posting a 4.11 elapsed time at 126 mph.
Marriott was now unconscious and along for the ride as his car three wheeled through the shutdown area and grazed the guardrail before sliding to a stop in a grassy area at the top end. Smith fought to keep his car under control with severe damage to the front end, spinning the "Chemical Reaction" car out near the sand trap, coming to a rest pointed towards the finish line as safety crews scrambled to the scene.
To the relief of everyone on the property, Smith climbed out of his car uninjured and Marriott steadily regained consciousness as medical personnel did their duties in evaluating both drivers. A few minutes had passed when Marriott thankfully climbed out of the mangled "Shockwave" with aid from medial staff and crew members, then was transported to the local hospital for further evaluation. A deep breath was taken by all on the scene as Marriott and Smith appeared to both have walked away from a spine-chilling incident. Marriott insisted the race must go on and while he made a quick trip to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital with wife Nancy, the remaining cars in the second qualifying session returned to the pits and pairings were set based on the first qualifying session's performances.
Final Qualifying Order:
1. Donnie Massey (Little Elm, TX) - 4.005 (3.995) (Broke)
2. Donny McSwain (Rockwall, TX) - 4.009 (3.991)
3. Nick Poloson (San Antonio, TX) - 4.010 (3.990)
4. Jimmy Jones (Cleburne, TX) - 4.044 (3.956)
5. Eric Buchanan (Justin, TX) - 4.053 (3.947)
6. John Broussard (Lake Charles, LA) - 4.071
7. Raymond Dawson (Nevada, TX) - 4.084
8. Bobby Marriott (Pilot Point, TX) - 4.110 (3.890) (Broke)
9. Mary Reep (Austin, TX) - 4.122
10. Doyle Smith (Paris, TX) - 4.126 (Broke)
11. Ken Singleton (Chickasha, OK) - 4.153 (3.847)
12. Clint Cross (Crossroads, TX) - 4.45 (Broke)
13. Mark Hunter (Tyler, TX) - 6.08
14. Mark Bowman (Oklahoma City, OK) - 8.43
(Clint Cross & Donnie Massey)
Eliminations:
With all concern on series President Bobby Marriott, the news spread through the pits that he was fully responsive to treatment at the hospital and expressing his unsurprising desire to return to the track as soon as possible. With Marriott, Smith, Massey and Cross all sidelined, the remaining ten cars returned to the staging lanes for pairing. Despite the difficulty, the race continued as "the show must go on" fuel altered style in Texas. Mark Bowman and Eric Buchanan kicked off the first round of eliminations with Bowman posting his best pass of the night with a 4.35 at 174 mph to defeat Buchanan's off pace 16.87.
(Mark Bowman)
(Eric Buchanan)
(John Broussard)
Nick Poloson's "Sundown" ripped off a header flaming 4.11 at 166 mph to defeat new member Mark Hunter's 5.88. John Broussard's "Purple Haze" lined up with Ken Singleton as Singleton took a slight starting line advantage and was on a strong three second pass before collecting the centerline cones, while Broussard posted a winning 4.12 at 173 mph. Donny McSwain's "Wild One" ripped off low elapsed time of the round with a 3.95 at 182 mph in a great side by side drag race against Raymond Dawson's "High Octane" who posted a close 4.02 at 162 mph. In the final pair, Mary Reep's "Grim Reeper" lined up with Jimmy Jones' "Texas Tremor" in a powerhouse blown alcohol match up. Jones had troubles off the line while Reep clicked off a 4.13 at 174 mph for the win. The two quickest winners, Nick Poloson and Donny McSwain advanced to the final round to decide who would claim the first victory of the new season.
(Raymond Dawson)
(Mary Reep)
First Round Results:
(W) Mark Bowman (-.128 rt) 4.35 @ 174 vs. (L) Eric Buchanan (-.347 rt) 16.87 @ 25
(W) Nick Poloson (.101 rt) 4.11 @ 166 vs. (L) Mark Hunter (.320) 5.88 @ 95
(W) John Broussard (.085 rt) 4.12 @ 173 vs. (L) Ken Singleton (.056 rt) 4.48 @ 122
(W) Donny McSwain (.166 rt) 3.95 @ 182 vs. (L) Raymond Dawson (.117 rt) 4.02 @ 162
(W) Mary Reep (.053 rt) 4.13 @ 174 vs. (L) Jimmy Jones (.094 rt) 10.43 @ 37
(Nick Poloson)
In the final round, side by side burnouts kicked off the action under the lights as McSwain's blown alcohol entry and Poloson's nitro burner crept into the stage beams. McSwain took the starting line advantage and never trailed as Poloson quickly found the limits of his clutch pack and was out of the throttle at half-track. McSwain lit the scoreboards with a 3.96 at 183 mph winning pass to score his first OFAA victory since June of 2014, taking the winning hardware back to Lone Star Forklift to showcase on Monday morning. Poloson coasted to a 7.49 but had a solid outing and with all the action at the season opener, the 20th Anniversary season is sure to provide intense racing action all season.
Final Round Results:
(W) Donny McSwain (.085 rt) 3.96 @ 183 vs. (L) Nick Poloson (.150 rt) 7.49 @ 58
(Winner - Donny McSwain & Team "Wild One")
Bobby Marriott returned to the track shortly after the final round and was greeted by dozens of racers who were eager to shake his hand and share stories from the spooky scene that unfolded in qualifying. Racers and fans can only hope the Marriott's opt to return to OFAA competition as the car is a total loss. Smith's car suffered major front end damage but is expected to return before the end of the season. Mary Reep took home the Good Vibrations Motorsports "Quick Light" bonus and John Broussard claimed the Meyer Enterprises "You Lift, You Lose" bonus money.
The Outlaw Fuel Altereds are set to invade Mo-Kan Dragway on Saturday, May 28th for the next event on the special 20th Anniversary tour. A dramatic season opener was in the books with McSwain on top heading into the next race. The OFAA and Bobby Marriott would like to take this opportunity to remind all teams in all forms of motorsports to utilize any and all safety precautions available to them and keep them updated as the safety updates Marriott made to his car over the winter surely played a role in his ability to walk away from a totally destroyed racecar.
Click Here to see photos from Denton!
Shreveport Bonus Winners:
Good Vibrations Quick Reaction Time - Mary Reep
Meyer Enterprises
"You Lift, You Lose" - John Broussard
