Team "Shockwave" & Ronny Young Rise to the Occasion at North Star Dragway
The Outlaw Fuel Altered Association, presented by Good Vibrations Motorsports and Lone Star Forklift, busted through the gates of North Star Dragway on Saturday, August 19th for the Summer Night of Fire! This was the third of six races on the season and coming into the event, Nick Poloson and Ken Singleton were tied for the points lead with Bobby Marriott just one point behind in third. A 13 car field of Outlaw Fuel Altereds were on hand to bruise the North Star Dragway eighth mile under the lights on a very humid summer afternoon in North Texas. With a great crowd on hand, it was time to put some fire in the pipes as qualifying got underway.
(Allen Meyer ready for the "Crossways" warm up)
(Nick Poloson warming up "Sundown")
(Ken Singleton)
Qualifying Highlights:
In the first pair down the track, Mark Billington ripped off a 4.001 to take the top qualifying spot in Raymond Austin's "Magic Dragon" nitro burner. Jimmy Jones posted a 4.01 in the "Texas Tremor" alcohol burning entry and Clint Cross posted his best qualifying effort in years with a 4.02 to qualify fourth. Unfortunately, carnage took its toll during the two qualifying rounds as four cars were sidelined. Nick Poloson was the most notable, as his place atop the standings would surely be forfeited due to a broken ring and pinion. John Broussard, who had posted a 4.01 which would have qualified him second, found rods and pistons exiting the block on the "Purple Haze" which ended their weekend early. Donny McSwain and Donnie Massey also found themselves packing up early due to parts failure as the nine remaining cars were paired up and ready to unleash their fury in first round of eliminations. It was a close field as nine cars were all within .07 of a second on the ladder.
(Mark Billington)
(Donnie Massey)
(Mark Hunter)
(Nick Poloson)
Final Qualifying Order:
1. Mark Billington - 4.001
2. John Broussard - 4.012 (Broke)
3. Jimmy Jones - 4.016
4. Clint Cross - 4.022 (3.9774)
5. Mark Hunter - 4.023 (3.9770)
6. Mary Reep - 4.031
7. Raymond Dawson - 4.061 (3.938)
8. Nick Poloson - 4.069
9. Ronny Young - 4.073 (3.926)
10. Ken Singleton - 4.27
11. Jody Austin - 4.37
12. Donnie Massey - 5.65
13. Donny McSwain - Broke
(Mary Reep)
(Jimmy Jones)
(Clint Cross)
(John Broussard)
Eliminations:
The first round got underway with Jody Austin's "Bushwhacker" lined up with Mark Hunter's "Jail Break" entry. Austin blasted off the line first and with flames hung high to the tips of the rear wing, but was forced to lift early as the car drifted to the centerline. Austin kept it in his lane with a 4.11 at 136 mph to take the win over Hunter's 4.61 at 124 mph. Defending series Champion Raymond Dawson and the Danny Wright tuned "High Octane" team rolled out next alongside top qualifier Mark Billington. Dawson took the starting line advantage and eventual win light with a 3.94 at 176 mph.
(Jody Austin)
(Ronny Young)
Ronny Young, driver of the "Blue Max" Nitro Nostalgia Funny Car, was sub-driving for Bobby Marriott and team "Shockwave" at this event as Marriott was healing from a shoulder injury. Young dipped into the threes on his first qualifying pass and backed it up in first round with a strong 3.86 at 195 mph to take out fellow funny car veteran Jimmy Jones' 3.92 at 187 mph. These two had shared the starting line many times over the years and this pair was especially fun to watch.
Mary Reep's "Grim Reeper" benefitted from the bye run as she posted a 3.97 at 182 mph to earn the round win points, but came up just short of a final round ticket. In the final pair, Clint Cross got the win after Ken Singleton left before the tree activated. Cross was on a solid pass, but drifted to the centerline and coasted to a 4.13 at 145 mph for the win. The two quickest winners, Ronny Young and Raymond Dawson were final round bound in Texas, ready for battle in a nitro -vs- blown alcohol showdown.
First Round Results:
(W) Jody Austin (.142 rt) 4.11 @ 136 -vs- (L) Mark Hunter (.305 rt) 4.61 @ 124
(W) Raymond Dawson (.064 rt) 3.94 @ 176 -vs- (L) Mark Billington (.132 rt) 3.79 @ 195
(W) Ronny Young (.066 rt) 3.86 @ 195 -vs- (L) Jimmy Jones (.063) 3.92 @ 187
(W) Mary Reep (.141 rt) 3.97 @ 182 -vs- (L) Bye
(W) Clint Cross (-.195 rt) 4.13 @ 145 -vs- (L) Ken Singleton (Foul - No Data)
(Raymond Dawson)
Dawson was hoping to defend his North Star Dragway event win from last fall and claim as many points as possible in his hopes of defending his Championship. Young came in to keep the seat warm for Bobby Marriott but now had a solid chance at claiming his first Outlaw Fuel Altered event win in his first appearance with the series. The call went out to fire em' up and both cars came to life. Flames were belching from the pipes of the "Shockwave" as Dawson brought his alcohol burning, high rpm revving entry to the stage beams.
(Raymond Dawson)
At the flash of amber, Young blasted off the line first with a .048 to Dawson's .077 reaction time. Side by side they charged wide open through the finish line as Young scored the win with a very nice 3.84 at 193 mph to Dawson's close 3.89 at 183 mph. A great final round to cap off the Night of Fire at North Star Dragway and an impressive effort from Young, Marriott and company who were all smiles in the winners circle. Ironically, Young was the original owner of the "Shockwave" Funny Car that Bobby Marriott purchased the car and name from in 1982. 35 years later, they're sharing the the winners circle still burning nitro across the Southwest.
(Team "Shockwave" - North Star Dragway Event Winner)
Final Round Results:
(W) Ronny Young (.048 rt) 3.84 @ 193 -vs- (L) Raymond Dawson (.077 rt) 3.89 @ 183 mph
After the dust settled, the points tightened up in a big way as the top five are separated by only twelve points and the top ten are on just a thirty two point spread. The 2017 Championship battle is definitely on and each point will prove critical in the remaining three events on tour. Ken Singleton held his slim lead now by three points over Nick Poloson. Jimmy Jones moved up to third with John Broussard and Mary Reep rounding out the top five. The next event will be held at Ardmore Dragway in Ardmore, Oklahoma on September 1st & 2nd! The OFAA series would like to thank Good Vibrations Motorsports, Lone Star Forklift, Meyer Enterprises, Grim Reeper Racing and Shockwave Racing for their support this season. Buckle up boys and girls, this run for the title will be fun to watch!
Click Here to see photos from San Antonio!
