The White family entry came...
The White family entry came to see how they'd measure up to the big boys with their 533 big-block-powered convertible. Dad Donald set up the Pro-shot fogger system on the big 1050 dominator, while brother Dustin studied each pass to assist with the chassis settings. Jason's wife and daughters had plenty to cheer about as he ousted Brad Brand in Round 1, but he was trailered by the Lynch freight train in later rounds.
Seventeen years ago, the Fun Ford Weekend opened the door for all the "true blue" competitors to gather at one venue-void of the overwhelming Brand-X population-for some sick bracket and heads-up, street-legal racing. The Texas Thunder Nationals, at Houston Raceway Park, has been one of the racers' favorites with its at sea-level location and NHRA national event-quality facility.
The big story at this year's trip to Texas was the $10,000 prize up for grabs in the Precision Turbo Street Outlaw class. Most racers would consider making the haul for the $3,000 check the runner-up will take home, not to mention the chance to make it in the pages of MM&FF.
All the biggest hitters were in the shuffle, including reigning Outlaw champ Conrad Scarry and the record-demolishing Tim Lynch. Bad Brad Brand's monster 700-plus-cube twin bandit was also in the hunt, as was Cale Aronson's bottle-fed 700ci big-block '05 Mustang looking to prove power-adder supremacy. The quiet Keen Brothers also attempted to make the field with a single turbo and only half the motor of the rest of the competition.
A $2,500 purse for the winner and $1,000 for the runner-up in ProCharger Renegade, along with a $2,000 top prize in the Mod Comp field, enticed many more racers to come and play at Houston's favorite playground.
Winner Jimmy and Vic Keen...
Winner
Jimmy and Vic Keen were feared by all Brand-Xers in the NMCA when they captured the '98 championship in the Super Street class. The team has resurfaced, and as expected, crew chief Tom Moore has put together another powerful combination. A mixture of Sonny Bryant, Bill Miller, and Venolia goodies equals 375 ci. The huge Turbonetics 106mm turbocharger forces over 30 psi through a Wilson Manifolds 106mm throttle body and a set of Champion racing heads ported C-3 Yates heads. They qualified in the top spot with a 6.92 and then marched through the field with consecutive 6.97, 6.96, and 6.93 drag passes. Consistency won them the Precision Turbo Street Outlaw $10,000 check, and the title of quickest and fastest single-turbo Outlaw 10.5W Mustang in the country.
The talk of the weekend was...
The talk of the weekend was the NHRA mandate of the SFI 38.1 head and neck restraint system. As of May 1, drag racers are required to use one of the devices if they exceed 200 mph regardless of class or vehicle.
This turned out to be one...
This turned out to be one of the most anticipated match-ups of the weekend-Tim Lynch (near) against Conrad Scarry. The reigning champ, Scarry, arrived early and made passes during all four qualifying rounds, eventually landing in the number-two spot on the ladder. In contrast, Lynch didn't arrive until late Friday, although he did run a 6.84 right off the trailer. From there it was all downhill as he blew the tranny in the the first qualifying try. Lynch had another tranny delivered Sunday morning, just in time to line up green against the number-two qualifier in Round 1. The holeshot went to Scarry, 0.021 to 0.099, then it was all Petty power on the big end as Lynch advanced 7.00 to 7.20.
The next time you see a set...
The next time you see a set of tires for sale in the Outlaw pits, don't pass up a good deal because you're worried they're worn out. Conrad Scarry (left) and most of the other Outlaw drivers get an average of five or six passes out of their tires.
Enter one chassis dyno specialist...
Enter one chassis dyno specialist with too much time on his hands, 700-plus cubes of Charlie Peppers power, and two 88mm turbochargers pumping out over 25 pounds of boost, and what do you get? How about 2,500-3,000 hp and one frustrated 10.5W tire chassis tuner who wishes he had a set of Funny Car slicks, just once? Brad Brand fought traction issues most of the weekend trying to tame his Pony's excess power, then red-eyed away a solid 7.18 pass.
Winner Travis Franklin gave...
Winner
Travis Franklin gave the turbo boys a run for their money in his ProCharger-powered, Granatelli-backed Pony last year with the big 10.5W tires in Super Street. His 7.11 best was one of the quickest passes by a supercharged car, but he couldn't hang with the big mph of the turbo guys. Franklin topped the quick ladder with a 7.80 best, then masterfully mowed down the competition with a 7.89, a 7.84, and a pair of 7.87s coupled with lightning-quick reaction times from 0.012 to a slowest 0.057. He attributed his successful winning weekend to his relentless crew that has successfully weathered the class jump.
The marketing guys from Tiremax...
The marketing guys from Tiremax decided that if they were ever to take their Texas-based tire business nationwide, they would need a good-sized billboard. Gerald Vess and the guys uncovered their 365-cube Proline Engines-powered, Precision-turbocharged '99 Stang with an unlimited crew of Tiremax mechanics from their eight locations.
Kenjo Kelley returned to heads-up...
Kenjo Kelley returned to heads-up Mustang racing after a five-year layoff. His fresh, turbocharged terror ousted Eric Stubs in a close 7.98 to 8.11 battle followed by an 8.01 to 8.22 semifinal bout with David Sheppard to earn a bye to the finals. Kelley took the early advantage at the Tree with a killer 0.019 bulb, then followed with an 8.01 at nearly 181 mph, the class highest of the weekend. Unfortunately, Travis Franklin drilled an equally impressive 0.041 bulb but with a quicker 7.87 e.t. for the ProCharger Renegade class title.