Outlaw Fuel Altereds 2007 wrap up

2007 Outlaw Fuel Altered Season Review

It has taken me the better part of an hour to decide how to start off the 2007 re-cap article for the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association, simply because this season was like no other in the circuit’s eleven year history. I think it is safe to say that the entire entity of drag racing itself had quite a year. The introduction to NHRA’s “Countdown to the Championship” got mixed reviews but I bet if you ask Schumacher or Pedregon how they like it you wouldn’t hear many complaints. How about the many women who broke through into the sport’s spotlight like Ashley Force, Peggy Llewellyn, Jessie Harris, the Harker sisters, the list goes on and on with very bright futures. The drag racing world also took many hard hits by loosing irreplaceable figures like Wally Parks, Eric Medlen, Art Arfons, etc. John Force’s accident at Dallas almost took his life and Team Force vows to revolutionize not only the funny car itself but safety in all forms of drag racing through the Eric Medlen Project. I’m surprised no one has though about opening up a drag racing psychiatric center with all the ups and downs 2007 brought the drag racing world. The Outlaw Fuel Altered season was no exception. Unlike any other season on many levels including competition, compassion and unfortunately crashes.

Bobby Marriott’s “Shockwave” team clinched their third OFAA Championship by a huge 72 point margin, the most ever. How do you do that? Well, when your car runs 4.0 or 3.9 all day every day and you string together 7 final round appearances with 4 wins and 3 number one qualifiers that makes you officially “da man.”

“This has been a very emotional year on so many levels. I never expected after winning the championship in 2003 that I would be on top again due to the raised level of competition since then. The support I received with the loss of my dad turned what could have been the worst year of my life into a year I will never forget. I also want to make sure that everyone knows I could not do any of this without my great crew including my wife Nancy, Ray “Snorter” and Susan MacFarland, and Allen and Diana Friar,” said Marriott.

It was no easy season for Mr. Marriott who lost his father and best friend B.O. Marriott the day before he won the OFAA season opener at Shreveport, an event Bobby planned on skipping until hours before his death B.O. demanded that his son go race. It was at this event where something very special happened. In a heart touching event organized by Candy Hay, the entire Outlaw Fuel Altered family gathered around the starting line to pay tribute to B.O. and Bobby blazed the hides on a half track burnout followed by stout solo run of 4.10 at 183 mph. It was a truly spectacular tribute that could only be topped if you were there in person.

On a performance level, the 2007 season was witness to some big strides by a handful of race cars. You can’t look past the improvements made by teams like Tom Wood’s “Sundown” machine wheeled by Nick Poloson who clicked off a very strong career best 4.06 at the season ending event at Lufkin with a car that could run 4.20 down a slip and slide. The team also posted their first top five finish in the points standings.

“To close the season with a number like that makes me very confident in our ability for next year. I knew it was there the whole time and we finally put it all together. Nick, myself and the entire team are looking forward to next season with high expectations,” said team owner Tom Wood.

Herb Whisnant’s “Thrill Factor” machine driven Wayne Lewis steadily improved their 555 Merlin BBC combination throughout the season and Lewis did a great job behind the wheel in his rookie effort posting a sixth place finish. DoDad Burton’s “Free Spirit” made took consistent baby steps in their first year with the group as the team not only fine tuned their combination but also as DoDad became more comfortable behind the wheel of one of these beasts we like to call Fuel Altereds. Watch out for the Burton Boys next spring. Jack Hodgson’s Waco based team posted their best finish at third in their sixth season in competition. Let me tell you that this team has become a heavy hitter in a short period of time and although they didn’t see the winner’s circle in 2007, if you are a betting man you will never count out these boys as a contender at each event next year. The Southern Outlaw is absolutely one of the baddest blown alcohol altereds but he is not alone. Brad Rigler’s “Toxic” machine spent most of this season fine tuning a new combination led by crew chief Danny Wright who also built the car. After two consecutive championships the team finished fourth respectively with a win in Caddo Mills and two number one qualifiers. Veteran Larry Reep and “Grim Reeper” out of Austin, Texas finished seventh on a limited schedule. Shreveport was Reep’s best event as he laid down three straight 4.0 passes, number one qualifier and a runner-up finish in the memorable final against Marriott. Donnie Massey debuted a nitro combination in his “Showtime” machine and improved both times out before the season came to an end. Off season testing should provide enough time for this car to become a huge contender next season.

But let’s not leave out “Mr. Fasty McNasty” Travis Bouchey and that big bad “Excitation” fuel Fiat who provided the most entertaining runs of the season. Bouchey debuted his Brent Fanning influenced nitro combination to start off the 2006 season and well, to say the least it didn’t go as smoothly as planned. With no final round appearances, no number one qualifying efforts, handfuls of broken parts and bills beyond belief this nitro gig might have been more than it was cracked up to be, but Bouchey did not give up and his fortunes turned around yielding this Stephenville, Texas team’s best season yet. Bouchey returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in over a year at the third event in Lufkin, Texas after he clicked off his first three second pass in the final against Marriott with a 3.95 as he set low elapsed time and top speed of the meet at 194 mph.

Skip forward to the first race at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas (since Bouchey red lit his way out of a final round at Prescott and probably doesn’t want to remember that) where we saw Marriott and Bouchey lined up again in what would become a historic final round. Side by side 3.98 elapsed times marked the first side by side sub four second passes in OFAA history and earned the team their second win of the season. Fast forward to the Mo-Kan Dragway Labor Day Classic where yet again the two met in the final round. Bouchey had broken the track record earlier in the day at 3.78 but the mechanical nitro bugs bit him on his final round burnout forcing him to shutoff and Marriott went on to claim his fourth win of the year on a solo. Next stop, a return to North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas. You guessed it! Marriott vs. Bouchey in the final. You guessed it! Bouchey broke the track record with a 3.79 earlier in the evening and absolutely destroyed both ends of the track record with a 3.78 at 203 mph pass in the final to defeat Marriott and claim his third win in four finals on the season. The Marriott vs. Bouchey battle will go down in the OFAA books as one of the biggest and most entertaining rivalries ever, yet these two are great friends on and off the track. Marriott took the title again this year knocking Brad Rigler off his impressive two year Championship streak. Bouchey will settle for second place for the second time in his fourth season of competition.

“Fanning told me at the beginning of 2006 season that we would probably be last in points. He was almost right, but the part he left out was all the broken parts. For example, rear ends, clutches, etc. It was very nice to make good runs without all the parts carnage this season and doing contending for the championship was just a bonus,” said Bouchey reflecting on his 2007 effort.

You can't forget Tom Butherus, Howard Knowles, Jimmy Todd, Bob Voirin, John Tappan and Mark Jones who have a combined total of over 30 years with the OFAA. Mark Jones wins the "long haul" award as he and his crew tow from Florida and have plans to make more events in 2008. Knowles and Butherus travel from Missouri and Kansas as well. This group of veterans better keep an eye on two youngsters who got in on the action in 2007. 21 year old Chris White brought out the “White Lightning” blown Chevrolet and made the last four events of the tour. After knowing Chris for only a short time I know he is hungry for horsepower and speed. Look for this Johnson County, Texas firefighter to bring something for the rest of the field next year. You’d be mistaken to leave out 18 year old John Broussard. The youngest driver on tour took over driving duties from his father Kevin who now only can drive a racecar, but can also make a mean Cajun Gumbo and throw a helluva party at the last event of the season. These Louisiana boys are set to debut a 500+ cubic inch all aluminum Chevrolet combo in the “Purple Haze” in 2008.

Now comes the much more frightening and unwelcome part of the 2007 Outlaw Fuel Altered season. In my seven years with the circuit I have seen only two accidents: Donnie Massey in 2004 in Sealy, Texas and Bob Voirin in 2006 in Tulsa, Oklahoma although I hear stories of Dale “Lurch” Wilkens flipping his car over the guardrail on a burnout from hell at Mo-Kan Dragway around 1999. Point being, an Outlaw Fuel Altered event is almost always an incident free fun loving night at the drag strip with nitro fumes in the air and smiling faces in the stands, but as everyone knows when you have a group of blown fuel altereds on the grounds nothing is certain and everything is unpredictable.

Things took a turn for the worse at the third event of the season at Pine Valley Raceway in Lufkin, Texas. Tim Hay’s “High Voltage Hayride” 427 nitro burning Chevrolet ran into clutch issues switching from neutral to forward and ended up backing into Tom Wood’s tow truck before the beast finally came to a stop. Whew! Thank the drag racing gods and Tim’s driving ability that no one was injured in that freak incident. Next pair, Dave Gallegos is in Mitch King’s “Bone Bucket” fuel altered making his first start with the group. Backing up from the burnout, Dave gained too much speed and laid the “bucket” on it’s side before reaching a crowded starting line area. Double Whew! Let me just add that the Mitch King crew actually fixed the car, Dave got back in the seat and qualified the car and went on to loose first round to Larry Reep. Dave also acquired his IHRA Top Fuel license and qualified for both the last two Top Fuel shows on the IHRA tour.

Two weeks later takes us to the fourth event at Prescott Raceway in Prescott, Arkansas. Donny McSwain and Bobby Marriott are lined up for the final race of the night. McSwain had lost a rear wing in his first round win over Larry Reep, but was not going to sit out of his first career final round appearance. McSwain started getting out of shape and very loose before it finally went straight for the left lane guardrail. He steered it back the other way but the rear end swung around tagging the guardrail bringing the front end back around hard into the wall rupturing the fuel tank. The fuel tank and entire front end of the car was ripped off completely right in front of the motor resulting in a huge high speed fireball. The car landed upside down and coasted through the eighth mile clocks with a 4.20 at 157 mph in a huge shower of sparks and mangled hot rod. McSwain walked away from this ugly accident with minor injuries and plans to get back in a car as soon as possible. Don’t forget that video of this final round along with many other great runs are online at www.ofaa.net.

Now you’d think we were over the troubles by now, but not quite. Hay’s problems returned in a frightening mirror image of the Lufkin incident. Hay realized he was in trouble while still moving backward with no way to shut off the car. Thinking of all the people behind him and tried to bounce off Howard Knowles’ tow truck and flip his car on it’s side. Let’s just skip the details and say the Hayride went skyward and the car came down on top of Hodgson’s car and landed on it’s side which resulted in both the driver’s facing each other eye to eye. It was like two big fuel altered Lego pieces trying to find a fit. After all the commotion was said and done amazingly only one serious injury was to report and that was a broken ankle of Hodgson crew member Ryan Smith who had the coolest cast I’ve ever seen and of course, it was Southern Outlaw style. On a positive ending note, Hay returned to competition a few weeks later in Denton and clicked off a 4.10 in his first pass back behind the wheel which was a huge step in his effort to comfortably return to competition. A huge thanks goes out from the Hay’s to Travis Bouchey, Bob Voirin, Jim Pruett, Ronnie Martin, Les Witherspoon and the rest of the circuit who all had a hand in getting Tim back on the track, which serves as another example of the compassion the OFAA family holds both on and off the strip.

So there you have it. The 2007 Outlaw Fuel Altered season in an oversized nutshell. We saw an unforgettable tribute, final round fireballs, a record breaking points chase, the first three second side by side pass, three white knuckle incidents all somehow occurring while the cars were going backwards, that’s enough! Fuel Altereds are arguably the wildest, most unpredictable and ultimately crowd pleasing machines to ever run down a drag strip and that is what makes the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association such a one of a kind group of racers. The OFAA sends a special thanks to long time partner Royal Purple for their continued support in the series. The circuit would like to thank the following qualifying bonus participants for their support in the 2007 season: Allen Meyer and Meyer Custom Machining in Lewisville, Texas, Travis Bouchey and Cen-Tech Scales in Stephenville, Texas, Louis Green at Disciple Cycles in Tyler, Texas, Mike McClendon at P&M Speed and Machine Shop in Marshall, Texas, Donny McSwain and Lone Star Forklifts in Garland, Texas and Bobby and Nancy Marriott for their Progressive Qualifier Bonus. Jack Hodgson proved he isn’t only the king of the burnouts but king of the bonus program as he took home a total of six bonuses in nine events this season. DoDad Burton brought home five. The circuit would also like to thank Kay Wright, wife of “Toxic” crew chief Danny Wright, for her excellent job announcing in the booth and Race Coordinator Ray “Snorter” MacFarland for his efforts to keep the show running smoothly.

So what do we have to look forward to next year? You can expect an equally impressive field of blown bad ass fuel altereds pounding the ground and putting on a great show, but you may see some new faces as others plan to get in on the action. The Cross Brothers of Cross Roads, Texas plan to return to competition in the “Crossways” Allen Meyer built and tuned machine driven by Clint Cross. The team watched their car burn to the ground on a summer Saturday afternoon at San Antonio a few years back during a match race with Mitch King that ended up one of the scariest crashes I’ve personally ever seen. It was one of those times where one second feels like a lifetime. Again let's skip the details. This is a bad hot rod and it will be on the track in weeks preparing for next season so here’s your warning. The Cross Boys are back!

The rumor mill says another Austin based team may butt heads next season in the form of Roy Sanchez and his brand new Fiat with a 427 Chevrolet on fuel. Sweet! The rumor mill also whispered something about Donny McSwain already in the closing stages of his new hot rod being built by Danny Wright at ACE Chassis in Lavon, Texas. Everyone shares the hope that the Heslink family will be back in action after being sidelined for the 2007 season. Jack bounced right back as everyone knew he would from an injury suffered at his home and his son J.T. may sneak on the helmet and wheel the “Punisher” next year. Another very friendly face we are all glad to see back at the track is that of Charlie "Tuna" Duncan. Can we expect to see Dale “Lurch” Wilkens back on the tour full time? Will Brandon Holcomb return to the cockpit in a new ride? I can confirm the “Shockwave” team of Bobby and Nancy Marriott will debut a brand spankin’ new look in their effort to defend their Championship season. Could Galveston Island based year 2000 Champion Mitch King (who holds the record for most consecutive seasons with an event win when he strung together six years straight from 2000 to 2005) be putting together another car making the first two car team in hopes of playing spoiler as time allows away from the IHRA National Event tour? Sources also indicate yet another car in the works in the Houston area that could hit the track in the ladder part of next season. All I can guarantee is maximum cackle!

The Outlaw Fuel Altereds will kick off their eight race season at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas on April 5th. Keep an eye on www.ofaa.net for all the latest news, photos and results from the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association.

2007 Outlaw Fuel Altered Top Ten

1) Bobby Marriott – 394
2) Travis Bouchey – 322
3) Jack Hodgson – 311
4) Brad Rigler – 274
5) Nick Poloson – 240
6) Wayne Lewis – 230
7) Larry Reep – 223
8) Tim Hay – 211
9) Donnie Massey – 205
10) DoDad Burton - 195

2008 Outlaw Fuel Altered Schedule

April 5th - North Star Dragway - Denton, TX

May 3rd - Red River Raceway - Shreveport, LA

May 17th - North Star Dragway - Denton, TX

June 21st - Ben Bruce Raceway - Evadale, TX

July 4th - North Star Dragway - Denton, TX

August 30th/31st - Mo-Kan Dragway's Labor Day Classic - Asbury, MO

September 13th - Pine Valley Raceway - Lufkin, TX

October 18th - North Star Dragway - Denton, TX

Story: Chris Graves
Photos: Chris Graves, David Elrod and Tim Corbett