Jones Maintains Points Lead With San Antonio Win
The fifth event of the 2014 Painless Performance Products Outlaw Fuel Altered season sent the series south bound on I-35 to San Antonio Raceway in San Antonio, Texas to headline the “Texas Nostalgia Thunder” event on Saturday, July 19th. With an intense points battle shaping up, the OFAA teams were anxious to hit the strip as eleven teams warmed up their machines in the pits before the first of two qualifying sessions got underway. Three time defending Champion Jimmy Jones and the “Texas Tremor” team entered the event with a slight points lead over Donny McSwain. John Broussard, Bobby Marriott and Nick Poloson were in a tight pack to round out the top five in the standings coming into this event and by the end of the night, some major moves would be made in the hunt for the Championship.
Upon the completion of two qualifying sessions, Mary Reep and the “Grim Reeper” team claimed the pole position with a 4.001, her first top qualifying effort of the season. John Broussard’s “Purple Haze” followed closely behind with a 4.002 and Jimmy Jones qualified third with a 4.05 at 172 mph. Nick Poloson entered his hometown race ready to make a statement and qualified fourth with Mark Bowman rounding out the top five heading into eliminations. Bobby Marriott’s “Shockwave” team ran into engine damage during qualifying and had to withdraw from competition, which left a big door open for the competition to make a move in the standings.
Final Qualifying Order:
1. Mary Reep (Austin, TX) – 4.001 @ 159
2. John Broussard (Lake Charles, LA) – 4.002 @ 176
3. Jimmy Jones (Cleburne, TX) – 4.05 (3.94) @ 172
4. Nick Poloson (San Antonio, TX) – 4.07 @ 170
5. Mark Bowman (Oklahoma City, OK) – 4.090 @ 177
6. Donnie Massey (Little Elm, TX) – 4.091 (3.90) @ 187
7. Donny McSwain (Rockwall, TX) – 4.092 @ 180
8. Raymond Dawson (Nevada, TX) – 4.12 @ 153
9. Doyle Smith (Paris, TX) – 4.16 @ 159
10. Bobby Marriott (Pilot Point, TX) – 4.18 @ 172
11. DoDad Burton (Tyler, TX) – 4.39 @ 159
The call went out to fire up the first pair for the all-important first round of eliminations, where the two quickest winners would advance to the final round. First up, Mark Bowman and DoDad Burton blazed the hides in their blown alcohol altereds, then backed up and brought them to the line. In a pedaling affair, Bowman used a massive holeshot and a 4.48 at 169 mph to take out Burton’s quicker but loosing 4.33 at 165 mph. Jimmy Jones and Raymond Dawson were out next, Jones dominated this matchup with a stellar .017 reaction time and a strong 3.96 at 179 mph to Dawson’s off pace 5.24. Mary Reep and Donnie Massey rolled through the water box as eliminations continued. Reep drilled Massey on the starting line and her nice 4.02 at 177 mph was enough to hold off Massey’s better 3.94 at 184 mph, Reep taking the win on a holeshot.
John Broussard and Donny McSwain fired up their machines in a powerhouse match-up. Both drivers were in the top five and desperate for points after watching Jones take his first round win just ahead of them. The winner here needed to not only win the round, but run quicker than a 4.02 to bump Reep from her spot in the final round. This one was over early, as McSwain left too soon with a -.207 reaction time, wasting the quickest pass of the round with a 3.90 at 182 mph, while Broussard took the round win with a 4.08 at 168 mph, coming up short for a trip to the final.
With one pair left, Reep and Jones were holding tickets to the last dance with Nick Poloson and Doyle Smith ready to fire up, both capable of three second runs. At the flash of amber, Poloson left first and never trailed as he took the round win, posting a 4.11 at 170 mph to Smith’s lifting 4.72 at 104 mph. Reep and Jones returned to the pits for their final service and then rolled to the staging lanes to crown a San Antonio event winner. What could have been had McSwain not went red, as the top two in points would have squared off in an epic points showdown in the final. Regardless, a great final was set to go down between Jones & Reep.
First Round Results:
(W) Mark Bowman (.147 rt) 4.48 @ 169 vs. (L) DoDad Burton (.312 rt) 4.33 @ 165
(W) Jimmy Jones (.017 rt) 3.96 @ 179 vs. (L) Raymond Dawson (.103 rt) 5.24 @ 102
(W) Mary Reep (.067 rt) 4.02 @ 177 vs. (L) Donnie Massey (.199 rt) 3.94 @ 184
(W) John Broussard (.0008 rt) 4.08 @ 168 vs. (L) Donny McSwain (-.207 rt) 3.90 @ 182
(W) Nick Poloson (.070 rt) 4.11 @ 170 vs. (L) Doyle Smith (.162 rt) 4.72 @ 104
Two beautiful blown alcohol altereds came to life as the final round was underway, Jones looking to extend his slim points lead while Reep aimed at taking home her first win of the season. After their burnouts, crew chiefs made their final adjustments and sent their drivers into the stage beams. Both pre-staged as Jones brought up the rpms and both drivers rolled in. Jones launched hard with a .021 reaction time and used a massive holeshot and 4.02 at 171 mph to take the win over Reep’s better 3.98 at 182 mph.
Final Round Results:
(W) Jimmy Jones (.021 rt) 4.02 @ 172 vs. (L) Mary Reep (.483 rt) 3.98 @ 182
The Outlaw Fuel Altered Association has a few weeks off before heading north to Mo-Kan Dragway in Asbury, Missouri to headline the special two day 49th Annual Labor Day Classic on August 30th-31st. Jimmy Jones now holds a slim twelve point lead over John Broussard who jumped into second place. Donny McSwain, Mark Bowman and Nick Poloson round out the top five and are separated by only five points. The OFAA series would like to thank title sponsor Painless Performance Products along with bonus program sponsors Good Vibrations Motorsports, Napa Auto Parts of North Texas, Competition Sales of Dallas, North Texas Diesel and Wizard’s Warehouse. For more information please visit http://www.ofaa.net.
