Duke Wins First OTS Race!

Photos and Story by Danny and Gena White

Brad Jones and Bernie Young had the only non-GM car in the field and also the only small block too.

After two earlier rainouts, the Outlaw Top Sportsman race at the Stephens’ family Paris Drag Strip finally happened last Saturday night. Rain would not be a problem at Paris, but the hot July Texas would make the track very tricky to navigate for the Outlaw Top Sportsman racers. In spite of the oppressive heat, a large field of 15 racers showed up to race at the Northeast Texas track. A large crowd showed up to watch the 4.70 index cars, despite the heat and the local dirt track featuring sprint cars just miles away.

Joe Baldobino made the five hour trip from near Houston and qualified number nine. He lost in the consaltion final to Mat Thomas.

The first round of qualifying was moved back to 8:00 to take advantage of the setting sun and less heat. The first racers out to qualify was David Baldwin in his new Corvette and Alfred Whiteside in the Da Dog Camaro. Whiteside made long trip to race at Paris from Waco. Baldwin was entering his first OTS race of the year with his beautiful new 63 Corvette. Whiteside went a 4.91 147, while Baldwin trailed with a shutoff 5.23 122.35. Michele Wilson and local racer Randy Locke was next, Wilson in her Camaro got there first with a 4.92 140.49, while Locke got crossed up and shut off to 6.82 66.10 in his Blood, Sweat, & Tears Firebird.

Kenny Duke's Team Price Lumina that went on to win it all.

Steve Gorman was next in his Grand Prix. The Pontiac broke into the 4.80’s with a 4.84 148.09 in the spectator lane. OTS point leader H.T. Wilson was next in his Bird of Prey Firebird and Mat Thomas in the Nitrous Express backed Camaro but Thomas broke. Wilson soloed to a 4.99 148.09. Brad Jones and Larry Lobello were the next racers to qualify. Brad Jones was racing the Young Racing Neon while Lobello was in the Lobello Racing 81 Camaro. Lobello was running 10.5 W tires tonight on the Camaro! Young took the win light with 4.93 and Lobello got very crossed up at mid-track on a 5.64 122.45 pass. It should be noted that Jones had the only small block and non-GM car in the whole field.

Randy Locke's Blood Sweat & Tears Firebird.

Ed Roach in his late model Firebird took on Jetty Wright in his 67 Nova. Roach ran a 4.84 147.29 and Wright followed through the lights with a 5.13. Joe Baldobino made the longest trip to Paris coming from his Navasota home. Baldobino in Beretta was taking on Kenny Duke in his Lumina. Duke got to the finish line first with a 4.84 143 to Baldobino’s crossed up 5.40 run.

Jetty Wright ran a 5.02 in his sleek 67 Chevy II.

Eric Clark ran a 5.00 140.12 on a solo pass in the Clark Bros Paint & Body 1990 Trans Am. Mat Thomas returned to run a troubled 5.32 111.18 shut off run in his Don Ness built Camaro. The last car to get a qualifying run for the first session was local racer Bart Jetton in his 1991 Trans Am. Jetton ran a 5.28 that left him outside the field.

Mat Thomas won the the consolation bracket with a 4.78 best over Baldobino.

First Round Qualifying Results

1 4.84 Steve Gorman
2 4.84 Eddie Roach
3 4.84 Kenny Duke
4 4.91 Alfred Whiteside
5 4.92 Michelle Wilson
6 4.93 Brad Jones
7 4.99 H.T. Wilson
8 5.00 Chad Clark

Alfred Whiteside's Da Dog is ready for battle.

DNQs

9 5.13 Jetty Wright
10 5.23 David Baldwin
11 5.28 Bart Jetton
12 5.32 Mat Thomas
13 5.40 Joe Baldobino
14 5.69 Larry Lobello
15 6.32 Randy Locke

David Baldwin debuted his new 63 Corvette.

The final round of qualifying began under darkness and better track conditions. Steve Gorman was up first in his former Jim Yates Grand Am in the pit lane. Gorman made the first run in the 4.70’s of the night with a 4.79 150.22. H.T. Wilson improved to the number four qualifying spot with a 4.88 144.40, while his opponent Randy Locke was shut off on the line with a leak.

Alfred Whiteside laying down the rubber!

Michele Wilson ran a good 4.83 147 to take the number two spot and bumped her husband to number five. Larry Lobello made the wildest pass of the night next, he was all over his lane and pulled the chute early to run a 5.04 138.21. The run left him on the outside of the field. Ed Roach and Brad Jones were next to run, Roach ran a consistent 4.84 to keep the number three spot. Jones improved to a 4.86 to take the fifth spot bumping H.T. Wilson again to the number six spot.

Randy Locke showed he could burnout too!

Kenny Duke backed up his earlier 4.84 with a 4.85 in his Lumina, and his opponent Mat Thomas ran a 5.58 133. Jetty Wright ran an improved 5.02 solo run but it left him unqualified. Joe Baldobino also ran a solo pass and his 4.98 jumped him to the number nine spot from the fourteenth spot. Baldobino damaged his front end on this pass, but nothing that duct tape could not fix. Eric Clark stayed in the eighth spot but ran a better 4.92 in his Trans Am on a solo.

Steve Gorman was the number one qualifier at Paris.

The next pair was wild to say the least David Baldwin and Alfred Whiteside ran each other again. Baldwin had completed a long burnout and was backing up when Whiteside got totally crossed up on his burnout using Baldwin’s lane and the grass apron to get it straightened up. The pair backed up and lined up with no further problem, Whiteside ran a 4.90 147 to stay in the seventh spot and Baldwin improved with a 5.00 131 shut off run that left him out of the final eight.

Michelle Wilson ran a 4.93 while Locke had problems and shut off to a coasting 6 second run.

Bart Jetton was next but he could not improve on his earlier time with a 5.32. The last person who could bump into the field was Mat Thomas. Thomas was allowed a third run because of a problem with an earlier run. Thomas ran a 5.08 to end up number thirteen.

HT Wilson is staging his Firebird before running a 4.99

Final Qualifying Results

1 4.79 Steve Gorman
2 4.83 Michele Wilson
3 4.84 Eddie Roach
4 4.84 Kenny Duke
5 4.86 Brad Jones
6 4.88 H.T. Wilson
7 4.90 Alfred Whiteside
8 4.92 Chad Clark

Larry Lobello and Brad Jones in the first round of qualifying.

DNQs

9 4.98 Joe Baldobino
10 5.00 David Baldwin
11 5.02 Jetty Wright
12 5.04 Larry Lobello
13 5.08 Mat Thomas
14 5.28 Bart Jetton
15 6.32 Randy Locke

Ed Roach ran a 4.79 in the first round but lost on a holeshot to H.T. Wilson.

The first round began with number one qualifier Steve Gorman taking on the final qualifier Eric Clark. There was a problem when the two racers left before the tree was activated. It was decided that there should be another race between the two. The second pair of the first round had Michele Wilson racing Alfred Whiteside, Wilson won with a good 4.78 to Whiteside close 4.85. H.T. Wilson holeshot Ed Roach in their battle of Firebirds with a winning 4.82 147 to the losing but better 4.79 147 of Roach. In the closest race of the first round Kenny Duke ran a pedaling 4.86 148.65 to beat Jones super close 4.87 142. The rerun of the first pair ended with an upset. Eric Clark better reaction and 4.84 148 run beat Gorman’s better 4.76 151.43 pass.

Kenny Duke ran 4.82 to 4.86 all night and won with killer lights.

Round 1

W 4.84 148.07 Eric Clark
L 4.76 150.43 Steve Gorman
W 4.78 160.46 Michele Wilson
L 4.85 142 Alfred Whiteside
W 4.82 147.49 HT Wilson
L 4.79 147.75 Eddie Roach
W 4.86 148.95 Kenny Duke
L 4.87 142.49 Brad Jones

Eric Clark staging on a 4.92 qualifying run.

To begin the semi-final round Kenny Duke and Eric Clark faced off with one another. Duke left the line first and held on for the win with a winning slightly out of the groove 4.82 152 to Clark’s close 4.82 147. In the battle of the Wilson’s Michelle came out on top this time with a 4.79 to H.T.’s 4.89. The next race was the consolation final of the non-qualifiers that ran under the 5.20 OTS minimum. Of the six that made the minimum, three were able to race. In the finals Mat Thomas won with a good 4.78 150 to beat the foul start of Joe Baldobino.

H.T. Wilson ran a 4.88 here while Locke broke on the line.

Semi-Finals

W 4.82 152.00 Kenny Duke
L 4.82 147.05 Eric Clark
W 4.79 Michele Wilson
L 4.82 HT Wilson

Bart Jetton was unable to get into the field with a 5.28 best this night.

In the final, Kenny Duke would be facing off with Michelle Wilson. Both racers had been consistent in the first two rounds with Wilson running a 4.78 and a 4.79, while Duke had run a 4.85 and 4.86. Wilson had lane choice and took the pit side lane. The pair did their burnouts and backed up together. The pair staged with Duke leaving first once again and parlayed the holeshot to a winning 4.83 148.60 to Wilson’s quicker 4.80 146.59.

The first try of Steve Gorman and Eric Clark racing in the first round, Clark won the second try with a holeshot 4.84 to Gorman's low ET of 4.76.

Finals

W 4.83 148.06 Kenny Duke
L 4.80 146.59 Michelle Wilson

Larry Lobello was on 10.5 W's tonight and he went for the wildest rides of the night on the tricky surface.

Kenny Duke’s win at Paris Drag Strip was his first ever in Outlaw Top Sportsman and first ever win in his drag racing career. Duke gave thanks to his sponsor Brink Racecraft, his crew, Big Ed Prater, and all other supporters. The Outlaw Top Sportsman group plans on coming back to Paris Drag Strip again this year. They were happy with the race as was the track owner Jerry Bob Stephens. For more info about the Outlaw Top Sportsman group go to www.texasoutlawracing.com and for Paris Drag Strip go to www.parisdragstrip.com.

Big Ed Prater staging Kenny Duke in the the semis against Eric Clark.

Consolation Race

Semis
W 4.85 145 Mat Thomas
L 5.09 110 Larry LoBello
W 6.00 79.79 Joe Baldobino

Michelle Wilson adn Kenny Duke waiting to fire before the final round.

Finals

W 4.78 150.69 Mat Thomas
L 6.20 75.98 Joe Baldobino

A very, happy Kenny Duke after his first ever drag racing win!

Danny and Gena White