Thomas Wins at Second Straight at Caddo Mills

Text by Danny White ~ Photos by Gena White

OTS points leader H.T. Wilson had a forgettable race with a DNQ due to clutch problems.

The Outlaw Top Sportsman returned to Redline Raceway in Caddo Mills for the third time this year. Thankfully for the racers and fans alike the recent heat wave broke Saturday leaving temps in the 90’s as racing began. A large field of 21 racers turned out to make the enlarged 16 car field and let the fans get an extra round of action. The first round of qualifying began at eight as the sun was setting.

David Baldwin ran 4.80 to qualify, but broke out with a 4.69 in the first round.

The first pair was David Baldwin in his primo new 63 Corvette and Steve Gorman and his Grand Prix. The pair laid down clean runs with Gorman getting there first with a 4.69 and Baldwin trailing with a 4.82. HT Wilson and Alfred Whiteside were next to run down the track. Whiteside laid down a good 4.73, but Wilson had nothing but trouble with his clutch limping to a 7.26.

Ron Curley had an off weekend with 5.02 best and a first round loss.

Michele Wilson and Brad Jones came up next to qualify. The pair laid good side by side passes with Wilson running 4.80 and Jones a 4.81. Nick Williams and Joe Baldobino were the next to try their luck. Williams had the only blown car in the whole field while Baldobino had his big nitrous Beretta. The pair left the line and both encountered problems of their own. Baldobino got here first with a 5.39, while Williams struggled with a 5.59.

Nick Williams ran a 4.97 in qualifying, but broke on that pass, missing the first round.

Scott Randall and his Positive Electric Cavalier and Ron Curley’s vintage post Malibu. Randall killed the index with a 4.54 as Curley’s would not respond and coasted to a 9.31. Regular circuit racer Ed Roach and Glen Ward, making a rare appearance, was next. Roach laid down a smooth 4.73 while Ward fought crossing the center line to a 6.68.

Michelle Wilson had a better race than her husband, losing in the first round with a 4.69 breakout.

Next was the battle of the black cars. Charlie Matthews and his Pool Man Firebird was paired with Jetty Wright ’s 67 Chevy II. Wright had mechanical problems and ran a 5.63 but Matthews had the attention of all when he was all over the track with a scary 5.74. Rick Cates was driving Greg Curley’s loaner Camaro this weekend taking on David Smith in the American Car Imports 55 Chevy of Paul Smith. The 55 Chevy was David Baldwin’s old car. The pair left the line with Cates fighting tire shake running a 5.31 while Smith ran 4.77.

Larry Lobello ran 4.90 and 4.88 in qualifying but his 4.92 came up short in the first round.

Two Camaros were next to run. Mat Thomas in the Nitrous Express Camaro and Larry Lobello and the Lobello Racing 81 Camaro. Thomas ran a smooth 4.74 and Lobello was close with a 4.90. OTS newcomer Jim Brookshire was next to run against last weeks winner Kenny Duke. Duke ran a 4.78 and Brookshire ran his best ever of 4.99. Brookshire had problems stopping his Corvette spinning the car out and casing major body damage.

Jetty Wright had problems in qualifying and was a DNQ.

The last car to run was the Clarks Bros. Paint & Body Trans Am with Eric Clark at the wheel. Clark got himself in the field with a 4.80 run to end the run.

Kenny Duke made his second final in a row at Redline Raceway. Duke added Polo Machinery Sales as a sponsor.

FIRST ROUND QUALIFYING ORDER

1 Alfred Whiteside 4.73
2 Ed Roach 4.73
3 Mat Thomas 4.74
4 David Smith 4.77
5 Kenny Duke 4.78
6 Michele Wilson 4.80
7 Eric Clark 4.80
8 Brad Jones 4.81
9 David Baldwin 4.82
10 Larry Lobello 4.90
11 Jim Brookshire 4.99
12 Rickey Cates 5.31
13 Joe Baldobino 5.39
14 Nick Williams 5.53
15 Jetty Wright 5.69
16 Charlie Matthews 5.74

DNQs

17 Glen Ward 6.68
18 HT Wilson 7.26
19 Ron Curley 9.31
20 Steve Gorman 4.69
21 Scott Randall 4.54

Ricky Cates drove Greg Curley's Camaro this weekend. He lost in the first round.

The final qualifying round began with Mat Thomas and Brad Jones. Brad Jones and the Young Racing Neon got their first with a 4.77 but Thomas ran a 4.76. The run moved Jones up for the meantime and keep Thomas in place . Steve Gorman and David Baldwin was next to run. Gorman shut off early and still ran a 4.69 leaving him outside the field. Baldwin ran a 4.69 also that did not improve his qualifying spot.

Jim Brookshire was running his first OTS race. Jim ran his first four, but crashed his Vette in the shutdown area.

Kenny Duke and David Smith came out next to run. The two ran identical 4.76’s each improving on their first round runs. Scott Randall and Charlie Matthews were the two to come next. Matthews was shut off before staging , Randall ran to quick again with a 4.58 even tough he shut off early. Joe Baldobino and Ron Curley were looking to improve their first round runs. Baldobino ran a 4.75 to Curley’s 5.02.

Ed Roach is caught purging the nitrous!

Larry Lobello and Jetty Wright was the next pair. Lobello ran .02 faster than his first run while Wright had problems again and only ran 5.59. Wright later came back to run 5.02 on a test pass. Alfred Whiteside and the Da Dog raced Nick Williams blown small block in the next pair. Whiteside ran under to the index with a 4.65 and Williams ran a good 4.97 in the yellow Camaro.

Steve Gorman was a surprise DNQ when his back to back too quick 4.69s left him out of the field.

Michele Wilson ran 4.69 next on a solo run leaving her earlier 4.80 as her qualifying run. Ed Roach and Eric Clark battled each other in their Pontiacs. Roach ran 4.71 to get the number one spot while Clark’s 4.77 got him the number seven spot. Glen Ward was able to improve his first qualifying pass with a good 4.97 in his Olds Cutlass. H.T. Wilson, the OTS points leader, shut off with an 8.22 leaving him outside of the field.

Scott Randall ran 4.54 and 4.58 but that was way too quuick to qualify.

Charlie Mathews was now on the outside of the field and the last to have a chance to get into the field. Matthews suffered problems ran shut-off 6 second pass. The run left him out of the field and ended qualifying for the night. The first round pairings was Thomas vs. Brookshire, Clark vs. Baldwin, Lobello vs. Smith, Michelle Wilson vs. Jones, Duke vs. Williams, Baldobino vs. Ward, Curley vs. Whiteside, and Roach vs. Cates.

Charlie Matthews had handling problems in his Pool Man Firebird.

FINAL QUALIFYING ORDER

1 Eddie Roach 4.71 149.95
2 Alfred Whiteside 4.73 150.25
3 Mat Thomas 4.74 147.98
4 Joe Baldobino 4.75 150.60
5 Kenny Duke 4.76 148.66
6 David Smith 4.76 148.32
7 Eric Clark 4.77 150.25
8 Brad Jones 4.77 146.25
9 Michelle Wilson 4.80 147.20
10 David Baldwin 4.82 138.93
11 Larry Lobello 4.88 148.17
12 Nick Williams 4.97 141.02
13 Glen Ward 4.98 139.75
14 Jim Brookshire 4.99 143.72
15 Ron Curley 5.02 140.80
16 Ricky Cate 5.31 133.69

DNQs

17 Jetty Wright 5.63 125.07
18 Charlie Matthews 5.74 91.65
19 HT Wilson 7.26 65.96
20 Steve Gorman 4.69 152.80
21 Scott Randall 4.58 142.90

Mat Thomas ran between 4.72 and 4.75 all night long plus cut a perfect light in a good win.

Mat Thomas began the round with a bye run when Jim Brookshire could not return. Thomas cut a perfect light and ran 4.72. Eric Clark and David Baldwin raced next both laid down long burnouts. Clark got a slight holeshot running a winning 4.74 to Baldwin’s pedaling 4.69 breakout pass.

Joe Baldobino ran a 4.75 best and earned a second round finsh.

David Smith got a big holeshot on Larry Lobello and ran a winning 4.72 to advance to the second round. Lobello got crossed up on the top end pulling the chute to calm the car down to a 4.92. Brad Jones got five hundredths out of the hole on Michelle Wilson. That forced Wilson to breakout with a 4.69 while Jones ran 4.76 to win.

David Smith in the former David Baldwin 55 Chevy made it to the second round with a 4.72 best.

Kenny Duke got a bye run next when Nick Williams blown small block broke. Duke ran a 4.74 at a whopping 156.25 to go to the second round. Joe Baldobino won the next pairing with a 4.74 to Glen Ward losing 5.01.

The burnout king, Alfred Whiteside, was the number two qualifier and made it to the semi finals.

Alfred Whiteside, a recent winner at Kennedale, beat Ron Curley next in the first round. Whiteside won with a 4.74 to Curley’s shut off 5.64. Ed Roach and Ricky Cates were the final pair to finish the first round of racing. Ed Roach ran a shut off 4.73 to Cates coasting 8.11.

Eric Clark lost to Whiteside in the second round on red light start.

FIRST ROUND

Eddie Roach 4.73 137.03  (RT .460)
Ricky Cates 8.11 59.90  (RT .591)

Brad Jones 4 .76 145.96 (RT .429)
Michelle Wilson 4.69 149.80 (RT .485)

Joe Baldobino 4.74 147.25 (RT .538)
Glen Ward 5.01 139.97 (RT .499)

Kenny Duke 4.74 156.25 (RT .436)
Nick Williams broke

Alfred Whiteside 4.75 137.07 (RT .495)
Ron Curley 5.64 124.41 (RT .493)

Eric Clark 4.74 at 150.45 (RT .435)
David Baldwin 4.69 at 140.58 (RT .446)

Mat Thomas 4.72 at 148.22 (RT .401)
Jim Brookshire broke

David Smith 4.72 149.30 (RT .495)
Larry Lobello 4.92 136.78 (RT .650)

Brad Jones in the killer small block Neon of Bernie Young was a second round finsher.

David Smith and Mat Thomas began the second round of racing. The race was anti-climatic when Smith red lighted the win away to Thomas. The pair ran 4.75’s side by side to wow the crowd none the less. Another red light decided the next round of racing as Eric Clark went red on a 4.74 to hand the win to Alfred Whiteside. Whiteside ran a good 4.77 for the win.

Ed Roach won the $200 Hans Fuestal Racing Engines bonus wtih his 4.70 win over Brad Jones.

Kenny Duke won the next race over Joe Baldobino. Duke ran a good 4.74 to Baldobino pedaling 4.88 when he got crossed up in some pre-existing oil on the track. Ed Roach won the $200 Hans Fuestal Racing Engines bonus for a 4.70 winning run next. Roach’s 4.70 beat Brad Jones and his 4.75.

Kenny Duke lost in the final when his tireshaking 4.79 fell to Thomas' 4.74.

SECOND ROUND

Eddie Roach 4.70 157.18 (RT .457)
Brad Jones 4.75 146.15 (RT .415)

Kenny Duke 4.75 156.41 (RT .408)
Joe Baldobino 4.88 147.40 (RT .433)

Alfred Whiteside 4.77 132.55 (RT .458)
Eric Clark 4.74 151.21 (RT .394)*red

Mat Thomas 4.753 145.26 (RT .437)
David Smith 4.752 147.88 (RT .380)*red

Kenny Duke and his crew.

The semi finals began with lighting in the distance and getting closer. The first pair of the semis began with Mat Thomas beating Alfred Whiteside. Mat Thomas won with a good 4.72 to Whiteside red lighting 4.81. The last pair of the semis was the battle of Red Oak, Texas. Duke cut another killer light to beat Roach 4.73 to 4.72.
 
SEMI FINAL ROUND

Kenny Duke 4.73 149.40 (RT .404)
Eddie Roach 4.72 156.90 (RT .427)

Mat Thomas 4.72 148.42 (RT .431)
Alfred Whiteside 4.81 137.61 (RT .128)*red

Mat Thomas is very happy in this shot after his win at Redline Raceway.

It was well pass one in the morning as the final was raced. It was a battle to see who could make two in a row. Thomas was going two in a row at Caddo Mills and Duke was going for two weeks in a row. Duke again cut a killer light but had tire shake on the run that allowed Thomas to drive around to win with a 4.74 to Duke’s 4.79

FINAL ROUND

Mat Thomas 4.74 140.45 (RT .432)
Kenny Duke 4.79 156.09 (RT .413)

The win moved Mat Thomas closer to H.T Wilson in the points race . Thomas wanted to thank his sponsors Nitrous Express, Al Weiss and The Auto Shop, RPMperf.com, and the family business S&T Water Jet. The Outlaw Top Sportsman put on a great show at Redline Raceway. The next OTS race is at Abilene Dragway for more info go to www.outlawtexasracing.com. Thanks go to Redline Raceway (www.redlineraceway.com) for the great race.