Riesterer Wins First TOPMA Race!

Text and Photos by Danny and Gena White

Chuck Poindexter's "XS-LUV" ran 4.88 on this run, earning him the number one spot.

The Pro Mods made their return to Caddo Mills Saturday night for the continuing battle of the Texas Outlaw Pro Mod Association series. The weather was typical Texas weather for late August: hot, humid, and miserable. The track prep by Jerry Lee Goss and his crew at Redline Raceway was second to none, but the hot weather made it hard for racers to navigate the Redline surface. It was feast or famine, with either good numbers popping up on the board or racers dealing with tire shake.

Chris Brown had tire shake problems in qualifying, leaving him out of the field at number 11. He later ran a 4.28 test run.

One racer who tamed the track and the conditions was Doug Riesterer. Riesterer made the long tow from Victoria, Texas to race with the TOPMA gang. Doug’s new car was amazing, winning in only its third race out. Doug became the first TOPMA racer to run a 4.0 pass on nitrous with his new homebuilt 68 Camaro. Riesterer did that feat not once, but twice with a 4.09 and a 4.05. The crowd went wild on these runs to celebrate the amazing feat.

Chuck Nuytten had tire shake and could only run 5.25.

Twelve cars showed for the first round of qualifying at eight o’clock. Eight blown cars and four nitrous cars vied for a spot in the elite eight car field. Most thought the bump would be tough, but the weather had other ideas.

Keith Ferris' burnouts were brutal!

The first round of qualifying began the battle of the two Chucks with Chuck Poindexter’s Luv taking on Chuck Nuytten’s nitrous Corvette. The wind was blowing hard and as clouds rolled in, the racers staged. Nuytten spun off the line and got crossed up to run a 5.23 at 145.32, while Poindexter motored by with a 4.88, 144.18 pass.

Keith Farris staging against Gaylen Smith. Farris ran 4.41 to Smith's 4.59.

Gaylen Smith was next up against Keith Ferris. Smith was fresh off a win at Kennedale two weeks ago. Ferris took this one in his blown Trans Am with a 4.41, 164.89 over Smith’s pedaling 4.59, 124.31.

"Wild Wild Wes" Johnston was out next to run against Chris Smith. Johnston made his first ever TOPMA final at Abilene two weeks ago. Chris Smith has a couple of wins with his family’s hitter Camaro. Johnston got there first with an out of shape 4.96 to Smith's equally out of shape 5.59.

Heath Harvey broke a rocker arm keeper on this burnout.

Two nitrous cars were next. Heath Harvey broke a rocker arm keeper and had to shut off, while Doug Riesterer fishtailed to a 4.33 at 152.86 in the spectator lane. Thomas Myers made a solo in his new 63 Corvette purchased from Dennis Radford. Despite a nitrous leak, Myers ran a seeming effortless 4.20 at 172.41.

Thomas Myers backs up the new Vette he just bought from Dennis Radford.

Bobby Booth, the winner of the last Pro Mod race at Caddo Mills, ran a pedaling 4.25 at 168.17 to outrun Frankie Taylor’s even more out of shape 4.97 113.60 in the family’s Vette. Both teams have had problems with new parts recently and are getting back on track.

Chris Smith ran 5.01 on this run. He later came back to run 4.28 on a time trial.

The final team to run the first round was the Twisted Lemon of Mike Calanga with Jeremy Brown driving. Brown left the line hard then went into severe tire shake forcing him to shut off with a 5.25 at 96.78. Heath Harvey returned for a test run and pedaled the car to a 4.49.

TOPMA's quickest and fastest nitrous racers!

First Round Qualifying Order

1 4.20 Myers

2 4.25 Booth

3 4.33 Riesterer

4 4.41 Ferris

5 4.59 Smith, G

6 4.87 Taylor

7 4.88 Poindexter

8 4.96 Johnston

9 5.23 Nuytten

10 5.25 Brown

11 5.59 Smith

12 N/T Harvey

TOPMA points leader "The Mad Man" up close and personal!

The second round began with Gaylen Smith and Wes Johnston. Gaylen was number five and Johnston was on the bump. "Wild Wild Wes" was unable to get the car into reverse after his burnout. Smith had to wait for Johnston to clear the track to run a shaking shut off run of 4.86 at 105.46. The number nine and eleven qualifiers were next to try to bump into the field. Chris Smith ran a shake prone 5.01, 159.01 in the pit lane, while Nuytten shook at the hit of the throttle and ran 7.03 at 79.13. The runs left both racers out of the field, Smith in the number nine spot and Nuytten at number ten.

Jeremy Brown ran 4.35 on this run to get the fourth spot, but threw a rod in Sluggo!

Thomas Myers backed up his earlier run with a 4.21 at 172.41 to stay number one, while Doug Riesterer had problems and could only run a 6.41, 72.62 to stay number three. Keith Ferris ran another 4.41 to stay number four in the field. Frankie Taylor had to shut off with a 5.73 at 89.31, leaving him number six.

Heath Harvey added Harvey Reality as sponsor and qualified with a last ditch, pedaling 4.81.

Bobby Booth had problems on his run and shut off to a 4.74 at 116.41. Jeremy Brown bumped into the fourth spot with a 4.35 at 137.11, kicking out a rod on the run. Brown bumped Wes Johnston out of the field for the night. The final car to run was Heath Harvey, who came into the second qualifying session number twelve in the field. Harvey got crossed up off the line and got close to wall, but he saved the run and went 4.81 at 155.95. That bumped Chuck Poindexter out of the field, and Chuck did not run the second session. But fate stepped in…

Chuck Poindexter broke on the burnout in the first round after getting in as the first alternate.

Jeremy Brown was done for the night, putting Chuck Poindexter back into the field. Myers would face Taylor, Booth would face Harvey, Riesterer would face Gaylen Smith, and Poindexter would race Farris.

Wes Johnston getting ready to burn out in the first round of qualiying where ran a troubled 4.96. Wes broke on the second pass, leaving him a DNQ.

Final Qualifying Order

1 4.20 Myers

2 4.25 Booth

3 4.33 Riesterer

4 4.35 Brown

5 4.41 Farris

6 4.57 Smith, G

7 4.81 Harvey

8 4.87 Taylor

9 4.88 Poindexter

10 4.96 Johnston

11 5.01 Smith, C

12 5.25 Nuytten

Doug Riesterer became the first TOPMA racer to run a 4.0 second time -- this crowd pleasing 4.09.

Keith Farris started off the first round with a 4.56 at 156.30 to defeat Chuck Poindexter. Chuck broke on the burnout and had to shut off. Doug Riesterer put out Gaylen Smith next with an amazing 4.09, 178.09 to Smith’s fishtailing and otherwise great 4.27 at 168. Riesterer’s run was the fastest run ever in TOPMA by a nitrous car.

Bobby Booth staging against Heath Harvey, Heath cut a .3997 redlite to give the win to Booth, who ran 4.20 to Heath's 4.35.

Booby Booth got back on track with a 4.20, 171.49 win over Heath Harvey, who redlighted away his best run of the night, a 4.35 at 165.32. Harvey redlighted by only .0007 seconds! Frankie Taylor ran an improving 4.56 at 140.05 to beat Myers, who idled down the track with a 20.05 second shutoff after a slight goof on the starting line while getting used to his new car.

Thomas Myers' burns out in his new Corvette.

First Round

W 4.56 156.30 Farris

L Broke Poindexter

W 4.09 178.09 Riesterer

L 4.27 168 Smith, G

W 4.20 171.49 Booth

L 4.35 165.32 Harvey (Foul)

W 4.56 140.05 Taylor

L 20.05. 16.65 Myers

Myers ran 4.20 and 4.21 in qualifying, but forgot to turn on the bottles in the first round.

The semi finals began with Frankie Taylor getting a win over Keith Farris. Taylor could only run a 5.23 at 130.81, but Farris shut off after leaving the line, running 11.75 at 39.75. Luck was with Frankie so far -- he managed to stay qualified and had two races where his competition ran double-digit numbers!

The Mad Man burns out again! Frankie Taylor made it to the finals with a 4.56 best.

The race of the night was next. Doug Riesterer ran an outstanding, awe-inspiring 4.05, 180.81 to drive around Booby Booth’s 4.18 at 173.71. The crowd went wild over the race between the night’s fastest cars. Riesterer had smoke trailing the car in the shut down area. Thankfully, the oil left by the Camaro was only blow-by.

Taylor won his semi final race when Keith Farris shook right off the line.

Semi Finals

W 4.05 180.81 Riesterer

L 4.18 173.21 Booth

W 5.23 130.81 Taylor

L 11.75 39.75 Farris

In the race of the night, Riesterer ran 4.05 to beat Booth's 4.18!

The finals pitted Doug Riesterer against Frankie Taylor. This was only the third race for Riesterer’s new Camaro and Taylor was struggling with his PSI blower combo. That left Doug the heavy favorite in the finals. The race was anticlimactic when Frankie red lighted away a 4.96 at 106.10, and Riesterer shut off to win with a 4.98 at 101.97.

The final round had Doug Riesterer winning when Frankie Taylor redlighted.

Finals

W 4.98 101.97 Riesterer

L 4.96 106.80 Taylor

Doug Riesterer and his crew in the Winner's Circle.

This was Doug Riesterer’s first ever TOPMA win and he ran the quickest nitrous run in TOPMA history with a 4.05. The win was a great vindication for Doug because it came at the place where he had two accidents with his previous car. Riesterer thanked his crew Eric Curtiss and Mike Willis, and also mentioned thanks to his sponsors, Santruff Struts and Chuck Fisher Auto Sales in Victoria, Texas.

Frankie Taylor maintained his TOPMA points lead with his runner up finish.

Others racers had many compliments for the Redline Raceway staff, who provided great facilities and hospitality, including ice cold water and cold wet towels to cool them off at the end of the track! For more info about the track go to www.redlineraceway.com and go to www.texasoutlawracing to learn more about the Texas Outlaw Pro Mods.