Red Line Raceway: OTS, June 20, 2009

Text by Danny White ~ Photos by Gena White 

It was a very hot day in Caddo Mills at Red Line Raceway when the Outlaw Top Sportsman pulled into the gates for their race June 20. Track management pushed the first round of qualifying back until dusk allowing the track to cool and rubber to build up on the surface. 

A total of thirteen cars showed to race Saturday following a night of racing at Texas Raceway in Kennedale which Barry Williams won for the second time in a row in the CTS Corvette.  David Baldwin who has been in three straight finals also came to race in Caddo Mills. They were joined by Chuck Poindexter, Chris Dollar, Ed Roach, Kim James, Jim Brinkerhoff, Dewayne Pebworth, Melvin Goss, Eric Clark, Mat Thomas, David Smith, and Randy Rencher.

Mat and Stan Thomas’ team cars both had problems in the pits and was unable to try to qualify. Mat Thomas was going to run the teams tried and true IROC-Z while David Smith was going to drive the team’s sleek Firebird while his own 55 Chevy is being repaired. Chuck Poindexter and Chris Dollar began the first round of qualifying with good runs. Dollar is just returning to driving ran a nice 4.75 150.88 to Chuck Poindexter’s 4.91 145.41 in his blown Beretta.

Eddie Roach  ran 4.82 at whopping 155.28 in the Firebird of Big Ed to cover the 5.18 128.31 of Kim James in his Luv pickup. Jim Brinkerhoff went to the top of the qualifying charts with a great 4.73 147.48 in his Firebird, while Dewayne Pebworth ran 5.01 140.10 in his Vega station wagon.

Melvin Goss and David Baldwin was the closest pair in the first round of qualifying with Goss running a 4.78 146.45 to Baldwin’s slightly better 4.76 143.86. Eric Clark ran a good but under the index 4.66 on a single pass.

Barry Williams also made a single pass that he got crossed up on a 5.25 120.55 to end the round of qualifying. Randy Rencher got to the track just after the first was completed after an all day trash to fix his Money Shot Corvette.

1   4.73 147.48  Jim Brinkerhoff
2   4.75 150.88  Chris Dollar
3   4.76 143.86   David Baldwin
4   4.78 146.45   Melvin Goss
5   4.82 155.28   Eddie Roach
6   4.91  145.90  Chuck Poindexter
7   5.01  140.10  Dewayne Pebworth
8   5.18  128.31  Kim James
9   5.25  120.84  Barry Williams
10 4.66               Eric Clark
11 N/T                Mat Thomas
12 N/T                David Smith
13 N/T                Randy Rencher  

        
Chris Dollar began the second round of qualifying by going to the top of the qualifying charts with a 4.71 151.01, while David Baldwin ran under the index with a 4.68 145.48. The next race was anti climatic as Randy Rencher ran out of fuel after his burnout and Jim Brinkerhoff idled down the track with some issue.

Melvin Goss ran .01 better with a 4.77 147.69 and Chuck Poindexter also improved with a 4.88 146.48. Barry Williams got into the field with a solid 4.78 150.00 pass and Ed Roach also improved from his first pass with a 4.76 141.52. Eric Clark ran a shutoff 4.92 124.72 trying not to run under the 4.70 index. The run put Clark into the field for the time being on the bump.

 Dewayne Pebworth ran well but it was not enough with a 4.98 140.80 pass in his Vega wagon on a solo run. Kim James pedaled early in the run but still ran a 5.04 140.27 in his LUV to land outside the field. Randy Rencher came back to the line to run in his now blown Money Shot Corvette and came up with a 4.78 148.52 to bump Eric Clark. 

    
     
1   4.71 151.01  Chris Dollar
2   4.73 147.48  Jim Brinkerhoff
3   4.76 141.52  Eddie Roach  
4   4.76 143.86   David Baldwin
5   4.77 147.69  Melvin Goss
6   4.78 150.00  Barry Williams
7   4.78 148.52  Randy Rencher
8   4.88 146.48  Chuck Poindexter 
9   4.92 124.72  Eric Clark 
10 5.01 140.10  Dewayne Pebworth
11 5.04 140.27  Kim James 
12 N/T               Mat Thomas
13 N/T               David Smith

In the first pairing of the opening round of eliminations had Melvin Goss winning with a 4.78 147.30 over the .002 breakout of David Baldwin who trailed with a 4.698 144.18. Jim Brinkerhoff ran a great 4.708 149.30 to beat the late leaving 4.82 153.32 of Randy Rencher.

 Ed Roach got to pedal on the big end with a winning 4.79 134.71 to defeat the 5.29 137.23 by the CTS Corvette of Barry Williams who had to pedal early in the run.  Chuck Poindexter tried to cut down the tree and came up with a .380 red handing the win to Chris Dollar who ran 4.74 150.08 for the win, while Chuck ran 4.91 145.82. 

 
Eddie Roach beat John Brinkerhoff to begin the semi finals with a 4.90139.62 to the redlight of Brinkerhoff who was unable to stage the Firebird. In the other paring of the final four a 4.68 148.51 by Melvin Goss beat the redlighting 4.73 150.80 by 2008 OTS champion Chris Dollar. 

 In the finals the pairing would be the number three qualifier Eddie Roach facing number five qualifier Melvin Goss.

 
In the finals Melvin Goss ran a 4.79 144.60 to beat the 4.81 147.85 of the runner-up Eddie Roach. It was hte second win of the year for Goss at Red Line Raceway and his first since recovering from a crash at Witchita Falls.

After his second win of the season at Red Line Raceway Goss said he would like extend special thanks to Kelly Willis and Kevin Burress plus to Red Line Raceway for holding OTS races.