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Tom Slick Wins at Redline
Text by Danny White
Photos by Gena & Danny White
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| Chuck Nuytten went out in the first round, but was pleased with a good 4.39. |
The popular Texas Outlaw Pro Mod Association returned to Redline Raceway for the first time in 2007. Thomas Myers came out on top in the continuing blowers vs. nitrous battle in his Tom Slick nitrous Corvette. Due to breakage, cars not being ready, and competing races, the car count was kept down to ten. Even though there were only ten cars, the field was not weak by any means. The large crowd on hand enjoyed the great TOPMA show.
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| Doug Riesterer ran low ET and top speed of the race with a 4.04, 180 pass. |
The first round of qualifying began with Chuck Poindexter taking on Ed Roach. Both racers have made it to the finals of Outlaw Top Sportsman this year. Poindexter red lighted, but ran a 4.80, 149.95 in his wild blown Luv. Roach ran a 4.77, 141.60 in his Firebird to take the number one spot. The next racers out were Ken Thomas and Steve Wiley in their blown machines. Thomas took the number one spot away in the blown Bad Bird with a 4.25, 170.39. Steve Wiley ran a solid 4.31, 167.22 in his first time down Redline Raceway in the Texas Grim Reaper Camaro. The run put Wiley in the number two spot behind Thomas.
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| Frankie Taylor had an off night, running only a 4.40 best and breaking a blower belt in the first round. |
Local racer Chuck Nuytten took on Thomas Myers in the battle of nitrous 63 Corvettes. Myers ran a 4.38 in a cloud of smoke at the finish line, while Nuytten got crossed up and shut off with a 5.93, 123.37. Myers’ smoke was due to a bent slider in the 4-link wishbone not letting the suspension work properly. The 4.38 run put Slick into the fourth spot. Longtime racers Frankie Taylor and Gaylen Smith faced off next. Taylor got crossed up at mid-track but still ran a 4.40, 166.59 to Smith's tire smoking 7.25, 61.12. Taylor landed in the fifth spot while Smith was number eight.
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| Chuck Poindexter ran 4.80 in the XS Luv for the second alternate spot. |
The final pair of the first round featured Doug Riesterer's amazing nitrous Camaro against Bud Morgan in Francisco Ayala's Outlaw 10.5 69 Camaro. Riesterer got a little crossed up, running a 4.248, 164.84, but that was good enough to take the number one spot away from Thomas. Morgan ran a good 4.79, 155.82 in the Spanish Fly Camaro. These runs left Chuck Nuytten and Gaylen Smith on the outside. The first round qualifying order follows.
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| Steve Wiley reached the semis in the Texas Grim Reaper Camaro. |
1 4.24 Doug Riesterer
2 4.25 Ken Thomas
3 4.31 Steve Wiley
4 4.38 Thomas Myers
5 4.40 Frankie Taylor
6 4.77 Ed Roach
7 4.79 Bud Morgan
8 4.80 Chuck Poindexter
9 5.93 Chuck Nuytten
10 7.25 Gaylen Smith
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| Gaylen Smith heats the hides in the Texas Bounty Hunter. |
In the second qualifying session, Chuck Poindexter and Ed Roach ran each other again with Roach getting there first with a 4.78, 147.20 to Poindexter's 4.81, 144.05. Neither racer improved his qualifying spot. Ken Thomas took the number one spot back from Riesterer with a 4.20, 172.88 in the Bad Bird. Chuck Nuytten got in the field with a 4.53, 163.46 against Thomas, which bumped Poindexter out of the field.
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| Ed Roach leaving the line hard en route to the 4.77 that landed him the number eight spot. |
Steve Wiley ran a 4.15, 172.94 against Bud Morgan who shut off on a wild crossed up 9.19, 58.60 run. The run by Wiley bumped Thomas from the top spot once again. The last pair to run the second round of qualifying was Doug Riesterer and Gaylen Smith. Riesterer ran low ET and top speed of the night, and grabbed the top spot with an amazing 4.04, 180.24. Smith carried the front wheels way down the track and was all crossed until he pulled the chutes early to a 4.48, 132.88. The 4.48 by Smith got him into the field while Bud Morgan's earlier 4.79 landed him on the outside. The final field was set as follows.
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| Ken Thomas does a hard burnout in the Bad Bird. |
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| Doug Riesterer takes to the track on an early test run. |
1 4.04 Doug Riesterer
2 4.15 Steve Wiley
3 4.31 Ken Thomas
4 4.38 Thomas Myers
5 4.40 Frankie Taylor
6 4.48 Gaylen Smith
7 4.53 Chuck Nuytten
8 4.77 Ed Roach
9 4.79 Bud Morgan
10 4.80 Chuck Poindexter
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| Bud Morgan was the first alternate in the Spanish Fly Outlaw 10.5 Camaro. |
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| Ken Thomas' return to a blown combo paid off with 4.20s and a runner up finish. |
The first pair out for first round of racing was Thomas Myers and Frankie Taylor, the fourth and fifth qualifiers. Both racers sat out the second round of qualifying due to various problems. The race was over at the hit of the throttle. Taylor's belt broke and his 19.04, 17.30 fell to Myers' 4.13, 175.82. Steve Wiley beat Chuck Nuytten next with a 4.19, 172.54 to Nuytten's 4.39, 168.73. Nuytten might have lost, but he was happy with the run, which was the best effort since his accident a couple of years ago.
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| Gaylen Smith had the wildest run in qualifying with a wheels up 4.48, saved only by an early chute. |
Ken Thomas beat Gaylen Smith next with a 4.26, 167.04 to 5.53, 86.47. Smith was in the ex Alan Pittman Willys, while Thomas had Pittman's old engine! Doug Riesterer beat Ed Roach in the final pair of the first round. Riesterer ran a 4.13, 175.21 to beat Roach's 4.82, 143.72.
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| Thomas Myers stages while track manager Jerry Goss looks on. |
The shocker of the night took place in the first pairing of the semifinals. The two quickest cars on the grounds faced off with Riesterer taking on Myers. Riesterer red lighted away a 4.07, 179.21, while Myers shut off to a winning 8.01, 54.57. Ken Thomas then beat Steve Wiley to reach the finals. Thomas ran a 4.24, 169.89 to beat Wiley's shut off 5.06, 109.54.
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| Thomas Myers had a stuck purge valve in the finals, but still ran a 4.16! |
In the finals of the first TOPMA race of the year at Redline were Ken Thomas and Thomas Myers. Thomas was in his first final since returning to racing with the blown Alan Johnson combo in his rebuilt Firebird. He would be facing Myers, who was in his third final of year already. The final was the best race of the night; as Myers took the win over Thomas with a 4.16, 175.21 to a 4.21, 168.22. Thomas Myers won the race even though he had a stuck nitrous purge valve on the starting line. Ken Thomas had a clutch go away on him on the run, allowing Myers pass him on the big end.
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| Thomas Myers and crew was all smiles in Victory Lane! |
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| Ken Thomas and the Thomas Motorsports crew were very happy in victory lane. |
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