7.0 FINAL

Nov 13, 06 | 11:15 am

The 7.0 index title went to Jerry Cline (far lane) of Mooresville, NC, after he went 7.019/96.74 against Owen Teague, who broke out with a 6.867 with his Camaro in the final round. (Ian tocher photo)

6.0 FINAL

Nov 13, 06 | 11:00 am

Jeremy Martorella came all the way up from Palm Beach, FL, and with a single effort in the last-chance qualifying session on Saturday, ran a 6.035 to start 6th in the 6.0 index class. Martorella then advanced to the final against another late arrival, Heath Daniel in a '48 Anglia, and went a near-perfect 6.001 at 114.16, while Daniel broke out with a 5.989-seconds pass. (Ian Tocher photo)

5.30 FINAL

Nov 13, 06 | 10:53 am

Eddie Smith Jr. (near lane), an IHRA Top Sportsman regular with his '68 Camaro, won the 5.30 index class by beating Chris "Do Do" Brown and his second-gen Camaro in the final round. Smith overcame a .014 starting-line advantage by Brown, then went 5.306 at 132.08 to better Brown's 5.337 at 134.64 mph. "This was my first time trying this class and the hardest part was getting it slowed down enough to run the number," Smith said. "It was just like the old bracket days, watching the guy beside you and trying to match his speed. I had a great time here." (Ian Tocher photo)

REAL STREET FINAL

Nov 13, 06 | 10:48 am

Top honors in the SSCA Real Street race went to Marion, NC's Kevin Dalton (far lane), who reached the final against Jimmy Boyd after starting from the number-one slot. Dalton got away first with a .014 holeshot, then posted a 5.452/13621 pass to beat the 5.512/129.18 put together by Boyd. (Ian Tocher photo)

LIMITED STREET FINAL

Nov 13, 06 | 10:42 am

Eric Dillard (far lane), out of the ProLine Racing stable in Woodstock, GA, overcame a starting-line advantage by number-one qualifier Darrin Hoyle to win the SSCA Limited Street final at Piedmont. Dillard went 5.135 at 155.84 mph in his turbocharged Mustang, while Hoyle's Camaro had problems down track and slowed to a 5.223/148.61 combination. (Ian Tocher photo)

BIG DAWG PRO OUTLAW 10.5 SHOOTOUT FINAL

Nov 11, 06 | 9:11 pm

With the hardware between them, Tony Johnson (left) and Marcus Birt launch in the inaugural Big Dawg Pro Outlaw 10.5 Shootout final. (Ian Tocher photo)

W Marcus Birt .110/4.519/164.89
Tony Johnson .114/10.539/46.00
Johnson barely moved off the line. He said later that he knew there was soimething wrong after the burnout and thought the quick turnarounds between rounds heated up his transmission and damaged it before the final. Birt takes the $25,000 win for Tindle Racing.

OUTLAW 10.5 SEMI-FINALS

Nov 11, 06 | 8:22 pm

W Tony Johnson .012/4.563/165.59
Mike Hill .023/4.581/161.40
MOV = .0295

W Marcus Birt .035/4.546/163.87
Chuck Ulsch .060/4.528/164.59
MOV = .0073

OUTLAW 10.5 ROUND 3 ELIMINATIONS (RT/ET/Speed)

Nov 11, 06 | 7:41 pm

Fresh off big wins at Englishtown and Orlando, Chuck Ulsch (near lane) is a picture of consistency as he goes after the three-peat at Piedmont Dragway. (Ian Tocher photo)

W Marcus Birt .030/4.560/164.05
Joe Newsham .027/4.674/159.20

W Mike Hill .057/4.536/162.74
Pat Wheatley .058/5.620/109.74

W Tony Johnson .012/4.539/164.98
Richard Sexton .017/4.620/161.98

W Chuck Ulsch .029/4.512/165.22
Michael Robinson .041/4.549/162.63

OUTLAW 10.5 ROUND 2 ELIMINATIONS (RT/ET/Speed)

Nov 11, 06 | 6:44 pm

Marcus "The Axeman" Birt (near lane) lived up to his name with one of the biggest upsets of the weekend when he treed Number-two qualifier Steve Kirk in round two of Outlaw 10.5 action. (Ian Tocher photo)

W Mike Hill .035/4.509/163.51
David Sheppard .098/4.658/157.37

W Joe Newsham .011/4.615/160.25
David Hance Redlight (-.035)

W Pat Wheatley .019/4.674/157.06
Tim Lynch .053/5.126/112.68
Lynch veered left almost immediately off the launch and had to lift before hitting the left wall.

W Chuck Ulsch .044/5.033/157.83
Ken Rainwater .020/Broke
Ulsch also veered left and nearly hit left wall, while Rainwater broke on the line when his throttle cable broke.

W Tony Johnson .008/4.608/161.63
Bobby Cole Broke

W Marcus Birt .031/4.580/163.28
Steve Kirk .074/4.553/167.13

W Michael Robinson -.003/4.947/142.26
Brad Brand -.025/4.617/170.39

W Richard Sexton .000/6.062/86.76
Jack Barfield Redlight (-.002)

OUTLAW 10.5 ROUND 1 ELIMINATIONS

Nov 11, 06 | 5:05 pm

Bobby Cole defeats Stacy McIntyre
Marcus Birt defeats Joe Nichols
David Hance defeats Darrell Morgan
Ken Rainwater defeats Rob Hale
Joe Newsham defeats El Bernardo
Chuck Ulsch defeats Craig Miller
David Sheppard defeats Mike DeMartino
Pat Wheatley (shown) defeats Chris Butler
Richard Sexton BYE
Jack Barfield defeats Greg Chandler
Tim Lynch defeats Terris Hicks
Michael Robinson defeats Kurt Raleigh
Mike Hill BYE
Brad Brand BYE
Steve Kirk BYE
Tony Johnson BYE

OUTLAW 10.5 FINAL QUALIFYING ORDER

Nov 11, 06 | 2:51 pm

The top 10 qualifiers in Outlaw 10.5 each received a custom leather jacket courtesy of Flowmaster. Tony Johnson (left) also received a trophy to recognize his top qualifying 4.436-seconds pass. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Tony Johnson (South) 4.436/No speed
2. Steve Kirk (S) 4.494/167.06
3. Chuck Ulsch (North) 4.505/164.05
4. Mike Hill (S) 4.514/162.19
5. Tim Lynch (S) 4.539/172.14
6. Michael Robinson (S) 4.539/162.89
7. Joe Newsham (N) 4.547/171.59
8. Richard Sexton (N) 4.554/162.07
9. Jack Barfield (S) 4.562/163.10
10. David Hance (N) 4.568/165.80
11. Brad Brand (S) 4.578/169.33
12. Pat Wheatley (S) 4.600/161.29
13. David Sheppard (S) (shown) 4.600/160.08
14. Ken Rainwater (S) 4.613/162.86
15. Marcus Birt (S) 4.615/161.95
16. Stacy McIntyre (S) 4.639/159.15
17. Bobby Cole (S) 4.656/156.63
18. Joe Nichols (N) 4.657/157.12
19. Rob Hale (S) 4.683/157.50
20. Mike DeMartino (N) 4.721/164.23
21. Chris Butler (N) 4.724/155.68
22. Scott Hartley (S) 4.733/150.40
23. Darrell Morgan (S) 4.757/163.25
24. Greg Chandler (N) 4.778/160.25
25. Mo Hall (N) 4.862/135.03
26. El Bernardo 4.906/151.64
27. Kurt Raleigh (S) 4.982/143.56
28. Terris Hicks Sr. (N) 5.105/140.73
29. Geneva Williams (N) 5.128/141.95
30. Craig Miller 5.249/136.69
31. Alan Mullins (N) 7.347/63.39

IT'S OFFICIAL -- IT'S A TIE!

Nov 11, 06 | 11:04 am

Team North captain Gill Mobley (left) and Team South skipper Steve Kirk finally agreed to declare a tie in the inaugural North vs. South Shootout at Piedmont Dragway. "We'll be getting a second trophy made so both teams can take one home," Kirk said. "It's the only way to be fair. Besides, this way we can all look forward to next year and finally settling this thing."

Perseverance Award

Nov 11, 06 | 10:52 am

Regardless of the outcome of their on-track efforts, father-and-son team Craig (left) and Bobby Miller deserve some sort of award just for what they went through to race on Saturday. Arriving at Piedmont Dragway from Savannah, GA, just in time for Thursday's last Outlaw 10.5 qualifying session, when they cranked the engine in their 1992 Camaro a lifter broke and part of it wedged between the camshaft and block. With the cam seized, but the crankshaft still turning, the timing gear was stripped and it looked like they were finished before even getting started. However, a quick call to engine builder Taylor Laster resulted in the Millers loading up their rig and making the 300-plus mile tow to Lastor's shop in Knoxville, TN. Lastor quickly pulled the motor and rebuilt it, with the car refiring Friday night at about 7 p.m. Another late-night haul ensued and they arrived tired, but ready to race Saturday morning. "The things people will do to drag race," Bobby said. "It's crazy."

ALL TIED UP!

Nov 11, 06 | 2:26 am

North team member Chuck Ulsch (left lane), fresh off a win at the Orlando World Street Nationals in Gil Mobley's 2002 Camaro, has been the picture of consistency at Piedmont. Meanwhile, Jack Barfield of the South team struggled early with breakage, but ran well enough to break into the top 10 in qualifying. (Ian Tocher photo)

After two rounds of the North vs. South Outlaw 10.5 Challenge in which the top-10 qualifiers from each team were paired against each other, it’s a 10-10 tie. It looked like it was all over early after the South took the first round with an 8-2 score, but incredibly the North came roaring back and reversed the tally in the last round of the day.
The race-within-a-race didn’t go off without controversy, though, as Marcus Birt swapped lanes from left to right in the opening challenge session after North team member Mo Hall was unable to answer the call, then South racer Bobby Cole was unable to make a pass despite being on a solo after Terris Hicks broke. Eventually the decision was reached to allow the South to keep Birt’s “win,” but Hicks was awarded the round for the North to keep things fair. Significantly, most wins for both teams came from the left lane, though both had a couple of members make good runs in the right.
Unfortunately, no provision had been made to settle a tie, so as Friday’s action concluded the tie breaker was yet to be determined. North team leader Gil Mobley suggested the eventual race winner’s regional affiliation should determine the team title, or the top qualifiers from each team should pair off for a winner-take-all round in the final qualifying session on Saturday morning. Alternatively, race promoter and South team leader Steve Kirk favored including more cars and teams in the final decision. Stay tuned!

OUTLAW 10.5 QUALIFYING AFTER 5 ROUNDS (Region in parentheses)

Nov 11, 06 | 2:23 am

David Sheppard is hoping to break into the top 10 with his blown Nova in the last-chance qualifying session on Saturday morning at Piedmont Dragway. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Tony Johnson (South) 4.436/No speed
2. Steve Kirk (S) 4.494/167.06
3. Chuck Ulsch (North) 4.505/164.05
4. Mike Hill (S) 4.514/162.19
5. Tim Lynch (S) 4.539/172.14
6. Michael Robinson (S) 4.539/172.14
7. Joe Newsham (N) 4.547/171.59
8. Richard Sexton (N) 4.554/162.07
9. Jack Barfield (S) 4.563/161.72
10. Brad Brand (S) 4.578/169.33
11. Pat Wheatley (S) 4.600/161.29
12. David Sheppard (S) (shown) 4.600/160.08
13. David Hance (N) 4.609/160.11
14. Marcus Birt (S) 4.627/158.92
15. Stacy McIntyre (S) 4.639/159.15
16. Bobby Cole (S) 4.656/156.63
17. Joe Nichols (N) 4.657/157.12
18. Ken Rainwater (S) 4.682/161.31
19. Rob Hale (S) 4.683/157.50
20. Mike DeMartino (N) 4.721/164.23
21. Chris Butler (N) 4.724/155.68
22. Scott Hartley (S) 4.733/150.40
23. Darrell Morgan (S) 4.757/163.25
24. Greg Chandler (N) 4.778/160.25
25. Mo Hall (N) 4.862/135.03
26. Kurt Raleigh (S) 4.982/143.56
27. Terris Hicks Sr. (N) 5.105/140.73
28. Geneva Williams (N) 5.128/141.95
29. Alan Mullins (N) 7.347/63.39

BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL

Nov 11, 06 | 2:14 am

Top to bottom: Proving that the racing doesn't stop when the last round is run, Brad Brand's twin-turbo Mustang lies in pieces after burning a piston in the right bank; Pat Wheatley prepares to pull a head off his '67 Camaro's Fulton-built 706 cubic incher; and Greg Chandler (left) and Charles Cunningham work on fixing the front transmission pump removed from Chandler's 522-equipped '54 Studebaker 10.5 entry. (Ian Tocher photos)

SSCA LIMITED STREET QUALIFYING AFTER 5 ROUNDS

Nov 11, 06 | 2:09 am

Woodstock, GA's Eric Dillard was the best of the rest after Darrin Hoyle ran an unreal 4.756 on Thursday night in his 706-powered '69 Camaro. Hoyle sat out Friday's action completely, opting to save his motor for raceday. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Darrin Hoyle 4.756/157.53
2. Eric Dillard (shown) 4.948/157.89
3. Keith Szabo 4.969/158.08
4. Scott Evert 4.981/147.08
5. Dean Whitley 5.064/144.20
6. Gene Tilley 5.163/143.01
7. Derrick Sercy 5.187/135.89
8. Richie Kibler 5.193/136.84
9. Terry Harris 5.676/122.68
10. Mark Swanson 7.094/68.17

CAREER-BEST RUN FOR ROBINSON

Nov 11, 06 | 2:04 am

In the fourth session of Outlaw 10.5 qualifying, Michael Robinson of Dallas, GA, ran a career-best E.T. of 4.539 seconds at 162.89 mph in the VIP Racing 2000 Camaro. (Ian Tocher photo)

SSCA REAL STREET QUALIFYING AFTER 5 ROUNDS

Nov 11, 06 | 1:59 am

Jimmy McDowell, from nearby Raleigh, NC, put his Mustang first in Real Street qualifying with one session to go. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Jimmy McDowell (shown) 5.441/134.08
2. John Dameron 5.484/133.84
3. Jimmy Boyd 5.498/135.86
4. Bobby Walters 5.529/131.36
5. Kenneth Little 5.537/128.38
6. Rick Long 5.578/127.01
7. Kevin Dalton 5.594/135.33
8. Wayne Herring 5.625/125.66
9. Jeff Plemmons 5.647/128.68
10. Stan Staley 5.659/130.00
11. Derek Hunter 5.674/124.42
12. David Pearson 5.676/122.81
13. Danny Phillips 7.323/78.94

BIG DAWG PRO OUTLAW SHOOTOUT PHOTO EXTRA

Nov 11, 06 | 1:55 am

There's no shortage of bounty for the victors at the Big Dawg Pro Outlaw Shootout at Piedmont Dragway. (Ian Tocher photo)

5.30 QUALIFYING ORDER AFTER 3 ROUNDS

Nov 11, 06 | 1:51 am

Mt. Airy, NC's Steve Vass ran a near-perfect 5.301 to qualify on top of the 5.30 class at Piedmont. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Steve Vass (shown) 5.301/129.94
2. Charles Register 5.325/132.31
3. Allen Holcomb 5.405/129.51
4. Shannon Wilson 5.443/126.79
5. Chris Brown 5.599/127.37
6. Eddie Smith Jr. 5.297/131.13

6.0 QUALIFYING ORDER AFTER 3 ROUNDS

Nov 11, 06 | 1:45 am

Charles Richards Sr. has owned this '55 Chevy for nearly 40 years, since he was just 17 years old, but it was transformed to a racecar just a couple of months ago after sitting for years unattended in the garage. It now carries a 505 cubic incher with two stages of nitrous and his son, Charles Jr., placed it 6th on the 6.0 qualifying list. Richards other son, Jason, sits 3rd in the class with his first-generation Nova. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Derek Motley 6.001/115.42
2. Jeff Paulk 6.002/109.23
3. Jason Richards 6.015/110.87
4. Robert Agee 6.027/117.43
5. Jeremy Martorella 6.035/113.90
6. Charles Richards Jr. (shown) 6.049/114.75
7. Terry Hollady 6.055/112.35
8. Quentin Metheny 6.058/120.93
9. Car #302 6.196/101.89
10. Scott Owenby 6.295/110.25

SSCA REAL STREET PHOTO EXTRA

Nov 11, 06 | 1:23 am

The Southern Street Car Association, featuring Limited Street and Real Street, is holding its second-to-last race for the 2006 season during the Big Dog Outlaw Challenge at Piedmont Dragway. Heading in the event, John Dameron was the Real Street points leader, followed by Kevin Dalton, Kenneth Little, Jeff Plemmons (shown), and Jimmy McDowell, who sat on top of the qualifying list on Friday night. (Ian Tocher photo)

7.0 QUALIFYING ORDER AFTER 3 ROUNDS

Nov 11, 06 | 1:20 am

After three rounds of qualifying, Michael Sanders from Lenoir, NC, leads the way in 7.0 index action. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Michael Sanders (shown) 7.002/98.66
2. Charles Wright 7.013/98.78
3. Chris Sloan 7.016/96.96
4. R.L. Smith 7.046/104.48
5. Terry Taylor 7.048/97.88
6. Norman Ferguson 7.055/99.43
7. Owen Teague 7.088/94.63
8. John Kiser 7.092/99.42
9. Austin Garner 7.143/96.92
10. Bobby Stokes 7.224/83.14
11. Corby Dillard 8.229/99.09
12. Phil Halbeder 6.900/97.71

JOHNSON OPENS QUALIFYING WITH A 4.43!

Nov 11, 06 | 1:09 am

Tony Johnson ran a career-best 4.436 seconds at 168.76 mph on Thursday night to pace the Outlaw 10.5 field at Piedmont Dragway. Johnson later said he actually let off at 4.2 seconds because he thought he'd already reached the eighth-mile mark. "It's dark, but I could see the end of the black on the pavement coming up so I let off and hit the chutes," he said. "There's a black mark on the wall down there, but it really should be flourescent orange or something so you could see it better." Regardless, Johnson's mark stood up through five sessions of qualifying (2 on Thursday, 3 on Friday), but the rack-and-pinion broke on his car broke upon coming back to earth after a wheelie during his fourth attempt and ended his day. The car drifted left and scraped the left wall about 500 feet out, but the damage was mostly cosmetic. A replacement steering system was located at a race shop nearby and Johnson will be back in action Saturday morning. (Ian Tocher photo)

The Big Dawg Outlaw 10.5 Shootout

Nov 10, 06 | 3:09 pm

A substantial piece of hardware will go to the winner of the rain-delayed Big Dawg Outlaw 10.5 Shootout, rescheduled to Nov. 9-11, at Piedmont (NC) Dragway.

Even more impressive is the $25,000 to accompany the winner’s trophy and the more than $40,000 total in cash and prizes for the class. Additionally, each of the top-10 qualifiers in the 32-car Outlaw 10.5 field will receive custom-made leather jackets and during qualifying the 10-wide guys will be split into a special North vs. South team shootout (North=Virginia and above, South=NC and below).

Also on the bill will be Southern Street Car Association (SSCA) Limited Street and Real Street, along with 5.30, 6.0 and 7.0 index classes vying for an additional $20K-plus in cash and prizes.

Drag Racing Online: The Magazine