A huge crowd watched Mike Bell steer Roy Hill's Blue Max Mustang to the Outlaw Pro Mod final against Joey Martin in Tim Tindle's "Dozer" 'Stang. (Ian Tocher photo)

Mike Bell and Joey Martin will meet in the $20K-to-win Outlaw Pro Mod final. Bell raced through Joe Baker, Bil Clanton, and Bubba Stanton to reach the big money round, while Martin took care of Buck Gardner, Herman Sheppard, and John Lynam.

Jack Barfield damaged a piston in this first-round win over Michael Ross, then hurt another in the same cylinder bank while winning over Kevin Hargett in round two. A mad thrash ensued to replace both pistons before his quarter-final match against Richard Sexton, but the hurried repairs didn't hold up when he started the car in the staging lanes. (Ian Tocher photo)

After three rounds of eliminations the Outlaw 10.5 field is down to the semi finals, where Craig Miller will take on Richard Sexton and Mike Hill will face off against Tim Lynch.

The best pass of the day so far was a 4.53 by Steve Kirk, but the run cost Kirk three pistons and after replacing them his team discovered a cylinder sleeve also had worked loose, so he was unable to answer the call for round two.

Sunday's eliminations drew another huge crowd to Huntsville Dragway for the Outlaw Nationals, presented by TCI Automotive. (Ian Tocher photo)

Elimination rounds began today shortly after 11 a.m. at Huntsville Dragway. The first rounds for the three index classes are completed and before going to Outlaw 10.5 the track is holding a ceremony to honor its 2005 champions.

A mild but steady wind is blowing straight down the track from the top end and temperatures are holding steady in the low 50s under crystal clear skies.

Elimination updates to follow.

This year’s $50,000-to-win Outlaw 10.5 race stirred up a lot of anticipation and excitement, but promoter George Howard decided to up the ante and announced Apr. 8, next year’s Outlaw Nationals will pay $100,000 to the Outlaw 10.5 winner. Also, Stanley Poff, director of product and marketing for TCI Automotive, exclusively confirmed to DRO that TCI/Comp Cams will return as the title sponsor.

1. Donnie Key - 5.225/141.64
2. Shane Stack - 5.287/133.18
3. Kell Eubanks - 5.302/138.59
4. D. Carter - 5.360/131.93
5. T. Kincaid - 5.368/134.65
6. Jeff Plemmons - 5.406/135.30
7. C. Henderson - 5.491/130.32
8. D. Bradford - 5.521/133.29
9. R. Culver - 5.551/129.76
10. E. Rice - 5.605/128.28
11. W. Wilhelm - 5.631/129.42
12. D. Mewborn - 5.722/124.72
13. S. Fereday - 6.268/128.24
14. B. Mather - 6.586/118.55

Each of the top six qualifiers in Limited Street improved their times in the final round of qualifying, including Terry Woodson, who jumped from 10th to 6th place. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Jeff Cooner - 4.782/156.79
2. Carlton Thompson - 4.817/157.07
3. Keith Szabo - 4.871/159.12
4. Darrin Hoyle - 4.908/151.26
5. J. Gunter - 4.926/145.40
6. Terry Woodson - 4.930/151.01
7. J. Curry - 4.966/147.88
8. David Reese - 4.972/151.82
9. B. Rice - 5.068/143.95
10. C. Revia - 5.094/143.95
11. B. May - 5.103/147.01
12. B. Johnson - 5.141/139.53
13. M. Mitchell - 5.184/ 140.85
14. B. Smith - 5.260/137.99
15. T. Dunn - 5.349/144.18
16. B. Mullins - 5.351/135.87
17. M. Curtis - 5.431/137.49
18. C. Saddler - 5.448/142.95

Scottie Wortham went for a wild ride in the final qualifying session as the wheelie bars broke on his '69 Camaro and all four wheels briefly left the ground. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Tim Lynch - 4.816/169.05
2. Tony Johnson - 4.494/172.02 (broke)
3. Steve Kirk - 4.502/163.58
4. Jimmy Blackmon - 4.561/164.11
5. Chuck Ulsch - 4.604/159.18
6. Mike Hill - 4.612/159.74
7. Jack Barfield - 4.617/159.74
8. M. Carew - 4.636/156.25
9. Craig Miller - 4.636/163.34
10. R. Thornton - 4.637/160.54
11. S. Gaudgano - 4.641/156.03
12. L. Brown - 4.646/154.16
13. Richard Sexton - 4.652/159.52
14. Rob Hale - 4.677/157.29
15. Chris Shortridge - 4.680/159.40
16. Kevin Hargett - 4.685/161.12
17. Jeff Naiser - 4.685/156.30
18. Michael Robinson - 4.689/156.47
19. J. Nichols - 4.691/153.58
20. Terry Robbins - 4.696/152.65
21. Greg Chandler - 4.701/161.29
22. Justin Humphreys - 4.717/158.95
23. B. Harrell - 4.723/155.98
24. Bobby Cole - 4.727/154.37
25. Josh McClelland - 4.742/157.84
26. Scottie Wortham - 4.813/152.54
27. L. Berry - 4.828/154.69
28. Marcus Birt - 4.833/152.80
29. D. Eash - 4.836/154.53
30. M. Ross - 4.850/150.50
31. H. Galtney - 4.940/144.23
32. D. Bailey - 4.947/160.03
33. T. Kelley - 5.037/149.80
34. T. Moyer - 5.523/128.79

Bryan Dyar is making his return to racing at the Outlaw Nationals after suffering a devastating car fire at Carolina Dragway in October 2004. Dyar, a human resources professional at his day job, qualified his new '53 Studebaker 12th in the Outlaw Pro Mod field. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Bil Clanton - 4.000/180.22
2. John Lynam - 4.076/182.26
3. Joey Martin - 4.089/182.48
4. Bubba Stanton - 4.103/180.00
5. Brian Daniels - 4.106/174.69
6. Larry Sinke - 4.140/175.99
7. Jason Scruggs - 4.174/184.05
8. Mike Bell - 4.179/174.42
9. Joe Baker - 4.209/174.83
10. Don Roddy - 4.255/167.72
11. Herman Sheppard - 4.352/174.01
12. Bryan Dyar - 4.393/144.28
13. Tom Ashley - 4.423/150.10
14. Buck Gardner - 4.447/171.30
15. Ron Stokes - 4.456/167.16
16. J. Byrd - 4.585/170.13
17. Neal Light - 4.655/151.16
18. Paul Russell - 4.783/122.18
19. Paul Gibbs - 4.991/142.36
20. J. Welter - 5.273/126.90
21. Tommy Mauney - 5.484/86.82

Steve Kirk's crew works to patch together his 2000 Camaro after it was sideswiped by Tony Johnson in the shutdown area after their third-round qualifying pass. Johnson is shown launching on the ill-fated run. (Ian Tocher photos)

Immediately after participating in what probably was the quickest side-by-side pass in Outlaw 10.5 history, Tony Johnson and Steve Kirk came together shortly after crossing the finish line at Huntsville Dragway. Johnson, in the very first pass in his blown hemi-powered ‘68 Camaro after rebuilding it over the winter, ran 4.494 seconds at 172.02 mph to take over the top spot in qualifying, while Kirk ran 4.502 at 163.58.

“I hate that I hit Steve. What happened was the car was drifting toward the wall and I actually lifted about 100 feet before the finish line, but the throttle stuck wide open and it was actually still pulling about 50 or a hundred feet past the line,” Johnson, who was running in the left lane, explained later. “I had already lifted and I had the wheel checked to the right trying to stay away from the guardrail and when I clicked the ignition off, the back tires and front tires grabbed and shot me toward him. I had already corrected back toward the left because I knew he was over there, but I just couldn’t keep from hitting him. I was actually headed back toward my lane when it clipped him.”

Johnson struck Kirk’s left rear fender with his right rear panel, which sent Johnson’s car into a 360-degree spin before it backed into the right wall, tearing its wheelie bars and parachutes off and damaged more sheet metal. Johnson said the crash not only was a major disappointment, but also will keep him sidelined for a couple of months since his money has all gone into the rebuild.

Kirk’s car suffered mostly cosmetic damage and his crew worked feverishly to patch it together in time for the final qualifying round where he promptly went out and ran 4.503 at 162.93 mph.

In the next pass down the track after about a 40-minute delay for accident clean-up, Tim Lynch reassumed the qualifying lead with a 4.481-seconds run at 169.05 mph.

One of the most unusual and popular cars on the grounds is Justin Humphreys' 2003 Lexus GS 300. A doorslammer times two, the late-model luxury car is motivated by a twin-turbo, inline six-cylinder engine. Humphreys placed 22nd in Outlaw 10.5 with a 4.717-seconds pass at 158.95 mph. (Ian Tocher photo)

The fourth and final round of qualifying wrapped up at Huntsville Dragway’s Outlaw Nationals at 8:45 local time, with Bil Clanton retaining the number-one spot in Pro Mod (4.000), Tim Lynch leading in Outlaw 10.5 (4.481), Jeff Cooner on top of Limited Street (4.782), and Donnie Key placing first in EZ Street (5.225).

In the index classes, T. Quick leads 5.50 with a 5.512, C. Rogers ran a near-perfect 6.001 in 6.0, and A. Smith was just as good in 7.0 with a 7.001-seconds pass.

Complete qualifying lists to follow.

1. D. Key - 5.225/141.64
2. Shane Stack - 5.335/134.25
3. Jeff Plemmons - 5.406/135.30
4. D. Carter - 5.406/132.63
5. T. Kincaid - 5.445/132.04
6. C. Henderson - 5.491/130.32
7. D. Bradford - 5.521/133.29
8. R. Culver - 5.587/128.61
9. E. Rice - 5.605/128.28
10. W. Wilhelm - 5.645/129.46
11. D. Mewborn - 5.722/124.72
12. S. Fereday - 6.268/128.24
13. B. Mather - 6.586/118.55
14. Kell Eubanks - 7.061/64.49

Carlton Thompson ran the only .80 so far in Limited Street qualifying, going 4.819 to take over the top spot. Eighteen cars made qualifying attempts in the third round. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Carlton Thompson - 4.819/154.69
2. Jeff Cooner - 4.910/150.85
3. Keith Szabo - 4.920/158.06
4. Darrin Hoyle - 4.920/150.80
5. J. Curry - 4.966/147.88
6. David Reese - 4.976/152.59
7. J. Gunter - 5.034/149.75
8. B. Rice - 5.068/143.95
9. C. Revia - 5.094/143.95
10. Terry Woodson - 5.096/151.16
11. B. May - 5.103/147.01
12. M. Mitchell - 5.184/140.85
13. B. Smith - 5.282/137.61
14. T. Dunn - 5.349/144.18
15. B. Mullins - 5.351/135.87
16. B. Johnson - 5.391/117.89

With tuner Steve Petty looking on, Tim Lynch launches to a 4.481-seconds pass, the quickest Outlaw 10.5 run in Huntsville Dragway history. Thirty-four cars made qualifying attempts in the third round. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Tim Lynch - 4.481/169.05
2. Tony Johnson - 4.494/172.02
3. Steve Kirk - 4.502/163.58
4. Jimmy Blackmon - 4.561/164.11
5. Chuck Ulsch - 4.604/159.18
6. Mike Hill - 4.612/159.74
7. Jack Barfield - 4.617/159.74
8. M. Carew - 4.636/156.25
9. Craig Miller - 4.636/163.34
10. S. Gaudgano - 4.644/157.07
11. Richard Sexton - 4.652/159.52
12. R. Thornton - 4.662/158.73
13. Rob Hale - 4.677/157.29
14. Chris Shortridge - 4.680/159.40
15. Kevin Hargett - 4.685/161.12
16. Jeff Naiser - 4.685/156.30

Larry Sinke brought his beautiful Chevy Nova down from Ontario, Canada and sits 6th after three rounds of Pro Mod qualifying. Twenty-two cars made qualifying attempts in the third round. (Ian Tocher photo)

1. Bil Clanton - 4.000/180.22
2. John Lynam - 4.076/182.26
3. Joey Martin - 4.089/182.48
4. Bubba Stanton - 4.103/180.00
5. B. Daniels - 4.106/174.69
6. Larry Sinke - 4.140/175.99
7. Jason Scruggs - 4.174/184.05
8. Mike Bell - 4.179/174.42
9. Joe Baker - 4.209/174.83
10. Don Roddy - 4.255/167.72
11. Herman Sheppard - 4.352/174.01
12. Tom Ashley - 4.423/150.10
13. Bryan Dyar - 4.433/151.67
14. Ron Stokes - 4.456/167.16
15. J. Byrd - 4.585/170.13
16. Neal Light - 4.655/151.16

Kudos belong to the Huntsville Dragway track staff for getting this track back to raceable condition in short time after the deluge last night. Qualifying for the index classes began shortly before noon and EZ Street is on the track now. Photos and third-round qualifying results will follow.

Just a quick update to say violent rain and hail storms coupled with high winds continued to batter Huntsville Dragway at 10:30 central time. Again, ORSCA president Johnny Fenn told DRO the tornado warning sirens were blaring and someone in the tower briefly turned on the P.A. system to implore racers to leave their rigs and seek shelter beneath the track’s concrete grandstands.

“It’s pretty scary here right now,” Fenn said. “Someone asked me if I thought we’d get the race in this weekend and I told him I just hoped we all make it through this with no one getting hurt.”

Current weather forecasts call for the storm to abate about 3 a.m. and peter out mid-morning, with clear skies predicted for Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.

ORSCA president Johnny Fenn reports to DRO, the inclement weather that threatened Huntsville Dragway all day finally hit with a vengeance shortly after 7 p.m. Fenn said one major storm cell skirted the track and at 8 p.m. he was watching another approaching cell that was “lighting up the whole sky constantly.”

With tornado warning sirens screaming in the background, he also cited word-of-mouth reports of a tornado touching down at Atmore, AL, no more than 12-15 miles from the track. So far, Fenn said he hasn’t seen any serious damage done to the facility or assembled racecars and as far as he knows, everyone is safe.

The second round of qualifying was nearing completion when the storm hit, but its arrival prompted the tower to shut down completely, so no 2nd round qualifying results were made available. However, two sources confirmed Steve Kirk took over the Outlaw 10.5 lead with a 4.51-seconds pass and Bil Clanton assumed the qualifying lead in Outlaw Pro Mod after going 4.000 seconds.

DRO will have more information as it becomes available.

-- Ian Tocher

After just 11 cars made qualifying laps in EZ Street, Donnie Key was on top with a 5.225/141.64 combination in his 1968 Camaro. (Wes Buck photo)

1. Donnie Key 5.225 141.64
2. D Carter - 5.406 132.63
3. Shane Stack - 5.444 132.86
4. D Bradford -5.582 133.77
5. E Rice - 5.605 128.28
6. D Mewborn - 5.721 124.72
7. Jeff Plemmons - 5.769 134.05
8. C Henderson - 6.274 120.64
9. W Wilhelm - 6.293 123.80
10. B Mather - 6.584 118.55

Justin Curry purges his nitrous system before going on to place 4th in the first round of Limited Street qualifying. With just 14 entries on the ground so far, the Limited Street field still has a way to go. (Wes Buck photo)

1. Jeff Cooner - 4.914 150.40
2. Darrin Hoyle - 4.920 150.80
3. Keith Szabo - 4.939 155.55
4. Justin Curry - 5.021 149.20
5. C Thompson - 5.102 152.80
6. B May - 5.1035 147.01
7. J Gunter - 5.136 146.25
8. T Dunn - 5.349 144.18
9. B Smith - 5.402 134.93
10. C Saddler - 5.448 142.95
11. B Johnson - 6.018 121.95
12. Terry Woodson - 7.664 100.02
13. Chad Revia - 8.268 67.36

After 27 Outlaw 10.5 cars made an attempt in the opening round of qualifying, Tim Lynch led the way in his twin-turbo Mustang, while Savannah, GA's Craig Miller (shown) was 3rd in his nitrous-assisted Camaro. (Wes Buck photo)

1. Tim Lynch - 4.547 165.32
2. Jack Barfield - 4.617 159.74
3. Steve Kirk Jr. - 4.631 161.29
4. Jeff Naiser - 4.685 156.30
5. Craig Miller - 4.687 154.80
6. Michael Robinson - 4.689 156.47
7. R Thorton - 4.694 159.24
8. M Carew - 4.696 156.03
9. Jimmy Blackman - 4.697 - 161.41
10. Chris Shortridge - 4.716 157.78
11. Bobby Cole - 4.734 155.93
12. S Gaudgono - 4.735 155.55
13. Greg Chandler - 4.750 159.52
14. S Wortham - 4.813 152.54
15. Marcus Birt - 4.879 152.75
16. M Ross - 4.926 150.85

Bubba Stanton has the provisional pole after a 4.103-secs pass at 180 mph in his Potts Camp, MS-based '63 Corvette. (Wes Buck photo)

1. Bubba Stanton - 4.103 180.00
2. Bil Clanton - 4.124 177.24
3. Larry Sinke - 4.140 175.99
4. Mike Bell - 4.179 174.42
5. B Daniels - 4.214 175.30
6. Jason Scruggs - 4.251 187.50
7. John Lynam - 4.260 181.97
8. Joe Baker - 4.429 172.02
9. Don Roddy - 4.618 153.53
10. T Ashley - 4.747 135.26
11. Toney Russell - 4.783 122.18
12. Paul Gibbs - 4.991 142.36
13. Buck Gardner 5.021 158.51
14. Bryan Dyar - 5.102 102.76
15. John Welter - 5.660 - 103.59
16. Herman Sheppard - 5.797 87.60

Defending ORSCA EZ Street champion Shane Stack ran a 5.44 straight off the trailer to place 3rd after the opening round of qualifying. (Wes Buck photo)

Despite the threat of extreme weather predicted for a mid-afternoon arrival, the Outlaw Nationals got underway at Huntsville Dragway about 9:30 this morning with the first round of 7.0 qualifying. More than 150 cars are on the grounds, including up to 40 Outlaw 10.5 entries and about 20 Outlaw Pro Mods.

With one round of qualifying in the books, “Turbo Tim” Lynch leads the way in Outlaw 10.5 with a 4.547-seconds pass at 165.32 mph, while Bubba Stanton is first in Outlaw Pro Mod after a 4.103 at 180 mph.

Although the coming storm is serious enough to prompt most local schools and some businesses to close early this afternoon, the weather outlook for Huntsville is promising for Saturday and Sunday.

Marcus Birt pilots the team's Ten-wide Outlaw Camaro

By TJ Pruitt

Grant, AL - Tindle Enterprises’ Bulldozer GT 500 Mustang and Outlaw 10.5 1968 Camaro will be released this weekend at Huntsville Dragway’s Outlaw Nationals.  The team is looking to make this the third straight victory with the Outlaw Pro Mod. Co-promoters George Howard and Jim Howard stated this event will go down in the record books as “The Biggest, Baddest, and Richest Outlaw Race in History,” paying $20,000 to the Outlaw Pro Mod Winner.

“Huntsville Dragway has always been one of my favorite tracks to race. It’s been a while since we last visited the track.  The last event we competed in was an ORSCA (Outlaw Racing Street Car Associaton) event. George Howard and the crew work really hard to provide optimal track conditions,” stated Pro Mod pilot Joey Martin. 

Over the past few weeks, the Tindle Enterprises racing team has enjoyed success with the Outlaw Pro Mod Tindle Site Contracting Mustang.  The team won ADRL’s Dragpalooza II event at Houston Raceway Park, then won Emerald Coast Dragway’s season opener in Holt, FL.

“We have been working on a few things to optimize the performance of the Outlaw car. We are hoping to run low numbers this weekend. The competition will be tough and we will definitely need to keep our heads in the game this weekend to be competitive,” stated crew chief Chuck Ford.

Marcus Birt, behind the wheel of Tindle Enterprises’ 1968 Outlaw 10.5 Camaro, will be competing for the big 50 grand.  He and Skull teammate Jack Barfield will both be present this weekend.  “Marcus Birt and Jack Barfield both have what it takes to get the job done. Both cars are capable of running 4.40s all day long,” stated Tim Tindle, owner of Tindle Enterprises.

Huntsville Dragway is considered a “home” for the team, along with Emerald Coast Dragway.  The T.A.R.E. Headquarters is located only 30+ miles from the track.

Qualifying for the Outlaw Nationals event at Huntsville Dragway begins on Friday April 7 and continues on Saturday. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday, April 9.

Click the above flyer to enlarge

Giant paydays announced for two events to be staged at Memphis Motorsports Park and Huntsville Dragway

Proving their dedication to racing by supporting the competitors who buy their products, both COMP Cams® and TCI® announced their title sponsorships of upcoming Outlaw 10.5 and Outlaw Pro Mod competitions. On March 30-April 1, Memphis Motorsports Park will host a $100,000 bracket race followed up one week later (April 6-9) at Huntsville Dragway by an event billed as “The Biggest, the Baddest and the Richest Outlaw Race in History.”

With the fastest racers in heads-up competition, including Outlaw 10.5 World Champion Terry Robbins and Outlaw Pro Mod standout Toney Russell, set to attend, this looks to be the biggest payday for outlaw doorslammer competitors yet. The Huntsville Dragway race features a $50,000-to-win first prize in Outlaw 10.5 and $20,000-to-win in Outlaw Pro Mod. Additional racing classes include 5.50, EZ Street and Limited Street, as well as a $5,000-to-win top prize in the 6.0 and 7.0 classes, the biggest purses ever for this style of competition.

“These are big events, and it was important for us to be involved in such significant competitions,” said Stanley Poff, Product Manager for TCI®. “The Outlaw 10.5 and Outlaw Pro Mod classes of competition have become premiere platforms for drag racing, and many of these highly competitive racers are dedicated users of our parts. We are pleased to have the chance to be involved and to help support these diehard racers.”