Words and photos by Chris Graves

Texan Bobby Marriott has made a habit of winning races and championships on the Texas-based Outlaw Fuel Altered Association series. At the opening race of the 2010 season he found yet another way to get to the top as he came into the field from the first alternate slot, replacing IHRA Top Fuel racer Mitch King who wounded his AA/FA beyond repair. Marriot took advantage of his lucky break and went to the final round where he defeated number-six qualifier Donnie Massey for the win with an outstanding 3.98/182 winning pass.

This is the Outlaw Fuel Altered Series fourteenth season of burning nitro and keeping the AA/FA class alive and well. The first event of the eight-race 2010 OFAA season was at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas, and saw a record high number of entries as 20 member cars attended and nitro hungry fans lined the fenced well past the finish line on both sides of the track. There were 20 altereds entered but only three were burning nitro and two of those would end up in the final round.  

The OFFA qualifies 10 cars plus an alternate, so with 20 cars some of the teams weren’t going to be around for eliminations.

The first car down the track at the first qualifying session of 2010 was David Purifoy from Texarkana, Texas, driving the “Thrill Factor”.  He staged up against second generation drag racer Mary Reep in the purple painted “Grim Reeper”. Reep had made her first ever three- second pass testing at Houston Raceway Park with a 3.99 but she wasn’t able to repeat that performance when she pushed out both of the Hemi’s head gaskets in the other lane. Purifoy laid down a nice 4.13 at 167 mph on a strong and clean pass.