by Chris and Tera Graves, Photos by Chris Graves, Tera Graves, Wes Ramsey Sun, 2017-04-09 17:09
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - SATURDAY NIGHT IS ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING, AND THEY GOT A LOT OF ACTION IN
Jason Brock battled to keep the front end planted in his Pro Drag Radial Mustang and bowed out in the first round. Brock came back up for a test pass after the final rounds and lifted all four wheels off the ground in a huge power wheelstand.
Final qualifying and eliminations for the Radial Tire Racing Association "Texas Radial Round Up" brought some big upsets and very competitive racing to the line on Saturday at North Star Dragway. As the temperatures dropped and the sun set across the North Texas skyline the performances stepped up and the final round of Pro Drag Radial came down to top qualifier Marty Robertson against Taylor Lastor. It was a battle of the blue machines as the crew chiefs guided their drivers into the beams in this battle of heavyweights. At the flash of amber, Robertson was off the line with a -.011 red light which ended his chances as he posted a 3.89 at 191 mph while Lastor blasted down the strip to a 3.88 at 199 mph to claim the first RTRA Pro Drag Radial victory of the season!
In Pro 275 action Mark Moore rode his momentum from qualifying number one all the way to the finals to meet Clay Selis. In a battle of Mustangs, Selis took the starting line advantage but spun the tires quickly and Moore charged to a 4.20 at 177 mph to claim victory at his home track. Moore's son Eric was top qualifier in X275 but was eliminated by Todd Moyer in the semi-finals as Moyer would then meet Keith Hoover in the X275 final round. Hoover had been the surprise of the field in X275 and was ready in the final round with a .404 reaction time. Just past the sixty foot marker Hoover started climbing into a wheelstand, but never lifted and at the stripe Moyer's 4.49 at 156 mph narrowly took the win over Hoover's 4.53 at 156 mph in a great side by side final in X275.
Limited 275 competition was white knuckle and world records were set multiple times throughout the weekend. Top qualifier Brian Wise marched through the field to meet Nathan Bevilacqua in the final round. Bevilacqua came in as the number two qualifier and in the semi-finals stole the spotlight with a new Limited 275 elapsed time world record 4.734 at 148 mph in his winning run over Ben Curry. With the new record in hand and a final round staged between both men who had eclipsed world records over the weekend, the final round was set to be a total knock out bout. Unfortunately, Bevilacqua was unable to fire and Wise took the solo shot to victory with a 4.88 at 146 mph.
It was an action packed weekend of small tire racing in Texas as the Radial Tire Racing Association concluded the first of three points races this year. The boys and girls of the RTRA series will return to North Star Dragway on June 1-3rd for the next event before concluding the season October 19-21st. The RTRA series would like to thank Evolution Race Development, Bryson Motorsports, SEI Oilfield Services, BTM Services, Class A CDL, Race Craft Inc., Alepa Racing, Nitrous Outlet, Pipeline Express, Fast Forward Innovations, Odie Sturgeon Racing, TurboBullet.com, Red Baron Racing and Wilson Racing for their support of the 2017 Championship season. For more information visit www.rtraracing.com. ;
Marty Robertson was a favorite in the Pro Drag Radial category and found himself a bit to eager in the final round as his -.011 reaction time told the tale of his runner up finish to Taylor Lastor. Robertson will carry home a pocket full of 3.80 range time slips and will be back for redemption at the next RTRA event this June.Taylor Lastor and company put the pressure on when it counted most at the Texas Radial Round Up and posted low elapsed time of each round in eliminations to march his way to the first Pro Drag Radial win of the season. Congratulations to Lastor and company on their win at the season opener.Clay Selis met Mark Moore in the final round of Pro 275 and took the starting line advantage in the final round, but instantly spun the tires and could do nothing but watch top qualifier Mark Moore charge ahead to a winning 4.20 at 177 mph.
Mark Moore capped off a dream weekend at the Texas Radial Round Up by qualifying number one and winning the event in Pro 275 action. Moore was without usual crew chief Josh Lindsay this weekend but managed to post consistently quick passes and claim victory at his home track over runner up Clay Selis. J.D. Campbell has set personal bests with each outing this year and looked to be a contender at the Texas Radial Round Up in his nitrous assisted Camaro. Campbell defeated Mike Buttafuoco and Chris Shortridge to meet Keith Hoover in the semi-finals. A back breaker for Campbell as his quicker 4.51 at 155 mph lost to Hoover's 4.53 at 156 as Hoover strapped a holeshot and held it to the stripe.Chris Shortridge dropped a bomb in first round of X275 by defeating a tire spinning Kenny Hubbard who had qualified third. The lucky streak ended soon after as Shortridge ran into traction issues in round two and lost to J.D. Campbell. Trey Montgomery benefitted from an unfortunate red light from Clint Downs in round one competition in X275. Downs, the defending RTRA Class Champion was .392 red in his first round pairing with Montgomery, who fell to Keith Hoover in round two competition.Keith Hoover raised eyebrows on Saturday with a steady string of 4.50 range passes which carried him into the final round of X275 to take on Todd Moyer. Hoover knocked out Shane Heckel, Trey Montgomery and J.D. Campbell in his march to the final. In an extremely entertaining drag race, Hoover's orange Camaro climbed into a wheelstand but he kept the pedal down and a 4.53 at 156 mph came up just short to Moyer's 4.49 at 158 mph. "Turbo" Todd Moyer stepped up his performance in each round of eliminations as he defeated Michelle Kato, Joe Johnson and top qualifier Eric Moore in his path to the final round against Keith Hoover. Moyer saved the best for last with a 4.49 at 158 mph to take home the X275 win at the Texas Radial Round Up.
Ben Curry took over driving duties in the Roy Kees owned Nova and enjoyed a solid outing in Limited 275 competition in Texas. Curry showed no mercy to the competition with consistent low 4.80's before meeting Nathan Bevilacqua in the semi-finals. Curry immediately spun the tires and despite a quick pedal job was unable to catch his opponent and settled for a semi-final round finish.Derek Lewis put up a strong effort in Limited 275 action and advanced to the semi-finals to take on top qualifier Brian Wise. Despite leaving the starting line first, Lewis' off pace 4.96 at 142 mph was no match for Wise' 4.74 at 146 mph pass.Nathan Bevilacqua was riding a wave most racer can only dream of as he headed into the final round of Limited 275. After steadily posting laps in the mid 4.70 range, a new class elapsed time world record pass was posted by Bevilacqua in the semi-finals with a 4.734 at 148 mph. In what was anticipated to be possibly the class' quickest and fastest side by side pass in history, the final round ended up being a solo shot for winner Brian Wise as Bevilacqua was unable to fire. A devastating blow, but none the less your new Limited 275 elapsed time world record holder.
Brian Wise held the Limited 275 elapsed time world record for about 24 hours before runner up Bevilacqua stole it away in the semi-finals. Yet, Wise was the last man standing at the Texas Radial Round Up capping off a very successful weekend for the Kansas based team.
Gene Nicodemus, owner of North Star Dragway and founder of the Radial Tire Racing Association, goes over the run order and schedule prior to the opening session of qualifying on Friday evening.
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK
The first of three Radial Tire Racing Association events is being held this weekend at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas. A track known for it's traction to all drag radial racers across the country, NSD has hosted numerous world records and was the first track to see passes in the 3.80 and 3.70 range by a drag radial machine. Expectations were high heading into Friday night qualifying under the lights in North Texas with four classes and three sessions on tap.
Headlining Friday night's action was Brian Wise in the Limited 275 class as he ripped off a new class record elapsed time of 4.741 at 147 mph in his 1982 Chevy Camaro. Wise, of Haysville, Kansas, will lead the field into the final qualifying session Saturday afternoon but can't rest comfortably as four other drivers dipped into the 4.70's on Friday night.
The Moore family with father Mark and son Eric are sharing the top of the charts in their respective classes. Based literally two miles from North Star Dragway, Mark Moore leads the Pro 275 category with a 4.13 at 193 mph while Eric sits atop the X275 standings with a 4.42 at 157 mph. The locally based team is looking strong and hoping to cap off a career weekend at their home track with big wins tonight.
In Pro Drag Radial action, Marty Robertson's blown 2013 Corvette clicked off a 3.80 at 197 mph to take the top qualifying spot with one session remaining. This is a new car for Robertson and the team has found a comfortable and consistent tune up with help from Mick Snyder and company. Robertson will be the man to beat, but keep an eye on local hitter Rodney Whatley who debuted his blown 1963 Corvette last night in RTRA competition and posted a 3.82 at 188 mph on literally the second full pass on the car.
Rodney Whatley debuted his blown 1963 Corvette this weekend in RTRA competition and literally rebuilt the car twice in the last seven days leading up to the Texas Radial Round Up. Whatley dropped jaws when he posted a 3.86 on the first full pass with the car, then improved to a 3.82 at 188 in the final run on Friday night which currently qualifies second in Pro Drag Radial. Marty Robertson's blown 2013 Corvette shot to the top of the charts in Pro Drag Radial with a 3.80 at 197 mph. Some of you may ask, is that the old Bad9er? Yes it is! Robertson has brought in Mick Snyder and company to help tune this small tire beast and are looking strong heading into final qualifying and eliminations.The Moore family enjoyed a very successful Friday night qualifying effort at their hometrack as the father son combo leads the field in their respective classes. Based literally two miles from North Star Dragway, father Mark's 4.13 at 193 mph took the top spot in Pro 275 while son Eric leads the X275 class with a 4.42 at 157 mph.
T.J. Gatlin wheeled his 1971 Chevy Nova from El Reno, Oklahoma to the fifth qualifying position in X275 with a 4.45 at 158 mph and will be looking for his first RTRA win today. Kenny Hubbard clicked off a 4.44 at 157 mph in his Naiser Racing Engines powered 1974 Chevy Nova to qualify third with one session remaining. Hubbard is always a threat in X275 and is hungry for not only the win at the RTRA season opener, but also world record status. Keep an eye on this Montgomery, Texas based team.2016 RTRA X275 World Champion Clint Downs picked up right where he left off at the end of last season and is currently qualified second with a 4.43 at 159 mph. This wicked black 1974 Chevy Nova will be a favorite in eliminations today.Shane Heckel belches nitrous flames from the pipes in his 1991 Ford Mustang from Baytown, Texas. Heckel posted a best of 4.54 at 157 mph on Friday night and currently sits in the number seven qualifying position.Brian Wise is your new Limited 275 elapsed time world record holder! This 1982 Chevy Camaro packing a 582 cubic inch powerplant ripped off a 4.741 at 147 mph to become the quickest Limited 275 machine on the planet. Wise bested the previous record of 4.747 set last fall by 2016 RTRA Limited 275 Champion Stephen Barnett. This Kansas based team will look to cap off a career weekend with a win in Texas tonight.Ben Curry of Ruston, Louisiana made his RTRA driving debut this weekend behind the wheel of Roy Kees' 1969 Chevy Nova and is currently qualified third with a nice 4.77 at 145 mph.Derek Lewis' 1970 Chevy Nova is a regular in the Limited 275 category and always a threat as his 4.78 at 145 mph is currently qualified number four out of twenty three entries.Daniel Large is qualified number six with a 4.80 at 145 mph in his 1997 Ford Mustang. Large is a heavy hitter in Limited 275 and hopes to bring the trophy back to The Colony, Texas tonight.Tyler Garcia consistently leaves the line with the front wheels dangling and wheeled his 1990 Ford Mustang to a 5.03 at 135 mph to qualify number fifteen after three or four sessions.Nathan Bevilacqua posted career best numbers in Limited 275 trim with a 4.76 at 148 mph which currently qualifies him second in his 582 Chevy cubic inch powered 1989 Ford Mustang.First time RTRA racer Ralph Howard brought out this 1969 Chevy Camaro, formerly owned by fellow drag radial enthusiast and NFL star Fletcher Cox. Howard and company looked solid in their qualifying passes with a best of 4.84 at 145 mph which currently qualifies them number eight.
