Keith Haney, Todd Martin, "Big Don" Ellison and the rest of the crew at Tulsa Raceway Park totally blew the Tulsa area away with the spring edition of the famed Throwdown In T-Town at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park! An absolute capacity crowd jammed the facility over the two day event which hosted everything from Outlaw Pro Mods to X275 drag radial and everything in between. The Throwdown In T-Town is a true mixed bag of drag racing entertainment from non-stop on track action to the many vendors and midway experiences in the pits. It's a family affair celebrating all things drag racing and with a fantastic forecast in place it was a magic formula for plenty of fun under the sun in Oklahoma.
The new Midwest Pro Mod Series made its debut at this event and series founder Keith Haney held the pole position with a 3.75 elapsed time during qualifying. Haney's luck ran out in the semi-finals as he fell to Jonas Aleshire who met Eddie Rogers in the final round. Rogers got the jump off the starting line and he needed all he could get as his slower 3.86 at 190 mph took the stripe over a quicker but losing 3.82 at 198 from Aleshire. Rogers made history with the first ever Midwest Pro Mod Series victory and will lead the series standings into their next points event.
Brandon Lewis was a man with a plan in Outlaw Pro Mod competition as his 3.70 at 206 mph led qualifying after four sessions. Lewis marched through the competition and met Stan Smith in the final round, but as Smith's car prepared to launch off the starting line it broke the blower belt. Smith had no option but to watch Lewis charge to low elapsed time and top speed of the meet with a 3.69 at 208 mph to take the impressive win and cap off a solid weekend.
Radial -vs- The World/Outlaw 10.5 competition was headlined by Mark Woodruff who's 3.90 at 202 mph qualified number one and gave him the momentum he needed to reach the finals, set to do battle with Mark Micke. Micke turned the bulb -.009 red to end his efforts at the starting line while Woodruff got lucky after blowing the tires off at the hit and coasting to the win.
With not an empty seat or spot on the fence available, Chris Groves tallied the top qualifying spot in X275 drag radial racing with a 4.45 at 161 mph and fell in the second round while number two qualifier Kenny Hubbard was going rounds. Hubbard lined up with Joe Johnson in the X275 final round and showed no mercy as Hubbard's 4.48 at 158 mph easily defeated Johnson's 4.77 at 155 mph. Other winners included Tony Foulks in Pro Street, Doug Woody in Quick 32, Tim Hendricks in MX235, Anthony Rodgers in Gassers and Lance Mason in Jr. Dragster.
The fall edition of the Throwdown In T-Town at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park will take place October 12-14th so mark your calendars and check out www.tulsaracewaypark.com for more info!
A crew member gives an extra glance over Mark Micke's Outlaw 10.5 1978 Chevy Malibu. Micke qualified number five and pulled off an impressive first round win over Brandon Pesz. Micke was .001 on the tree and clicked off a 3.963 at 205 to beat a slightly quicker but losing 3.960 at 191 for Pesz. The Malibu made it to the final round where Micke went -.009 red at the starting line.Families of all ages pack the stands including these two youngsters enjoying a good sugar rush and Pro Mod qualifying in Tulsa. Final touches are underway in the Craig Sullivan pits as the team prepares for final qualifying on Saturday. Sullivan made the tow from Avon, Indiana and qualified 9th with a 3.93 at 187 mph.Randy Merick's nitro burning Outlaw Pro Mod Corvette pumped plenty of fumes and his 86% nitromethane fueled duag magneto combination qualified fourth in Outlaw Pro Mod with a 3.99 at 202 mph.Gage Martin pulls to the line in junior dragster time trails guided in by his father Todd who wears many hats throughout the weekend at the Throwdown In T-Town. Brian Barnett's blown 2013 Camaro qualified eighth with a 3.90 at 192 in the sixteen car field of Midwest Pro Mods. Barnett advanced to the second round where he met Keith Haney who advanced with a 3.82 while Barnett went 3.90 and -.007 red at the starting line.X275 racers back up from their burnouts during round three qualifying Saturday afternoon. Twenty three cars made an attempt at the sixteen car field which was rounded out by Russell Foreman with a 4.91 bump spot. James Aleshire from Manito, Illinois wheeled his blown 2013 Corvette Pro Mod to the number five spot in Midwest Pro Mod qualifying with a 3.88 at 194 mph and defeated Benjamin Board, Billy Banaka and Keith Haney on his way to the final round against Eddie Rogers. In the final, Aleshire posted a 3.82 at 198 mph but came up short at the stripe to a slower 3.86 at 190 by Rogers who earned his win on a holeshot. Eddie Rogers made history by becoming the first ever event winner in the Midwest Pro Mod series which made it's debut at the Throwdown In T-Town. Rogers' qualified his blown 1969 Chevelle Pro Mod in the number seven spot with a 3.90 and defeated Jim Brinkerhoff, Ron Muenks, Josh Vettel and James Aleshire on his march to victory.Dewayne Mills posted a 3.91 at 180 mph on his first qualifying pass Friday night but ran into mechanical issues back in the pits and was forced to withdraw from the competition. His famed 1968 Camaro is a favorite among the drag radial entries at any event he attends. Kallee Mills is gaining experience behind the wheel of this 1968 Camaro that matches her fathers car. Her best of a 5.13 at 156 mph unfortunately fell short of the bump spot in X275, but the future is looking bright for this new female face to the class. Doug Woody wheeled his Camaro past Richard Moline in the final round of the Quick 32 Shootout.Robert Elliott's 1953 Corvette Outlaw Pro Mod unfortunately struggled in Tulsa with a best of 4.83 at 134 mph resulting in a number eight qualifying spot and first round loss. Drag radial star Daniel Pharris debuted his new 2016 Ford Mustang Pro Mod built by Larry Jeffers Racecars. Pharris and company qualified their Proline powered machine sixth with a 3.89 at 205 mph, but a first round 4.05 wasn't enough to hold off Jon Stouffer's winning 3.86 pass. Randy Merick belches raw nitromethane from the pipes during a Friday evening burnout as the sun sets behind Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park. Merick's 3.99 qualified him fourth but the team bowed out in round one to Bob Storie. The nitro fans in the house were very thankful for a quick fix from this unique machine which sports a lock up torque converter combination with 86% nitro in the tank. Craig Sullivan's 1970 Dodge Daytona was a crowd favorite but a first round loss sent this Indiana based team packing earlier than expected. Russell Foreman snuck into the X275 field on the bump with a 4.91 in his 1978 Chevy Malibu. Despite a .004 reaction time, Foreman's 5.24 was no match for top qualifier Chris Groves' 4.97 in first round of eliminations.Richard Moline wheeled his top dragster to the runner up finish in the Quick 32 ShootoutChris Wilson debuted his new 2013 Camaro X275 machine which sports a Ford powered engine tuned by the famed Bruder Brothers. Wilson and team had a successful debut qualifying tenth with a 4.74 at 147 mph before losing a first round match up with Bob Bales. Stan Smith's Kansas based 2014 Outlaw Pro Mod Corvette posted several passes in the 3.70 range and advanced to the final round against Brandon Lewis. In the final, Smith lost the blower belt at the starting line which resulted in a solid runner up finish in Tulsa. Smith had qualified second with a strong 3.76 at 196 mph.Chris Groves of Albuquerque, New Mexico was top qualifier in X275 with a booming 4.45 at 161 mph in his 1991 Ford Mustang, but a surprising second round exit against Stephen Plunkett ended their hopes for victory in Tulsa. Pro Street honors went to Tony Foulks who led the field with a 4.20 at 187 mph and defeated Larry Baker in the final round. Foulks can also be found competiting in Big Tire No Prep events across the Southwest, but he wasn't scared to mix it up and show times on his way to the winners circle. Brad Medlock was your runner up in the growing MX235 class as his quicker 4.70 at 153 mph fell to Tim Hendricks' 4.71 at 149 as Hendricks scored the holeshot win in the final round. Tim Hendricks towed from Sterling, Illinois and made his trip worth it by qualifying in the top spot with a 4.63 at 149 and capping off the perfect weekend with a holeshot win the final round over Brad Medlock in the MX235 class. Kenny Hubbard put the fear in the competition early by qualifying second in X275 with a stellar 4.46 at 159 mph in his nitrous assisted 1974 Chevy Nova. Hubbard blasted past Zack Wiedel, Bob Bales, Jason Flowers and Joe Johnson to march into the X275 winners circle. In the final, Hubbard's 4.48 at 158 mph showed no mercy to Johnson's 4.77 at 155 mph. Mark Micke & Mark Woodruff share the winners circle in Outlaw 10.5/Radial -vs The World as Woodruff was the victor after Micke went -.009 red at the starting line.Eddie Rogers and the "Mojo Racing" team of Berryville, Arkansas celebrate their win, the first in Midwest Pro Mod Series history. Brandon Lewis and the entire "Bad Ass 57" team of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma cleaned shop in Outlaw Pro Mod riding their top qualifying effort all the way to the winners circle at the Throwdown In T-Town.
Keith Haney, Todd Martin, "Big Don" Ellison and the rest of the crew at Tulsa Raceway Park totally blew the Tulsa area away with the spring edition of the famed Throwdown In T-Town at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park! An absolute capacity crowd jammed the facility over the two day event which hosted everything from Outlaw Pro Mods to X275 drag radial and everything in between. The Throwdown In T-Town is a true mixed bag of drag racing entertainment from non-stop on track action to the many vendors and midway experiences in the pits. It's a family affair celebrating all things drag racing and with a fantastic forecast in place it was a magic formula for plenty of fun under the sun in Oklahoma.
