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
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. ;
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.