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Francis Butler Showdown
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By Roger Richards Photos by Roger Richards |
The 2nd Annual Francis Butler Showdown had all the ingredients to make a wonderful day for drag race fans in the hot summer days of mid-July. There were stars, cars, drag racing action and tremendous amounts of food to complete all the necessities for a glorious day for the families that streamed into the Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie , Virginia . Mother Nature, who has plagued drag racing events this year, seemed to be favoring this event when a gentle breeze and hazy blue skies greeted the fans and hundreds of cars that were lined up and waiting for the gates to open at 8am on July 10 th .
VMP president of operations Bryan Pierce, and track manager Todd Tribble, had the facility ready for the teams to begin time trials at 9:30 am . Race promoter Francis Butler met with and dispatched the staff assigned to take care of the various vendors and entertainment venues set up for the crowd. In addition to the cotton candy, ice cream sundaes and frozen slushies to satisfy your thirst on a hot July day, there was the most popular attraction of all, the car show. Cars of all makes and years were displayed along with their awards from other events. The oohs and aahs from the crowd competed with the roar of the cars just on the opposite side of the grandstands from the cars show. Brilliant paint and chrome shone bright enough to compete with the mid day sun as the beaming smiles of the proud owners sparkled nearly as bright as the glinting chrome. Car wax and huge dust brushes were in constant use throughout the morning as the cars were readied for the judging. On the track, the morning time trials got underway in preparation for the afternoon qualifying. One of the ET entry cars had some control problems near the top end causing an end over end finish to the run. Although the car was a complete total loss, the driver, shaken severely, was unhurt. Debris on the track from the incident delayed the trial for several minutes before resuming.
Qualifying began for the following classes: Pro Modified (Nitrous assisted only) Pro Stock (Mountain Motors) Top Sportsman ET Box ET No Box As the qualifying began for the event, the awards for the Car Show portion of the event were presented. Wendell Scott, Jr. and Doug (Mr. Chevy) Marion and Ron Milstead were among the celebrities on hand to judge and present awards. Wendell Scott, Jr. was visibly overcome when he was presented an award for his support of the Francis Butler Showdown. Stating his surprise, Scott vowed to be in attendance next year. Scott, Marion and Milstead all took turns manning the microphone in the announce booth, greeting the crowd and expressing their appreciation of what Butler has meant to the sport of drag racing. Two rounds of qualifying were scheduled for all classes but a late afternoon cloudburst caused the qualifying to be halted with the Top Sportsman class still trying to complete their second session. The festivities for the crowd and teams continued as the entertainment shifted to the pits and suites in the tower where food and beverages were abundant. Fans and drivers were anticipating a quick return to the track after the drying of what appeared to be a short interruption by the rain. However, two hours later, when the persistent sprinkles failed to cease, event officials were forced to cancel the remainder of the event, citing the 11pm curfew and the inability to dry the track in time. Understanding teams agreed to split the purses and call an end to the event while all promised to make plans to attend the 3 rd Annual Francis Butler Showdown. Drivers and qualifying times for the classes at the time of cancellation are as follows: Pro Mod1. Pat Musi, '57 Chevy 6.438 @ 214.76 2. Chuck Ulsch, ‘63 Corvette 6.513 @ 216.45 3. Larry Plummer, '63 Corvette 6.537 @ 208.84 4. Ed Burnley, '94 Corvette 6.580 @ 212.39 5. Amar Riley, ‘92 Pontiac 6.911 @ 205.54 6. Rocky Raynor, '98 Probe 7.022 @ 195.28 7. Randall Haynes, '03 Corvette 7.112 @ 195.70 8. Jim Teachman, '57 Chevy 12.502 @ 69.11 Pro Stock1. Elijah Morton, '04 Mustang 6.630 @ 209.59 2. Doug Kirk, ‘ 03 Mustang 6.661 @ 210.67 3. Frank Gugliotta, '04 Mustang 6.677 @ 210.64 4. Wally Stroupe, '04 Grand Am 6.812 @ 205.44 5. Bert Jackson, '02 Cavalier 6.815 @ 205.88 6. George Barksdale 8.174 @ 171.62 7. Lonnie Johnson, '02 Neon 8.798 @ 167.45 Top Sportsman1. Steven Carter, '01 Camaro 7.097 @ 193.43 2. Darrin Wilkins, ‘ 03 Grand Am 7.130 @ 196.47 3. Tony Mangrum, Ford 7.131 @ 195.11 4. Wayne Rogers, '92 Cutlass 7.221 @ 194.91 5. Warren Magruder 7.233 @ 192.99 6. Thomas Brown, '02 Cavalier 7.292 @ 191.38 7. George Coleman, '00 Chevy 7.492 @ 184.62 8. Jessie Grant, '96 Chevy 7.539 @ 183.15
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