THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: FUEL ALTEREDS VS. PRO MODIFIEDS
by Chris and Tera Graves, Photos by Chris Graves, Tera Graves, Wes Ramsey, Steve Scott Thu, 2017-07-06 12:29
The 5th Annual running of the Pro Mod -vs- Fuel Altered Showdown at North Star Dragway set the bar for summer drag racing events in the Southwest as a huge field of Outlaw Pro Mods and Outlaw Fuel Altereds jam packed the facility in Denton, Texas on June 30-July 1st. This unique event is the ultimate showdown of outlaws with absolutely no rules and no limits, a true run what you brung affair, open to any Pro Mod or Fuel Altered who wants to come mix it up with the big dogs. A titanic 24 car field will qualify for the Chicago style eliminator including the quickest 12 Pro Mods and quickest 12 Fuel Altereds. All first round winners would return for a round two shootout where the quickest winning Pro Mod and quickest winning Fuel Altered would advance to the final round. Giddy up boys and girls!
This two day affair featured two rounds of heads up qualifying under the lights on Friday night with a final qualifier and eliminations on Saturday. Both evenings the sky was lit up by Ray Kelley's "Game X-Change" Jet Dragster and of course, a huge fireworks show Saturday night. Also in attendance were the Southwest Heritage Racing Association Nostalgia Super Stock racers, Pro 5.80 and Pro 6.60 Index classes and Old School Backhalf series. With over 100 cars on the property it was nonstop action on one of the best hooking eighth mile tracks in the country. The Pro Mod and Fuel Altered teams were putting the power down as the first pair of the opening qualifying session set the pace for a wild weekend.
In a friendly grudge match, Jody Austin's "BushWhacker" AA/Fuel Altered lined up with former event winner Brandon Lewis in his "Bad Ass 57" Oklahoma based Pro Mod. Austin had only six runs on his newly completed Fuel Altered which was being tuned by NHRA Top Fuel crew chief Donnie Bender and the team made a statement early with a 3.74 blast at 174 mph to take the top spot right off the bat in the Fuel Altered field. Lewis pedaled his way to a 3.96 at 198 mph which held up for the number two qualifying position in the Pro Mod field. As qualifying concluded on Saturday evening, Doug Reisterer's nitrous assisted first generation Camaro Pro Mod took the pole with a 3.86 at 194 mph. Reisterer and Lewis were joined by Steve Wiley, Gaylen Smith, Doug Morales and Bob Alexander who all earned a spot in the top half of the Pro Mod field.
The Fuel Altered teams showed no mercy with many teams dipping into the 3.80 range including number two qualifier Nick Poloson who posted a 3.81 at 185 mph, followed closely by Eric Buchanan's 3.83 at 190 mph. Ken Singleton and Mary Reep secured their position in the top half of the field with 3.86's and Raymond Dawson rounded out the top qualifiers in Fuel Altered with a 3.97 at 177 mph. With qualifying complete it was time to pair cars and unleash pure mayhem as the eager crowd highly anticipated the opening round of eliminations.
FUEL ALTERED FINAL QUALIFYING ORDER
1. Jody Austin - 3.74 @ 174
2. Nick Poloson - 3.81 @ 185
3. Eric Buchanan - 3.83 @ 190
4. Ken Singleton - 3.860 @ 186
5. Mary Reep - 3.869 @ 184
6. Raymond Dawson - 3.97 @ 177
7. John Umlauf - 4.15 @ 181
8. Mark Billington - 4.57 @ 116
9. Cory Holcomb - 4.65 @ 150
10. Darren Inman - 4.86 @ 140
11. Randy Mueller - 5.06 @ 124
12. Donny McSwain - (Broke)
13. Clint Cross - (Broke)
PRO MOD FINAL QUALIFYING ORDER
1. Doug Reisterer - 3.86 @ 194
2. Brandon Lewis - 3.96 @ 198
3. Steve Wiley - 3.97 @ 191
4. Gaylen Smith - 4.00 @ 176
5. Doug Morales - 4.07 @ 176
6. Bob Alexander - 4.13 @ 178
7. Harry Crane - 4.20 @ 170
8. Mike Cooper - 4.29 @ 157
9. Fernando Ayala Jr - 4.33 @ 164
10. Eddie Roach - 4.33 @ 167
11. Tony Strachan - 4.46 @ 159
12. Brandon McKinney - 4.79 @ 129
13. Ricky Cate - 5.32 @ 95
14. James Satterwhite - 6.37 @ 82
15. Steve Clements - No Time
The pace went to a whole new level in first round as the gloves came off and some stellar runs were made by both sides of the field. Eight of the twelve first round winners were in the three second range led by Fuel Altered top qualifier Jody Austin's stellar 3.65 at 205 mph defeating Harry Crane. Brandon Lewis led the Pro Mod runners with a 3.82 at 200 mph which took out Mark Billington's close 3.87 at 189. Nick Poloson blasted to a career best 3.72 at 196 mph to knock out Mike Cooper and Doug Reisterer's 3.89 at 190 mph took down John Umlauf. With a total of seven Fuel Altereds and four Pro Mods earning first round win lights, the second round pairings were set and it was now time to let the big dogs eat.
Round two action was critical for two reasons, not only did you have to earn the win light running against the best of the best, but you also had to be the quickest winner of your class to advance to the final round. The wick was burning hot and fast as the teams came to the starting line loaded for bear. The only female in the field, Mary Reep in her "Grim Reeper" Outlaw Fuel Altered took a second round win with a 3.92 at 182 defeating Randy Mueller. Raymond Dawson's "High Octane" Outlaw Fuel Altered had a solo shot after Bob Alexander was unable to make the call. Dawson's car made a wicked move to the centerline and took out the 330' markers disqualifying his chance at the final. In a powerhouse match up, Nick Poloson and Brandon Lewis came to the line in a final round caliber bout. Both drivers were on their game on the starting line but Poloson had the ponies and thundered to a 3.75 at 199 mph to take out a slowing 5.59 by Lewis.
Jody Austin earned a second round win in a tire smoking 4.95 at 96 mph when Doug Reisterer went -.008 red on a great 3.89 pass at 191 mph. Gaylen Smith's "Texas Bounty Hunter" Pro Mod rolled out next alongside Ken Singleton's "High Risk" Outlaw Fuel Altered in the closest match of the round. Smith was off the line first and his clean 3.87 at 192 mph took the nod over Singleton's close 3.88 at 186 mph. In the final pair, with header flames belching from the pipes, Eric Buchanan's "Nitro Relapse" Fuel Altered owned and tuned by Terry Darby ripped off a 3.75 at 176 mph then erupted into flames at the top end. As oil and parts exited the block, Buchanan had his hands full at the top end but was able to bring his flaming machine to a safe stop as the fire was put out and he thankfully walked away uninjured. Steve Wiley put up a solid effort against Buchanan with a 3.87 at 190 mph but came up short at the stripe. With round two in the books it was Nick Poloson and Gaylen Smith who were final round bound to determine who would be crowned 2017 Pro Mod -vs- Fuel Altered Showdown Champion.
Heading into the final round, it was a toss-up, both teams were capable of 3.70 range passes and both were hungry for the win as we were guaranteed a first time event winner. As the crept into the stage beams, Poloson's nitro burner cackling in full force as he lit the final stage bulb while Smith's blown alcohol door slammer was revved up and ready to scream as he lit the final bulb. The ambers dropped and they were off, both drivers with good reaction times. Side by side they charged down the strip almost dead even at half-track. Poloson's car was shooting header flames past the rear wing and Smith's machine was wide open and screaming at the top of its lungs as they neared the stripe. The starting line erupted in celebration as Poloson's 3.85 at 193 mph narrowly defeated Gaylen Smith's 3.87 at 194 mph in the closest final round in event history.
What an epic conclusion to one of the wildest events in track history at North Star Dragway. A capacity crowd was treated to a stellar two day performance from these ultimate outlaws. Class winners included Vic Corlett in Nostalgia Super Stock, Scott Peairson in Old School Backhalf, Paul Harris in Pro 5.80 Index and Gus Deatherage in Pro 6.60 Index. Congratulations to all the winners of the 5th Annual Pro Mod -vs- Fuel Altered Showdown. With the win for team Fuel Altered, their record improves to Fuel Altereds 4 - Pro Mods 1 in the five year history of this unrivaled event. North Star Dragway would like to thank title sponsor Lone Star Forklift for their continue support. Wishing you were there? Be sure to mark your calendars for July 6th-7th, 2018 as the 6th Annual Pro Mod -vs- Fuel Altered Showdown will bring plenty of action back to Denton, Texas as the Pro Mods will seek revenge on the Fuel Altereds.