Marshall Sweeps San Antonio
Texas Nitro Nostalgia - San Antonio Raceway
Report & Photos by Max Cackle Photography
The Smiley’s Racing Products Southwest Junior Fuel Association held their second event of the season at San Antonio Raceway included on an impressive bill, featuring the Outlaw Fuel Altereds, Texas Blown Fuel, Nostalgia Funny Cars, Cacklefests and more. A fine line-up billed as the “Texas Nitro Nostalgia” presented by the Texas Timing Association.
Eleven cars made the trip to entertain nostalgia drag racing enthusiasts on a typical hot May afternoon in Texas. After a season opener that was cut short due to time constraints, the S.W.J.F.A teams were looking forward to a full day of drag racing and crowing the first official winner of the season.
(Brian Briggs & Mike Millsap backing up from their burnouts in the first qualifying session)
The opening session of qualifying resulted in some strong passes in the heat led by Ricky Marshall’s stout 7.30 at 180 mph, followed closely by Odie Coker’s 7.34 at 183 mph. Richard Brady, Brandon Lewis and Brian Briggs all clicked off passes in the 7.70 zone respectively in their injected front engine slingshots.
(Odie Coker)
(Brandon Lewis)
In the second qualifying session, Mike Buchanan stepped up to an 8.25 in “Lou Anne” to qualify number ten. Ron Muncy clicked off a best of an 8.11 in the “Foolish Pleasure III” to nab the number nine spot. Jeff Jones posted a 7.87 in the “Off-Shore Flash” to secure the number seven spot and Mike Millsap wheeled the “Sachse Rod Shop” dragster to a 7.86, good for number six. Brandon Lewis stepped up to a 7.67 to qualify fourth and Brian Briggs stepped up to a 7.77 also claim a spot in the top half of the field.
(Mike Buchanan)
(Jeff Jones)
Parts attrition eliminated a few entries including Odie Coker, Ken Hawkins and Tera Wendland whom all suffered internal engine damage during qualifying and were sidelined for the remainder of the event. Ricky Marshall led the field as the number one qualifier for the second event in a row as the teams returned to the pits to prepare for the first round of eliminations.
(Tera Wendland)
(Ken Hawkins)
Final Qualifying Order:
1) Ricky Marshall (Burleson, Texas) – 7.30 @ 180
2) Odie Coker (Dallas, Texas) – 7.34 @ 183
3) Richard Brady (Ft. Worth, Texas) – 7.65 @ 173
4) Brandon Lewis (Tulsa, Oklahoma) – 7.67 @ 172
5) Brian Briggs (Lake Charles, Louisiana) – 7.77 @ 171
6) Mike Millsap (Sachse, Texas) – 7.86 @ 166
7) Jeff Jones (Garland, Texas) – 7.87 @ 168
8) Ron Muncy (Weatherford, Texas) – 8.11 @ 162
9) Ken Hawkins (Pooleville, Texas) – 8.14 @ 171
10) Mike Buchanan (Goddard, Kansas) – 8.25 @ 160
11) Tera Wendland (Commerce, Texas) – 8.97 @ 96
First Round Eliminations
With nine cars set to battle down the quarter mile, Brian Briggs was the lucky man who drew the bye run as the Louisiana based entry clicked off a 7.80 at 170 mph to advance to the second round.
At the time of the drivers meeting, the Ussery & Coker team were unaware of their mechanical issue and a monster match-up was drawn to put the top two qualifiers, Odie Coker and Ricky Marshall, side by side in the first round. Unfortunately, as the teams prepared to head to the staging lanes, owner and crew chief Ron Ussery discovered the issue and had to withdraw giving Ricky Marshall a competition bye run. Marshall clicked off an 7.81 at 127 mph to advance to the second round.
(Ricky Marshall)
As the first round continued, Richard Brady and Jeff Jones were set to do battle but the “Off-Shore Flash” had issues firing in the waterbox and was unable to make the call, so Brady advanced on a single with a 7.67 at 173 mph to move on to the second round.
(Richard Brady)
Ron Muncy and Mike Millsap lined up next and this one was decided on the starting line as Millsap went red and had the best seat in the house to watch Muncy click off an 8.18 at 160 mph to take the round win.
(Mike Millsap)
Mike Buchanan and Brandon Lewis were out next as the round came to a close. Lewis had this one from start to finish with the starting line advance and quicker elapsed time, posting a 7.65 at 172 mph to take the win over Buchanan’s 8.30 at 160 mph.
First Round Results
(W) Brian Briggs (.071 rt) 7.80 @ 170 mph vs. (L) Competition Bye
(W) Ricky Marshall (.109 rt) 7.81 @ 127 mph vs. (L) Odie Coker (Broke)
(W) Richard Brady (-.019 rt) 7.67 @ 173 mph vs. (L) Jeff Jones (Broke)
(W) Ron Muncy (.004 rt) 8.18 @ 160 mph vs. (L) Mike Millsap (-.374 rt) 13.35 @ 55 mph
(W) Brandon Lewis (.062 rt) 7.65 @ 172 mph vs. (L) Mike Buchanan (.186 rt) 8.30 @ 160 mph
Second Round Eliminations
Ron Muncy was the lucky draw for the competition bye run in the odd-numbered five car second round and posted an 8.23 at 159 mph to kick off the second round of eliminations.
(Ron Muncy)
Ricky Marshall and Richard Brady lined up next in a good looking race on paper, both were sleepy on the tree and Brady spun the tires at the hit of the throttle while Marshall fell off pace to an 8.36 at 148 mph to take the round win and head to the semi-finals.
(Brian Briggs)
In the final pair of the round, Brandon Lewis and Brian Briggs went side by side down the quarter mile in a close drag race. Briggs had the starting line advantage but Lewis closed the gap by half-track and pulled ahead for the win, posting a 7.67 at 172 mph to take out Briggs’ 7.87 at 172 mph.
Second Round Results
(W) Ron Muncy (.028 rt) 8.23 @ 159 mph vs. (L) Competition Bye
(W) Ricky Marshall (.187 rt) 8.36 @ 148 mph vs. (L) Richard Brady (.265 rt) 17.40 @ 54 mph
(W) Brandon Lewis (.093 rt) 7.67 @ 172 mph vs. (L) Brian Briggs (.054 rt) 7.87 @ 172 mph
Semi-Final Round Eliminations
Ricky Marshall this time had the lucky hand in the drawing for pairings, as three cars were ready to run the semi-final, Marshall drew the bye run which would put him straight into the final. Marshall clicked off a strong 7.40 at 158 mph to advance to final round.
(Brandon Lewis)
Ron Muncy and Brandon Lewis were out next to see who would face Marshall in the final. Lewis had a big advantage on paper and took a minimal starting line advantage as the cars left the line. Lewis was out in front as the cars passed the eighth mile but when he went to shift, the car didn’t go into high gear and as the cars neared the stripe Muncy drove around for the win, posting an 8.22 at 159 mph to advance over Lewis’ close 8.32 at 147 mph.
Semi-Final Round Results
(W) Ricky Marshall (.096 rt) 7.40 @ 158 mph vs. (L) Competition Bye
(W) Ron Muncy (.079 rt) 8.22 @ 159 mph vs. (L) Brandon Lewis (.072 rt) 8.32 @ 147 mph
Final Round Eliminations
The drivers sitting number one and two in points heading into San Antonio now found themselves side by side on the starting line in the final round, ready to crown a champ. Marshall was looking for his fifth S.W.J.F.A series win and first since the fall of 2010, while Muncy hoped he could pull off the upset and claim his first series win.
(Final Round: Muncy "Far Lane" vs. Marshall "Near Lane")
Muncy was hungry for a starting line advantage and he got a big one as the cars left the line, Muncy’s .037 to Marshall’s .277. The cars were neck and neck at the eighth mile but Marshall’s horsepower pulled ahead and his strong 7.37 at 166 mph took the win over Muncy’s 8.22 at 159 mph.
Final Round Results
(W) Ricky Marshall (.277 rt) 7.37 @ 166 mph vs. (L) Ron Muncy (.037 rt) 8.22 @ 159 mph
(Ricky Marshall - San Antonio Winner)
“I’d like to thank my sons Kris and Jason, Jim Cullen, and Bob McKray for their help. I couldn’t do this without my crew and that awesome Bob McKray horsepower. Thanks to the Southwest Junior Fuel Association for giving us a place to race and we look forward to the next even in two weeks at Denton,” said Marshall.
The win for the Marshall team kept them atop the Smiley’s Racing Products points standings and Muncy’s runner-up secured him safely in the number two spot. Congratulations to both teams on their successful outings in San Antonio. Richard Brady, Brandon Lewis and Brian Briggs round out the top five in points standings as the Southwest Junior Fuel Association has two weeks off before heading to North Star Dragway, Saturday May 19th, for their third event of the season.
Click Here to see photos from San Antonio.
