Dawson Scores Second Straight Win
to Lead Points into OFAA Finals

The fifth of six Outlaw Fuel Altered Association points races was held Saturday, October 1st at North Star Dragway in Denton, Texas. The OFAA series, presented by Lone Star Forklift, welcomed eleven fuel altereds to the property. All eyes were on three particular drivers who found themselves in a heated Championship battle for the 2016 OFAA series title. Nick Poloson and team "Sundown" entered this event with just an eight point lead over Donny McSwain's "Wild One" entry. Our most recent winner, Raymond Dawson and team "High Octane" sat comfortably in third just three points behind McSwain as an eleven point gap separated the top three.

Qualifying Highlights:

Every round would prove critical to these three drivers but rest assured their competition was focused on nothing but playing the spoiler and no mercy was shown. After two rounds of qualifying under the eyes of a great crowd at North Star Dragway, Ken Singleton and the "High Risk" team scored the top qualifying spot with a 4.023, with Eric Buchanan a close second with a 4.028. Raymond Dawson's 4.06 qualified third as Mark Billington and Jimmy Jones rounded out the top five heading into eliminations. In an unexpected turn of events, Championship contender Donny McSwain could only muster a 4.53 in the first session and in the second session an oil line leak forced the crew to shut him off on the starting line. The 4.53 simply wasn't enough to make the ten car field as Clint Cross and team "Crossways" slid in on the bump with a 4.44. This DNQ for McSwain all but ended his title chances.

(Mark Billington)

(Donny McSwain)

To make things more interesting, a gargantuan first round match up developed on the ladder as number three qualifier Dawson and number eight qualifier Poloson were set for a first round bout that would have huge implications in the Championship run for both drivers. Teams made their final adjustments before the all-important first round as the call went out to bring them to the staging lanes.

(Nick Poloson)

(Mary Reep)

(Clint Cross)

Final Qualifying Order:

1. Ken Singleton (Chickasha, OK) - 4.023 (3.976)
2. Eric Buchanan (Justin, TX) - 4.028 (3.971)
3. Raymond Dawson (Nevada, TX) - 4.06
4. Mark Billington (Prosper, TX) - 4.07
5. Jimmy Jones (Cleburne, TX) - 4.09
6. Donnie Massey (Little Elm, TX) - 4.10 (3.89)
7. Mary Reep (Austin, TX) - 4.12 (3.87)
8. Nick Poloson (Bulverde, TX) - 4.13
9. Mark Bowman (Oklahoma City, OK) - 4.26
10. Clint Cross (Crossroads, TX) - 4.44
11. Donny McSwain (Rockwall, TX) - 4.53

Eliminations:

(Raymond Dawson)

Who else would tow up and be the first pair out besides Dawson and Poloson as the pressure was on and it was time to fire them up. Dawson's Danny Wright tuned blown alcohol car came to life alongside Poloson's Tom Wood tuned nitro burner. Not only the win light, but the numbers were also key here as the two quickest winners without going under the cap would advance to the final round. The cars were off the line together, but Poloson had issues early and could do nothing but watch Dawson blast to a 4.12 at 144 mph win.

(Eric Buchanan)

Mary Reep and Eric Buchanan were up next and this one ended early with a -.183 red light by Buchanan. Reep laid down a solid 4.02 at 184 mph in the "Grim Reeper" for the win. Mark Billington was out next lined up with Mark Bowman. Billington took a huge starting line advantage and obliterated the scoreboards with a 3.67 at 199 mph, impressive, but not a final round ticket as he ran well under the cap. Jimmy Jones and Clint Cross fired up as eliminations continued and despite a pedal job, Jones' 4.56 at 161 mph took the win over Cross' 4.98 early shutoff run.

(Mark Bowman)

(Jimmy Jones)

Donnie Massey and Ken Singleton were set to close the round and Massey's "Showtime" entry made a move for the centerline taking out the mph cone on a 4.02 at 151 mph pass, giving Singleton the win light with a 4.25 at 122 mph. Reep and Dawson were the two quickest eligible winners, but Reep found problems back in the pits after first round and the third quickest winner, Ken Singleton was inserted into the final round to take on the Championship contender Dawson.

(Donnie Massey)

(Ken Singleton)

First Round Results:

(W) Raymond Dawson (.110 rt) 4.12 @ 144 vs. (L) Nick Poloson (.128 rt) 6.18 @ 77
(W) Mary Reep (.028 rt) 4.04 @ 184 vs. (L) Eric Buchanan (-.183 rt) 12.32 @ 66
(W) Mark Billington (.153 rt) 3.67 @ 199 vs. (L) Mark Bowman (.426 rt) 7.17 @ 60
(W) Jimmy Jones (.089 rt) 4.56 @ 161 vs. (L) Clint Cross (3.23 rt) 4.98 @ 101
(W) Ken Singleton (.047 rt) 4.25 @ 122 vs. (L) Donnie Massey (.139 rt) 4.02 @ 151 (foul)

Dawson and company were looking to claim their second straight OFAA event win after winning a few weeks prior in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Mathematically, they had already taken the points lead from Poloson after winning first round and any extra points were certainly welcome. Singleton was fresh off his win a few weeks prior in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the Central States Superchargers series and now hunting his first OFAA event win.

Just past midnight, the finalists brought their engines to life and laid down the final long smoky burnouts of the night. The crew chiefs guided their drivers into the stage beams and walked away, it was all up to Dawson and Singleton now. At the flash of amber, Singleton took a slight starting line advantage but Dawson closed that gap quickly. At the stripe, Dawson's 3.93 at 170 mph took the win over Singleton's 4.35 as Dawson and company scored their second straight OFAA victory and will hold a precious nine point lead over Poloson with just one event remaining.

Final Round Results:

(W) Raymond Dawson (.072 rt) 3.93 @ 170 vs. (L) Ken Singleton (.057 rt) 4.35 @ 150

(Winner - Raymond Dawson)

Quite a stage has been set for the OFAA Championship Finals to be held Saturday, October 22nd at San Antonio Raceway. It just so happens this is also the hometown track for team "Sundown" of Wood & Poloson as they look to re-claim their points lead in front of their hometown fans. That task certainly won't be easy as Dawson and company will be on their game. We are guaranteed a first time OFAA Champion and wish both contenders the best of luck! It's going to be one great run to the finish and well deserved title to the eventual Champion. The OFAA would like to thank Lone Star Forklift, Good Vibrations Motorsports, Meyer Enterprises and Grim Reeper Racing for their support this season.

Click Here to see photos from Denton!