TBFA Invades Ben Bruce Raceway
Ben Bruce Raceway - Evadale, TX
March 6th, 2010
Report & Photos: Chris Graves, MaxCacklePhotos.com

The highly anticipated debut of the Texas Blown Fuel Association finally became a reality on March 6th as the TBFA invaded Ben Bruce Raceway in Evadale, Texas. Known for it’s friendly staff, unique appearance and of course those die hard drag racing fans that pack the stands every weekend, Evadale was a perfect fit for the TBFA to host their debut event.

An energetic and eager vibe floated through the pits as the TBFA members couldn’t wait to line up and do some good old drag racing. After the drivers meeting, TBFA President Rick Grindstaff was swarmed with orders for the great looking series t-shirts done by Mallory Prints, with all profits being donated to the Shriners Burn Center in Houston, Texas. Teams returned to their respected pit areas to prepare for the first qualifying session and shortly after the call went out to “bring em’ to the lanes.”

The first session was highlighted by the “Cantankerous” team of Frances and L.H. Newlin who laid down a stout 7.61 at 174 mph in the first pair out. Paul Harris went 7.28 at 181 mph in the Bockman Racing entry and Chris Stouffer took the Meador and Stouffer “Defiant” blown front engine dragster to a great pass at 7.37 at 181 mph. Leonard Ament and team “Black Magic” went 7.51 at 170 mph in their first quarter mile pass on the new blown combination.

“I have never had fans stand up and applaud us as we towed back to the pits, this place is awesome! We are having a blast racing with the Texas Blown Fuel Association, I really think this is going to turn into a great organization and we are going to have a lot of fun,” said Ament after his first pass.

A serious incident occurred during the test n tune session at Ben Bruce Raceway when a truck ended up tagging the wall, busting the nitrous system on the truck and igniting info a big fire. The driver was reported to have a broken leg and minor burns to his hands, thankfully nothing life threatening, and this caused a major delay in the racing activities. Soon after clean-up, another incident occurred when a test n tuner kicked the rods out at half track and ended up tagging both walls. By the time these issues were cleaned up, the track temperature had dropped thirty degrees and it was eight o’clock and getting colder.

The second qualifying session was switched to eighth mile for safety reasons and the majority of the TBFA cars struck the tires immediately as the dew set in and temperatures continued to drop. Considering time, track conditions and safety, the TBFA members and staff collectively agreed to postpone competition and pick up at the next event with a fresh start.

“I want to thank everyone who came out in support of the Texas Blown Fuel Association in Evadale. I also want to thank Fred at Ben Bruce Raceway for giving us the opportunity to hold our first event at their facility,” said Rick Grindstaff. “I feel that there is a huge fan base for these supercharged cars running both quarter and eighth mile. We look forward to the rest of our 2010 events and are eager to welcome more cars to answer the call for first round!”

Click Here to see photos from this event.