Matthews Enjoys a “Super” Chevy at the Motorplex
Super Chevy Show @ The Texas Motorplex – Ennis, TX – Saturday, June 4th, 2011
Event #3 of 8
Photos: Max Cackle Photography
The Texas Blown Fuel Association held their third event of the 2011 racing season on Saturday, June 4th at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas; headlining the exhibition portion of the highly anticipated Super Chevy Show. A twelve car field of all blown nostalgia drag racing machines came ready to do battle on the all concrete Texas Motorplex quarter mile under the eyes of a strong and eager crowd, despite the hottest temperatures of the year with the mercury flirting on the 100 degree line.
The eager fans who rolled into the Motorplex on Friday night for “Fast Friday” were treated to a few exhibition / test runs from three TBFA teams including Rick Grindstaff, Chris Stouffer and Willie Brainerd. These exhibition passes earned them five bonus points and gave them a hopeful advantage on their quarter mile tune-up.
(Chris Stouffer)
(Rick Grindstaff)
The T.B.F.A series welcomed the return of L.H. and Frances Newlin to the fun in the “Cantankerous” blown altered after a brief hiatus, which was spent rebuilding their blown BBC. The series also welcomed the Johnson Family Racing “Blown Bee” front engine dragster driven by Cole Johnson. The teams warmed up and made final adjustments before heading to the lanes and following the national anthem, the call went out to fire em’ up for the first qualifying session.
(L.H. Newlin)
(Willie Brainerd)
(Rick Grindstaff)
Qualifying Highlights:
The opening round was forgettable for some as Rick Grindstaff "Quarterflash" dragster was immediately plagued by ignition problems which ended his Super Chevy outing. Wes Breiten lost the reverser in the “Bad O-Man” blown altered and also found himself on the trailer earlier than expected. Bad luck for some, but others enjoyed some solid passes including points leader Willie Brainerd, in the “Black Gold” blown front motor dragster who clicked off a nice 7.77 at 170 mph. Rich Witko put the “Terminator” blown funny car in the field, also with a 7.77 elapsed time, after laying down a burnout that took him almost to the 1,000 foot cone!
(Wes Breiten)
(Rich Witko)
Mike Wheeler laid down low elapsed time of the event, although far under the 7.60 index, with a 7.11 at 183 mph in the “Rapture” blown altered. Steve Matthews wheeled his blown slingshot dragster to a nice 7.595 at 158 mph, just five thousandths under the index. Don Holley laid down an 8.57 at 145 mph to get the “Rattlebone” rail in the show and Dustin Johnson wheeled the “Fair Warning” blown altered to a nice 7.81 at 170 mph. Chris Stouffer grabbed the number one spot after the first session with a strong 7.63 at 173 mph in the “Defiant” blown slingshot as the teams returned to the pits to prepare for the final qualifying session.
(Steve Matthews)
(Dustin Johnson)
The second session brought improvements for a few teams including Rich Witko, who blasted to a 7.66 at 145 mph in the “Terminator” blown trans-am funny car which qualified him number two. Mike Wheeler blasted down the quarter mile to a 7.33 at 187 mph, still far under the index, but getting closer. Chris Stouffer laid down another solid pass with a 7.72 at 174 mph in the “Defiant” slingshot, proving the 2010 Championship runner-up was ready for first round eliminations as the most consistent car during qualifying and earning the JamWorks Chassis & Competition Sales of Dallas #1 Qualifier Bonuses, marking Stouffer’s second consecutive start from the top spot.
(Chris Stouffer)
2010 Championship team, Leonard Ament and team “Black Magic” missed the first session but clicked off a pedaling 8.66 at 149 mph to get a spot in the Super Chevy field. L.H. Newlin had a few gremlins in his return in the “Cantankerous” blown altered, discovering a blown intake gasket after his second qualifying pass, which put him on the sideline earlier than expected, yet it was still a wonderful sight to see the Newlin’s back at the track. Cole Johnson was plagued by throttle linkage issues throughout the event in the “Blown Bee” front engine dragster but the team is turning the corner on the tune-up and hope for a solid outing in their next appearance. Qualifying concluded and the teams returned to the pits to prepare for eliminations and get a break from the relentless heat.
(Cole Johnson)
Final Qualifying Order:
1. Chris Stouffer (Cleburne, Texas) – 7.63 @ 173
2. Rich Witko (Denton, Texas) – 7.66 @ 146
3. Willie Brainerd (Mounds, Oklahoma) – 7.77 @ 170
4. Dustin Johnson (Davis, Oklahoma) – 7.81 @ 170
5. Don Holley (Denton, Texas) – 8.57 @ 145
6. Leonard Ament (Denton, Texas) – 8.66 @ 149
7. L.H. Newlin (Tolar, Texas) – 12.47 @ 79
8. Cole Johnson (Houston, Texas) – 17.44 @ 51
9. Steve Matthews (Ardmore, Oklahoma) – 20.85 @ 39
10. Mike Wheeler (Paradise, Texas) – 7.33 @ 187
11. Wes Breiten (Wolfe City, Texas) – No Time
12. Rick Grindstaff (Dickinson, Texas) – No Time
(Don Holley)
The call went out for the first round of eliminations as the heat continued to bear down on the Texas Motorplex. Mike Wheeler and Don Holley kicked off the action as Wheeler laid down a hide blazing eighth mile burnout, earning him the Max Cackle Photos.com “Best Burnout” bonus. Wheeler’s momentum continued as he was on the favorable end of a red light by Don Holley, by just -.029 of a second, as Wheeler clicked off a 7.77 at 137 mph to advance over Holley’s 8.02 at 178 mph in the “Rattlebone” slingshot.
(Mike Wheeler)
The next pairing brought a battle of heavyweights as Leonard Ament and the “Black Magic” blown Fiat squared off with points leader and currently undefeated Willie Brainerd in the “Black Gold” blown rail. Ament got a huge advantage off the line and was out front by a nose as the cars passed the eighth mile. As they neared the traps it sounded like Ament pedaled it to ensure he didn’t beat himself by breaking out, then saw Brainerd pull ahead and got back in the throttle, but it was too late as Brainerd took the stripe and the win with a 7.86 at 145 mph to Ament’s 8.17 at 150 mph in a great drag race.
(Leonard Ament)
(Steve Matthews)
Next out was a pair of silver blown front engine dragsters as Chris Stouffer and Steve Matthews lined up in what would be another great side by side drag race. Stouffer had the advantage off the starting line, the best reaction time of the first round (.073) which earned him the Good Vibrations “Quick Reaction Time” Bonus. As the slingshots blasted down the quarter mile side by side, Matthews pulled ahead at the top end to take the win and knock out the number one qualifier with a 7.70 at 149 mph over Stouffer’s 7.78 at 172 mph.
(Rich Witko)
In the final pair of the opening elimination round, Rich Witko lined up his “Terminator” blown funny car against the “Fair Warning” blown altered of Dustin Johnson. Johnson had discovered a broken frame rail preparing for the opening round and answered the call knowing he couldn’t go safely down the track, simply idling up to the starting line and staging the car, hoping to benefit from a red light or crossed centerline from Witko, who laid down a monster eighth mile burnout. Witko was off the line with a green light and ran it to the eighth mile, taking the win with a 8.54 at 114 mph and advancing to the semi-final.
First Round Results:
(W) Mike Wheeler (.225 rt) 7.77 @ 137 mph vs. (L) Don Holley (-.029 rt) 8.02@ 178 mph
(W) Willie Brainerd (.224 rt) 7.86 @ 145 mph vs. (L) Leonard Ament (.132 rt) 8.17 @ 150 mph
(W) Steve Matthews (.100 rt) 7.70 @ 149 mph vs. (L) Chris Stouffer (.073 rt) 7.78 @ 172 mph
(W) Rich Witko (.312 rt) 8.54 @ 114 mph vs. (L) Dustin Johnson (No Time)
Entering the semi-final round at the Texas Motorplex, Willie Brainerd still hadn’t been beat in the 2011 racing season, a streak Mike Wheeler hoped to end as they laid down side by side burnouts to kick off the final four. Wheeler was obviously pumped up and that anticipation got the best of him on the line when he went red by -.041 handing Brainerd the win. To make it worse, Wheeler blasted to a near perfect 7.65 at 185 mph which would have taken the win over Brainerd’s break out 7.46 at 147 mph. But Wheeler’s foul was both first, and worst, which advanced Brainerd to his third straight final round in Texas Blown Fuel competition, still undefeated.
(Willie Brainerd (Near) vs. Mike Wheeler (Far))
In the next pair, Steve Matthews lined up with Rich Witko in a great side by side drag race. Matthews was on his game on the tree with a .046 light to Witko’s .281. Matthews continued to pull ahead but Witko was right on his heels as they neared the quarter mile. Matthews lit the boards with a winning 7.62 at 156 mph to Witko’s 7.80 at 137 mph and advanced to his first T.B.F.A. final round against red hot Willie Brainerd.
(Steve Matthews (Far) vs. Rich Witko (Near))
Semi-Final Results:
(W) Willie Brainerd (.035 rt) 7.46 & 147 mph vs. (L) Mike Wheeler (-.041) 7.65 @ 185 mph
(W) Steve Matthews (.046 rt) 7.62 & 156 mph vs. (L) Rich Witko (.281 rt) 7.80 @ 137 mph
Brainerd and Matthews ended the drag racing action along with the other final round match-ups of the bracket classes as Saturday’s Super Chevy Show winners were soon to be crowned. The cars crept into the beams and were off the line with identical .105 reaction times and were still side by side at the eighth mile. As they neared the stripe Matthews got the win in a double break out as Matthews’ 7.56 won over Brainerd’s 7.55 on the 7.60 index.
Final Round Results:
(W) Steve Matthews (.103 rt) 7.56 @ 177 mph vs. (L) Willie Brainerd (.103 rt) 7.55 @ 178 mph
(Steve Matthews (Far) vs. Willie Brainerd (Near))
Matthews’ team erupted in celebration on the starting line as they notched their first win with the Texas Blown Fuel series in just their second start. After battling through the heat and tough elimination match-ups, it was an impressive win for Matthews and company. Matthews bested the number one qualifier in round one, took out the strong running funny car in the semis and defeated the points leader in the finals! The winners circle celebration told the story, a fine group of smiling faces for the winner and runner-up in what concluded another successful outing for the Texas Blown Fuel series at the 2011 Super Chevy Show at the Texas Motorplex.
(Steve Matthews & Team - Texas Motorplex Winners)
"We greatly appreciate the Texas Motorplex staff for having confidence in our group for one of their biggest events of the year. Steve Matthews and the entire group put on a fantastic show with one of the closest final rounds in our history and we are looking forward to the next event at North Star Dragway, July 2nd," said T.B.F.A. President Rick Grindstaff.
(Willie & Kat Brainerd - Team "Black Gold" - Runner Up)
Willie Brainerd remains your points leader and can look forward to returning to North Star Dragway for the next event, where he won in April. Chris Stouffer is holding strong in second place with Dustin Johnson, Leonard Ament and Rick Grindstaff rounding out the top five as we get closer to the halfway point of the season. The next outing for the Texas Blown Fuel series will be on Saturday, July 2nd at North Star Dragway where the series will entertain along with the Southwest Junior Fuel Association in a highly anticipated event. The Texas Blown Fuel Association would like to thank Good Vibrations, JamWorks Chassis, Competition Sales of Dallas, Max Cackle Photography and Brodix Cylinder Heads for their support of the 2011 bonus programs.
Click Here to see photos from this event!
Good Vibrations Quick Reaction Time Bonus - Chris Stouffer (.073)
JamWorks Chassis Top Qualifier Bonus - Chris Stouffer
Max Cackle Photos.com Best Burnout - Mike Wheeler
Competition Sales of Dallas #1 Qualifier - Chris Stouffer
