Texas Scooter Times

TOP FUEL ELEMINATOR

…Metalcraft Racing’s Hal Cort rode a 5.06 pass at 144.88 miles an hour for a solo Top Fuel Win at the 27th Temple "All Harley" Party Drags at Robert "Hutch"
Hutchison’s Little River Dragway. The Labor Day Weekend Victory for "Houston Hal" was at the expense of Jerry Griffin. Griffin’s Kansas based Fastcat fueler
and Cort’s were ready for the battle of the 2 quickest bikes at the Temple 1/8th mile, but Griffin’s bike failed to cooperate during fire up. Both bikes had run
near identical 5.05 single runs in the semi’s and were both loaded heavily for the Final, looking for a win and the first "4" of the weekend.
…Dallas Harley Davidson’s Jocko Mitchell also sponsored by Phillip’s Garage and Ace Powder Coating, Scott Bennett sponsored by Energy One Clutches,
Amzoil, Windham Mfg., and the Fun Factory along with Austin’s Car Crafter’s Zach Sayer fell by the wayside during the Top Fuel Battle at "the river" as did
the Mike Anderson BBQ entry of Clay Holcomb.
…Cort, who had a Semi- Final finish at last year’s Labor Day Weekend drags also had the quickest bike during Sunday’s Eleminations when during his first
round win over Mitchell when he went 5.035 to Mitchell’s 5.43. The Crowd was really getting into the Top Fuel Eleminations as the field was quick and tight.
Clay Holcomb, tuned by nitro harley veteran Paul Jones was right "in the hunt" as he show’d with his 1st round victory over Zach Sayer who lost with a 5.18
to Clay’s 5.11.
…On the other end of the ladder, Jerry Griffin was showing his horsepower when he turned in a 148.16 mph blast that took out Rowlett’s Scott Bennett 5.13 to
5.61 in the First Round. Griffin earlier had set Low E. T. of the Meet and Top Speed of the Meet with his 5.027 Saturday qualifying pass at 153.11 miles per
hour. The Beer Stand set up by Texas Proud Custom Cycles did pretty good all weekend long - ‘cept for when the Top Fuel Finals were called. Everybody
watched the "heartbreaker" as Griffin’s bike didn’t fire and then after Cort made his pass, the crowd applauded the Kansas Team.
…..Next Time!!! Next Year…. was heard several times during the Eleminations!!!

TOP ALCOHOL ELEMINATOR

…Top Alcohol Eleminator Labor Day Weekend was a battle to just get into as the full 8 bike field had non qualified racers looking from Little River Dragway’s
fence line when the First Round was called Sunday Afternoon.
…The Dragon’s Breath Tattoo entry of Norman "Shorty" Reed was Low E.T. Qualifier and the Crowd Favorite too by listening to the "hootin’ & hollarin’" that
went on everytime the East Texas based team came to the starting line. Whether their National Championship contending team pitted next to the
mechanical bull ride on purpose or not, a story of consisting of - Saturday Nite - a bottle of hooch - and Reed who used to earn a good bit of money riding
real bulls, is still circulating around….
…Reed handled good friend Jeff Brown’s off pace 7.15 with a stout 5.41 @126 in the first pair. Hollywood’s Motorcycle Emporium’s rider Mike Dolese got a
bye run in the first round as the Crossroad’s Bar, Truett & Osborn sponsored entry of Wichita Kansas’ Wes Jordan wasn’t able to make the call after breaking
on his last Saturday pass.
…On the other side of the ladder, John "The Jet" Peek who’d been experiencing his own demons during qualifying laid a 5.59 @ 123 on Austin’s Billy
Shoemaker who carded a game 6.16 on his V-Rod Destroyer. In the Final pair, V-Twin Solutions’ Lloyd Stenerson got eleminated by Austin’s Paul Saustrop.
The B & S Racing Team sponsored by Central Machine and Machado Speed & Custom ran a 6.12 to Stenerson’s off pace 7.31 lap.
…In the Semi’s, Reed got a break when his ½ second off 6.02 e.t. still took out Paul Saustrop’s 6.20. Peek then flexed his 176" Top Alcohol dragster’s muscle
to the tune of 5.53 taking out Hollywood’s team.
…The Top Alcohol Final didn’t happen either. The 2 mid 5 second dragsters were lit and ready to stage and with the crowd on it’s feet, Reed’s bike sputtered
and died. Peek staged and took the race winnings back to his Full Throttle Custom Cycles in Houston. Shortys team quickly found that the fuel pump’s
electrical connection had failed. Everybody that seen the Final, know that there’s "unfinished business" between these 2 hard charging Run-What-You-Brung
Texas Based Top Alcohol Harleys. And they also know, it’ll probably be at Temple!!!

SPORTSMAN

…,In Sportsman Trophy Class action, Madisonville’s Bobby Drake won Street Racer FL Evo Class over Billy Shoemaker in the Final, 7.53 to 7.73 after Lake
Kiowa’s Lee Broots and Manchac’s Jim McLaughlin were eleminated. The Drag Modified Sportster Class was won by League City’s Michael M. who ran a
6.98 in the final against Pat Cole’s Double Vision sponsored bike. Mick Perisho, Nick Eskildsen, & Daniel Edwards Calhoun Louisiana entrys in the class made
the 5150 Racing Team’s victory even that much better. Paul Saustrop took X Drag Modified XL gold with a 6.26 victory over Nick Eskildsen’s 7.07 in the class
for Sportster Drag Bikes with engines between 76" and 93".
…F Class for Hot Street Sportsters came down to Denny Davis & Doug Meador after race sponsor Keith Moore of Moore Air, Gary Verlinden and Pastor Sam
Sassaman sponsored by "Ain’t God Good" was eleminated. THIS TIME Davis took the win with a 6.99 over Meador’s 7.16. Both bikes ran 99 miles per hour. A
hotly contested Stock FL 2-Cam Class went to Mike Davis whose 7.87 took out Olin Manning’s 7.96. Richard Walker’s R & D Racing, Jerry Rose, Normangee’s
Jim Seelye, and Waco’s Renie "Sleepy" Carrizales sponsored by Vortex, Benny’s Hog Shed, Angel Anne’s and Smokin’ Rayz Bar kept up the heat on Davis,
a 2nd Generation Harley Drag Racer.
…The V-Rod Clas was taken by The Grey Ghost M/C entry of Christopher McKay who took on Gringo of the Fort Worth Bandidos in the final after Eric
Copeland was eleminated. Hot Street FL Evo was taken by Bike L1 over Forney’s Charles Starkey. (L1’s Tech Card was misplaced evidentually and if they’d
e-mail "mailto:red@texasscooter.com" and tell me who they are and send me a photo - It’ll sure get on the web site!!)
…There were lots of racers with single entries in their classes that got trophys too and as the Afternoon went on they readied for Macho Eleminator the
handicap race for Trophy Winners ONLY.
…In the First Round Ralph May’s Stock XL Evo took out Mike Davis’ Stock FL 2-Cam entry on a double break out close race. Then Mike’s Daddy Denny who
won Hot Street XL took out the Buell Blast 500cc Class Winner Hayle Robinson with a holeshot making the difference. Then Street Racer Fl Evo Winner
Bobby Drake won over Hot Street FL Evo winner Mark Gregory with a 7.49 on a 7.45 dial in to the Mark’s Auto Repair entrys 7.61 on his 7.60 dial, also a
holeshot deal. Nick Eskildsen then took out the V-Rod of Billy Shoemaker who really had an off pass. The final pair in the first round was the V-Rod Winning
entry of Chris McKay and Southern Motorcycles Eric Eskildsen’s Stock XXK Entry. McKay took the win with a holeshot over Eskildsen’s near perfect pass
where he went 8.101 on a 8.10 dial.
…Ralph May took out Christopher McKay in the 2nd Round with a 9.00 on an 8.99 dial in and Nick Eskildsen and Bobby Drake advanced when their
competition couldn’t make it to the line.
…Eskildsen took out Bobby Drake in the Semi Finals as Bobby got a red light, Ralph May drew the bye run and the Finals were set.
…55 year old Ralph May on his 2004 Stock XL Evo dialed in an 8.99 and in the other lane, 29 year old Nick Eskildsen of the famed 5150 Racing Team out of
Conroe dialed a 7.02. The youngster Eskildsen jumped May almost /10th of a second off the line but May laid out a better package with a 9.14 on the 8.99 dial
to Nick’s 7.41 on his 7.02. Ralph May took a well deserved win and the Big Macho Eleminator Trophy along with a few bucks home…
…..Quite The RACE!!!!!!!!!!