***RACE REPORT FROM EVENT #5....HMP...June 6th*** -- Texas Pro Stock Association Message Board

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Date Posted: 06/11/11 8:37pm
Author: .
Subject:

***RACE REPORT FROM EVENT #5....HMP...June 6th***

Since the Pit Pundit is taking some time off, a "guest pen" offered to sidle up to the keyboard and give it a shot...did a fine job too! Thanks for contributing and come back anytime! If there's anyone else out there that would like to do a race report or contribute to the message board content all ya gotta do is give ol' DH a holler.

Several teams rolled into the gates of Houston Motorsports Park on Friday evening, in an effort to get a jump start on preparations for the 5th race of the 2011 season. Knowing the conditions would be very different from the last race, several teams got in a few laps to get ready for the following evenings race.

The weather in Houston was very typical of a summer day, with high temperatures all week hovering around the 100* mark. Everyone knew there wouldn�t be any records set this weekend, as this was our first taste of warm weather racing for the year.

As qualifying began, the conditions were in the 2500� DA range, with the temp in the low 90�s and humidity around 30%. Low qualifying honors went to Team O President Richard Otwell with a 4.597 in the Xtreme class, and Lance Abbott grabbed the pole in the Pro class with a stout 4.796.

Xtreme 1st Round� The first pair fired up and rolled through the water box, and in a rematch of last race�s first round, it would feature Larry Pearce and Rick Hanson. Both of these teams have had their share of �work� this season, and Hanson�s struggles would continue as his off pace 4.93 would fall victim to Pearce�s 4.64 at 151.21 mph. Hang in there Rick, that hot rod will come around. 2nd pair would feature the heavyweight contenders Joe Pigford and Richard Otwell. Otwell tuned by Billy Stocklin, and Pigford tuned by Chad Rodgers, would ensure that these hotrods would leave nothing on the table. These two have had their share of battles, and this race would not disappoint as Joe�s 4.639 at 148.22 would turn on the win light, in a holeshot win, as Richards 4.588 at 151.57 would not be enough to run down Pigford�s stellar .017 reaction time. Otwell would set top speed of the race in a losing effort. 3rd and final pair would feature Rick Cowger and Roy Pigford. Both of these teams are hungry for a win, and this should be an exciting race, but as the cars stage, Roy�s GXP leaves before the tree is activated, and turns on the win light in Cowger�s lane. Rick runs it to about 600� and shuts her down to a 4.62 at 142.63.

Pro 1st Round� Newcomers Robert Malone, running out of the Team O stables, would debut his GTO against the young veteran Aaron Hubbard. Burnouts complete and as the cars prepare to stage, something is apparently wrong with Hubbard�s hot rod. Robert would win his first round of competition with a 4.82 at 138.21, as Aaron sat silently on the starting line. Back in the pits the gremlin was found to be a deteriorating fuel line causing problems with the carburetor. 2nd pair to fire up would be the Abbott Racing Heads entry with son Lance at the wheel, against the lone Ford driven by Bill Beck. Beck would leave first, but his 4.92 could not hold off the hard charging pick up truck, and Lance would advance to the semis with another great pass of 4.78 at 146.06 mph. Donald Hughes would draw the bye run, and shuts off to a 6.02 saving some c-25 for the semis.

Xtreme Semis� Joe Pigford would square off against current points leader Larry Pearce, and the two were pretty evenly matched on paper. Burnouts completed, and both stage without drama, and in a very good ol� drag race Joe turns on the win light with a 4.645 at 150.10 mph to Pearce�s 4.646 at 151.11 mph. Rick Cowger would get the bye run, and give son and tuner, Kevin Cowger, a chance to see what kind of aggression the Dean Baker prepped surface could handle. Rick launched, wheels up and shut it off about 200� out and would coast into the finals where he would meet Joe Pigford.

Pro Semis� Robert Malone, the newcomer, the rookie, the new guy, as some called him, would square off against another seasoned veteran Donald Hughes. These two cars looked pretty evenly matched on paper, and the car that left first and green would probably get the green here. Robert rolls into the water and gives his best John Force effort in the burnout, while Donald does a short and easy burnout and prepares to stage. As the tree goes green, Hughes is out first with a huge holeshot, and Malone would need a monster run to catch him. Scoreboard lights up on Donald�s side with a holeshot win with his 4.86 beating Malone�s 4.81 at 141.78 mph. Malone got a lot of advice and encouragement after the race, and we look forward to having his team race with us in the future. Lance Abbott, driving the long haul from west Texas, would get the bye, and runs another 4.78 to advance into the finals.

Xtreme Finals� Joe Pigford had single handedly defeated 2/3 of the Team O xtreme entries, and would match up against the C&W team with Rick Cowger at the wheel. Could Joe stop all three NRC/Slick Rick Racing Heads entries with his Reher-Morrison powered machine, and collect his first win of the year? He certainly had momentum on his side, but the Cowger team were plenty hungry for a win as well. This would certainly provide all the ingredients for a great final round matchup. Both cars fire and complete side by side smoky burnouts, and both stage without trouble. Green flashes and Joe is first off the line, but the red machine of Cowger�s is charging hard. Would he have enough racetrack to run down Joe? Rick catches him and lights the scoreboard with low et of the race, a 4.587 at 151.06 mph to Joe�s 4.627 150.00 mph. The celebration on the starting line was something to see, as the Cowger-Wood team enjoyed their first win as a team, and Rick Cowger�s first win since the 2004 season.

Pro Finals� Donald Hughes and Lance Abbott would square off in the Pro Finals, and with both drivers having the reputation of being able to saw the tree down, we knew this would be a great drag race. Donald being helped this weekend by the Robinson and Wilkerson team, and Lance with father Kenneth�s help, would fire em� up and roll into the water. Burnouts complete, and both drivers stage, Donald gets the slight starting line advantage, but the truck is charging hard. Lance drives around and takes the win with a 4.75 at 146.10 mph, low et of the event. Donald posts a 4.83 at 144.60 mph, and leaves with the points lead.

A great night of racing, wonderful track prep from the Baker family and crew, and awesome fans made this a night to remember for many of us.

Thanks again to the Bakers and HMP for allowing us to be part of their program.

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[> Sorry to hear this! Just talked to him a few days ago. Get well Tommy! -- Greg Good, 06/11/11 10:50pm

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