The IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series was at its newly acquired track, Virginia Motorsports Park, this past weekend. All classes are steadily seeing increased car counts, which adds even more excitement for fans.
Top Alcohol Funny Car
The Top Alcohol Funny Car class had ten cars on the property this weekend. Leading the field into race day was Chip Beverett with a 3.612 at 213.27 mph run. Beverett picked up wins over Bruce Mullins and Melinda Green-King on his way to the finals. On the other side of the ladder, Phil Esz, the number three qualifier, advanced through rounds with wins against Ryan Stack in round one and DJ Cox in the semifinals.
The final-round matchup between Phil Esz and Chip Beverett was a close one. Beverett had the starting-line advantage, but at the stripe, it was Esz who edged him out for the win. Esz ran 3.592 at 213.77 mph to Beverett’s 3.611 at 212.63 mph, with a margin of victory of just 0.003 seconds. Esz also recorded the low elapsed time in every round of eliminations.
Top Alcohol Dragster
Jamie Noonan took the top qualifying spot among ten Top Alcohol Dragsters with a run of 3.470 at 230.49 mph. Noonan would come up short in the semifinals against the number five qualifier, Jackie Fricke, allowing Fricke to advance to the finals. On the other side, Joey Severance picked up round wins against Jeff Chatterson and Megan Smith to set up a final-round matchup with Fricke.
At the start, Severance had a significant advantage, but ran into problems down track. That allowed Fricke to drive around him, take the win light, and secure a trip to the winner’s circle.
Pro Mod
In Pro Mod, veteran Randy Weatherford, driving his Harts Charger Camaro, secured the number one qualifying spot with a 3.560 at 211.39 mph. In eliminations, the number three qualifier faced the number eight qualifier, Tony Wilson, who was driving Ed Burnley’s Ironman Camaro. As the pair lined up, Wilson had the better reaction time and went on to take the win.
Wilson ran 3.586 at 209.04 mph to Harris’ 3.661 at 173.74 mph.
Outlaw Pro Mod
Mike Decker Jr. made the move from Pro Mod to Outlaw Pro Mod this weekend and took the number one qualifying spot. Decker advanced to the semifinals, where he fell to Hank Stubbs, sending Stubbs to the finals. On the other side, the number three qualifier, Bubba Stanton, earned wins over Chevy Reeves, Frankie Taylor, and Randy Weatherford to reach the finals.
The final-round matchup between Hank Stubbs and Bubba Stanton was expected to be competitive, but Stubbs went red at the start, allowing Stanton to take the win. Stanton went on to run 3.501 at 219.08 mph, which set the low elapsed time for eliminations.
Mountain Motor Pro Stock
Mountain Motor Pro Stock had the largest field of the weekend, with 23 cars competing for a 16-car field. Matt Giangrande led qualifying with his Q2 run of 4.019 at 180.02 mph. As eliminations progressed, Jordan Ensslin and Johnny Pluchino worked their way through the field.
In the semifinals, Ensslin faced John DeFlorian. Initially, it appeared Ensslin had won, but a timing system issue on DeFlorian’s side required a rerun. Ensslin secured the official win in the rerun.
The finals featured a familiar matchup between Johnny Pluchino and Jordan Ensslin—a rematch from the previous event in Benson. Ensslin had a slight starting-line advantage, but Pluchino’s Mustang powered down the track to secure back-to-back wins. Pluchino ran 4.014 at 180.21 mph to Ensslin’s 4.032 at 178.54 mph. It was also announced that Pluchino’s run set new elapsed time and mile-per-hour records.
Funny Car
Ten Funny Cars competed for the IHRA Ironman and a large payday. Multi-time number one qualifier Del Worsham took the top spot with a 3.228 at 281.01 mph run. Worsham picked up round wins over Dan Hix and Terry Haddock. Haddock suffered a major engine failure that triggered a fire, but he was unharmed.
Starting from the number three position, Dale Creasy Jr. advanced to another final round with wins over Joseph Haas and Jacob McNeal, setting up a rematch with Worsham.
Both drivers left the line with nearly identical reaction times, but Creasy took control down track. He recorded the low elapsed time of the weekend with a 3.194 at 278.40 mph, defeating Worsham’s 3.260 at 277.32 mph for the event win.
Top Fuel
The eight-car Top Fuel field was led by Gary Pritchett, who qualified number one with a 3.033 at 277.78 mph. In round one, Pritchett earned a holeshot win over Dan Mercier, running 3.085 at 282.95 mph to Mercier’s quicker but losing 3.080 at 285.23 mph.
Pritchett then defeated Kyle Satenstein in round two, advancing to back-to-back final rounds. On the other side, number two qualifier Scott Palmer advanced with wins over Chuck Loftin and Lee Callaway. In the final, Pritchett had a slight starting-line advantage, but Palmer posted the quicker run. Palmer’s 3.075 at 270.54 mph denied Pritchett back-to-back wins.
Small Tire Bratz
In the no-time Small Tire Bratz class, Tom “Jimmy Dale” Gunner faced Benson event winner Corey Reed in the finals. Reed secured the win, earning back-to-back appearances in the winners’ circle.
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