The 18th annual Holcomb Motorsports Outlaw Civil Wars put a fitting end to the Outlaw Drag racing season in the Carolinas. The weekend saw the first cold temperatures in the area and provided ideal racing conditions. The Holcomb event is one of the largest and longest running all-doorslammer drag race events in the nation. Started in 1995 as a North vs South all-Ford show, it has evolved over the years to welcome all makes and models, featuring classes to accommodate most any racer.
CFM Outlaw 275 saw a final round battle between two Civil War local veterans, with Josh Gross of Sanford, N.C. in his 2000 Camaro taking the win over Jason Tyson of New Bern, N.C. and his 1985 Mustang. Gross’s winning time of 4.78 at 152.07 MPH bested Tyson’s broken 6.60. Tyson staged the ultimate comeback of the weekend after a wild ride on Saturday, barely escaping a brush with the wall.
Baer Brakes X275 saw a great field of cars doing battle for the $5,000 first place winnings. The No. 1 qualifier, Andy Manson of Woodbridge, Va., fell victim to tire spin in the semi final round. The final round saw two South Carolina boys lining up against each other, with NMRA veteran Brian Tuten taking a narrow victory over another NMRA regular Terry Elam, 5.339 to a losing 5.53 elapsed time for Elam.
Ultimate Converters King of the Streets “Street Race’’ final saw a North versus South battle with John Keesy of Coatsville, Pa. in his”Moonshine Powered” ’89 Mustang taking the win over Jason Smith of Lexington, S.C. and his 1980 Camaro, 5.07 at 142.85 MPH to Smith’s 5.327 at 134.74 MPH.
The Holeshot Wheels 6.0 Index winner was Jerry Cline of Mooresville, N.C., as he ran 6.053 to best No. 1 qualifier Eric Hamilton of Washington, N.C. and his 5.98. Jerry made it a clean sweep on Sunday, capturing the Combo Index crown by beating Civil War vet Howard Brewer to the finish line.
The Holeshot Wheels 7.0 Index final was won by a bumper’s length with Michale Crumpler of Elm City, N.C. taking the win over Kurt Flannagan from Huntersville, N.C. and his 7.050 to Flannagan’s 7.075. Flannagan had the better reaction time, an .010 to Crumpler’s .021, but it wasn’t quite enough. Do the math.
Performance Automatic Open Comp was won by Dale Sanders over Brian Feimster – both piloting Ford-powered Fox Body Mustangs. Sandy’s Automotive Footbrake saw Sandy Beard himself in the finals on Sunday, but a late race oil down forced a flip of the coin to determine the winner in Footbrake as well as Pro Tree Doorslammer. The weekend event also featured a Top 20 Car Show, swap meet, vendor row, the
smell of good ol’ Carolina BBQ, grilled burgers and just an all around great time!
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