2018 Outlaw Armageddon No Prep Coverage From OKC

Brian Wagner
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August 10, 2018
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We are geared up and ready for the final day of racing here at Outlaw Armageddon 4. Today is the main event with two invitational classes on the docket along with the small tire class that has over 70 entries.
Jackie Knox pulled a classic all-nighter to get the Sanoma to Thunder Valley so he could compete in the invitational class. “We had to thrash all night on Thursday to put an 540 cubic-inch all-steel block with conventional heads for their ProCharger setup. When we were filming last week we totally destroyed the other block beating BoostedGT and that’s what led to this. We changed to a Dart block and heads for this engine since we had everything apart. There have been no test hits on this but we’re not worried because this is pretty much the same except for a change in the ProCharger gear drive.”
Robin Roberts knew exactly what he wanted to build, a 1968 Firebird that would be used in no prep racing. After trying calling around to have a car built from scratch and finding out it would take over a year, he called a friend and purchased a Firebird he had that was nearly ready to go. Originally starting out as a nitrous car, Roberts became frustrated with the giggle-juice and wanted to make a change. Roberts gave Proline Racing a call and decided to use one of their 572 cubic-inch engines and mated it with a pair of 98mm turbos. HPP racing went through the entire car to get it ready for tubos and make some other changes. The final product is a stunning car that still has a VIN take, drip railings around the windows, and plenty of steel body panels. Roberts plans on getting the car dialed in no prep racing before he starts making hits on the street.
The Saturday Real Steel Invitational was packed with all the big names from the 405 along with many great no prep racers. The weather was perfect so racers were able to test the limits of the slippery Thunder Valley Surface. Every round win in this class on Saturday wasn't given, it was earned through perfect tuning and top-notch driving.
Brent Austin looked like he was well on his way to doubling up and winning another $50,000 on Saturday to match his $50,000 win on Friday. He had his Camaro running down the track yet again like it was on rails every pass, but fell to eventual winner Ryan Martin.
Ryan Martin and the Fireball Camaro battled through a tough field and difficult conditions to pull off the win during the racing action on Saturday. The team had to overcome several issues to keep the Camaro in contention but they're hard work paid off with a nice $50,000 payday and another big win for Martin.
Joey V and his team came all the way from Chicago to show the Midwest knows how to no prep race. In the finals Joey had to take on no prep veteran Brent Self and was able to drive around him at the top end to pick up the close win that set off a huge starting line celebration.

The streetcar classes are packed with some interesting and diverse cars. Walking through the staging lanes we’ve seen everything you can think of including full size trucks, big tire pro street style cars, and even some German luxury muscle. These racers put just as much effort into racing at Outlaw Armageddon as the fastest cars here, but they had to take their cars for a 30 mile cruise in the brutal heat on Saturday.
Ryan Taggart and the Swamp Thing Long Top team have been wrenching on their Nova wagon nearly non-stop to get ready for this weekend's race. "We had to do a lot of bodywork to get it ready to come back to the track and replace some other parts. Other than all the bodywork it didn’t need a whole lot to get ready to race. Right now we're trying to get the tire shake on the leave figured out. The track is super slick and polished, so there’s nothing there on the first 60 feet when it comes to grip. It’s going to take some big power management to win this weekend because the track is so tricky. You’re going to have to be on top of your tuning game this weekend for every round it looks like.
When it’s crazy hot in the lanes and you want to keep your lunch warm during a driver’s meeting….
One of the big things that makes no prep different than typical heads-up racing is the lack of qualifying. You might get a test hit if you’re lucky, but otherwise you have to draw a chip to see who you run each round, and that can lead to some exciting matchups. The first round of the big tire class was fairly tame, except for the huge matchup between Shawn Ellington in the Murder Nova against Larry Larson in his S-10. The two racers were welded together at the doors and the race was so close it had to go to the video to see who won. Larson came out on top winning this epic matchup of no prep titans.

Mike Baker from CFM Performance debuted his stunning1968 Camaro known as the “Flatliner” this weekend. With a 514 cubic-inch Steve Morris engine that has a ProCharger on the front of it, the F-body is making plenty of power. "This car that was a chassis that was sitting around our shop and was an older ladder bar car. We decided to turn it into a no prep car based on where it looked like the rules were going. We pretty much started over with the chassis and cut out everything but the major bars. We fabricated our own four-link, added more bars, added carbon fiber, and stretched the rear fenders to fit the big tires. Chuck Parker is driving the car part-time to help us get it lined ou,t but if it works out we would like to have him drive it more."

Justin “Big Chief” Shearer went for a crazy ride in his first-round matchup of big tire. The Crow really tried to fly away from Shearer, and he did a magnificent job keeping his Pontiac off the wall.
The big tire class started with 52 entries and delivered on the promise of being the most exciting class of the day. Every round there was at least one match-up that could be a final round at any no prep event. The race between Chuck Seitsinger in the “Death Trap” and Chuck Parker in “The 55” felt like a heavyweight title fight in the middle of the day. In one of the closest races of the day, the Death Trap was able to absorb the massive uppercut punch of a run The 55 threw at it to move on.
Disco Dean Karns ended up getting a few bye runs during the day, but every pass he went A to B. Karns being a veteran racer used every pass to gather data to prepare for the next round. Karns ended up falling to the Death Trap in the semi-final round.
No prep truck class standout Flaco put in a whole lot of work to win the Truck & SUV class title at Outlaw Armageddon 4. "We spent a lot of time testing getting this truck ready, I think we went through an entire 55-gallon drum of fuel leading up to it. The long hours and extra work paid off with this new setup since it's making more power, but that isn't always the best thing in no prep racing. This weekend really was an exercise in power management for us since the track really never came around. I had spun every pass and had to figure out how much power to pull out so I could keep the truck happy."

After the smoke cleared and over 50 of the best no prep racers battled it out into the night only one was left standing, Brent Austin and his Camaro known as "The Megalodon". In the past, Austin had to race his way into this event going rounds as a newcomer to the World Series of No Prep, but now everybody knows who he is and what his car can do. Austin had his car on rails and made every pass look easy on the tricky track surface. In the final round, Austin had The Megalodon set on kill yet again and it was able to take a large bite out of the Death Trap that had issues right at the hit.

Thursday kicked off testing here at Outlaw Armageddon 4 with many big names taking a shot at the track. Freakin Rican had some issues behind the wheel of the Fireball Ford Lighting when the hood flew off and damaged the windshield.
A small truck with a BIG engine….
The Liam Nissan truck is rocking an LSX engine, big turbo, and a wicked sense of humor.
Larry Larson is here for some big tire racing action with his S-10. Larson is still trying to get a handle on the track as his truck fought him pretty bad down track as he brought the power in from this giant turbo.

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