Is the magical five-second elapsed time barrier for the Outlaw 10.5 division on the verge of crumbling down?

If Dave Hance and his New York Motorsports team have anything to say about it, the number once thought impossible, that represents one of the last major performance barriers in doorslammer drag racing, may come and go before the sun sets on the racing season.

On Wednesday evening during a test session at the Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Oh. ahead of this weekend’s inaugural Shakedown at the Summit, Hance legged Mark Wells’ familiar twin-turbocharged Fox body Mustang through the 1/4-mile clocks and recorded the quickest elapsed time in Outlaw 10.5 history with a stunning 6.106 at an off-pace 229.55 mph. On the run, Hance was 1.087 to sixty feet, 2.82 to half track, 4.103 at 195.79 mph to the 1/8-mile, and 5.17 to 1,000-feet.

According to unconfirmed online reports, due to the darkness at the top end of the race track, Hance shut the car down at 5.7-seconds into the run, slowing from what would have likely been a trap speed hovering around 240 mph and an elapsed time that would’ve certainly been quicker than 6.10. Hance’s car reportedly crossed the Norwalk scales after the run, and came up some 30 pounds over the required minimum weight for his combination in Outlaw 10.5 trim, suggesting that the five-second barrier, if not already there for the taking, is certainly within reach of Hance and Wells’ badass Mustang.

Unfortunately, the five-second barrier will have to wait for another weekend, as the Outlaw 10.5 portion of this weekend’s Shakedown race will be contested on the 1/8-mile, as it was previously in Englishtown. Of course there’s still a bit of history to be had on the shorter course, as well, as no racer has ever recorded a sub-foru-second run on American soil. Hance and Todd Tutterow both turned the trick last winter in Qatar.

The five-second barrier hasn’t exactly been challenged in recent years. Prior to Hance’s run on Wednesday, west coast racer Doug Sikora held the elapsed time record with his supercharged Mustang with a 6.16-second run recorded earlier this year. With fewer racers in the category, and even fewer 1/4-mile events, the barrier has gone largely uncontested. However, many believe the potential is there for handful of racers to get it done, if the stars were to align with the right car and tune-up, on the right day and on the right racing surface. When and where it will go down is the million dollar question, but it will certainly be exciting to watch. From the edges of our seats.