Last weekend the staff at North Star Dragway came to work ready for their normal track conditioning routine, but instead, saw no tractors rolling or power scrubbers scrubbing. It was a bizarre feeling for track owner Gene Nicodemus, who strives to bring racers the sticky, big number producing conditions most drag racers dream of. It had been almost five years since a “no-prep” race had been held in Denton, Texas, but on April 4th the Doomsday No Prep Shootouts got underway with four classes ready for action.

This would be a luck of the draw paired, instant green affair with no race day test hits permitted before first round of eliminations. Unload and bring them to the lanes is the game these boys play. Some teams rolled in early and participated in a test session on Friday night which was just a teaser of the action coming on Saturday.

The small tire class got racing started on a totally un-prepped racing surface which proved to be a challenge in the early rounds. The “pimp juice” was flowing in the burnout box as the first pair featured a call out grudge match between Eric Bunton aka “Big Baller Coupe” and Eric Bain aka “Boosted Ego”. Big Baller had most of the hands pointed in his lane as side bets were being locked in on the starting line, but the first upset of the day was just seconds away. Big Baller was off the line with the wheels up but shortly after was in and out of the throttle. Boosted Ego had similar traction issues yet was able to take a slight lead and held it across the finish line for the win.

The next pair fired up between Jake Fisk and Kiethan Lewis and the fans were right back on their feet for this one. Fisk had the lead at half track but hazed the tires allowing Lewis’ “Drama Queen” Ford Mustang to make a move, but then quickly got out of shape and Fisk took the win light while Lewis crossed the stripe totally sideways and thankfully kept the car off the wall in an impressive save.

The small tire class dwindled down to the final round where Shayne Ward and Eric Bain lined up for the title. Bain’s “Boosted Ego” from Greenville, Texas and Ward’s “AirforceWon” 1988 Ford Mustang from Haltom City, Texas crept into the beams eager for that instant green. Off the line the cars both hooked up and they were side by side through the finish line with Ward taking the win light and bragging rights in small tire.

“I want to thank everyone involved in this event, it was a ton of fun and the staff at North Star Dragway did a great job keeping the action going. Most importantly, I’d like to thank my crew members Andre Davis, Robert Sitton, Sammy Dehoyos, Nate the “Tranny Man” and Morgan and Son Racing Engines for their support because this would not happen without them. We’ll be back in June ready for a repeat,” said Ward.

True Street was an action packed class and after a 30+ mile cruise through a few local towns which all the entrants managed to survive, it was time to get the racing action underway. In the semi-final, Stefan Slisz wowed the crowd with a bumper dragging wheelstand in his 1967 California Special Ford Mustang. His opponent Andy Reynolds of Hurst, Texas had the best seat in the house and moved into the final round to take on Alan Wofford from Odessa, Texas.

Wofford turned a lot of heads with his 2014 5.0 Ford Mustang packing a factory stock long block engine with a Henchmen Racing 80mm turbo tuned by Daniel Pachar of Triangle Speed Shop. Reynolds, known locally for standing his Chevy Malibu wagon on the bumper at any time, pulled ahead at the flash of green and held a one car length lead through the finish line to take home the True Street crown in a great race.

Big Tire class racing came down to a matchup between a pair of first gen Chevy Camaros as Randy Thorn’s “Terminator III” from Irving, Texas lined up with Chip Cox of Anna, Texas. Thorn took the starting line advantage and never looked back making a clean run to claim victory in Big Tire and another tally in the win column for the famed Thorn Racing “Home of the Fast Cars” camp.

The Outlaw field was short but sweet as Randy Rencher’s “Hateful 69” Chevy Camaro from Rowlett, Texas came to the line amped to take on Ricky Wilson wheeling a wicked fast blown Firebird from Azle, Texas. Wilson had the horsepower advantage but we all know numbers don’t mean squat on the starting line. At the flash of green, Wilson popped the burst panel sending pieces of shrapnel from the body flying through the air, while Rencher took the win in a car he just finished a few weeks before.

The winners were crowned and the first installment of the three race Doomsday No Prep Shootout events was in the books. Mark your calendars for June 20th as these teams will return to North Star Dragway for round two with some drivers looking to redeem themselves, while others aim to back up their strong performances with more win lights this summer. North Star Dragway would like to thank Michael Hollis, Barrett Green and the rest of the staff for organizing and running a great event and a very special thanks goes out to the following event sponsors: JC’s Dyno & Speed Shop, BTE Transmissions, Nitrous Outlet, Morgan & Son Racing Engines, North Texas Converter and MaxCacklePhotos.com.