Outlaw Armageddon 5 No-Prep Coverage From Thunder Valley Raceway

Saturday

It’s day two here at Outlaw Armageddon and racers are trying to get locked in for the main events later today. With the new format, every race counts and picking up a win is critical so the action has been amazing. There are a lot of big-name racers on the bubble to make the show so this final round of qualifying is going to be INSANE.

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Bill Lutz Is Ready To Punch His Ticket To The Main Event

Ohio native Bill Lutz is a veteran racer who has been able to win at every level of drag racing. He has come to Outlaw Armageddon with the goal of proving he is one of the best no prep racers in the world. So far his weekend has gone according to plan even with a few minor mechanical issues.

“I’m very happy with how yesterday went for us. Picking up two wins was huge and has set the stage for us to make the show for the main event. The car has responded to our adjustments so far and we are happy with its performance. Outside of the stuck throttle blade in testing things have gone according to plan,” Lutz says.

During Friday’s two qualifying sessions Lutz’s Camaro was an absolute monster on the track. He was able to pick up both key victories in convincing fashion. Coming into today’s final session he is hoping for a favorable chip draw so an appearance in the finals can be locked in.

“I think we had one of the strongest pair of passes yesterday. Between us, Mills, Kayla, and Austin we were able to get down the track really fast. To bring this home it’s going to take a lot of luck along with power. We still have a little bit left that we can throw at the car, but this track has been tricky to put the power down to. You get out past 100 feet and there isn’t much rubber so power management is crucial. I think with a couple of lucky breaks we will be right in the mix for the $50,000,” Lutz says.

Dominator Finds His Groove

Fan-favorite Joe “Dominator” Woods knows he’s slightly outgunned when it comes to some of the cars that are on the top level of the Outlaw Armageddon world. Despite the long odds, Woods brought his Dart to the line for the first three rounds of the qualifiers at Outlaw Armageddon and went undefeated. That win streak locked him into the main event today.

“I’m just going to say right off the bat that this is one of those days where I’m better at being lucky than good. It was the luck of the draw the whole time, I’m not taking anything away from those guys we raced, but luck was on our side. I was able to capitalize on that and do what was needed to pick up the win each round and that’s what counts,” Woods says.

Even with lady luck in his corner Woods was able to make the correct tuning calls when it counted. Having a car that was able to make it down the tricky surface put Woods in a great spot to pick up those important wins each round.

“The tune-up that I had in the car was pretty good where there was a slight haze on the tires but it stayed planted. For the 9 car field, I’ve put all the power back in it and we will see what it does. I just need to be right there with whoever I’m racing and hopefully things will work out,” Woods says. 

Woods is going about getting ready for the finals just like he has all weekend. Keeping his car as prepared as possible will give him the best advantage when it’s time to win or go home.

“Here’s the truth, I’ve been my own biggest critic and I’m harder on myself with this car than anyone. I’m racing with a lot of fast cars, I couldn’t tell you who’s all in because I’ve been concentrating 100% on my program this weekend. I hope that I can keep this car where it needs to be and go some rounds,” Woods explains.

The White Zombie Wants To Take A Bite Out Of The Field

Ken Clark has been able to steal wins this weekend behind the wheel of the White Zombie Nova when he needed to. His main focus was to take care of business and do his job behind the wheel. Clark’s crew gave him a great hot rod and that made the difference during qualifying.

“We had a good car and my crew did a great job getting it ready for action. They did what was needed to make sure this big nitrous engine was ready each time we hit the track. I’m proud of what they did to get us into the show,” Clark says.

There’s a certain amount of luck required in drag racing but Clark prefers to rely on as much skill as possible. Having a solid car gives him the confidence needed to push the White Zombie to the edge each pass.

“We drove around everybody we ran each round so there wasn’t much luck involved. There was a really good tune in the car each round and that’s what it takes at an event like this. The plan is to keep that going in the sudden death finals because there are some big hitters in the field,” Clark explains.

Now that he’s made the show, Clark plans on sticking to the script that got him in. The way he looks at it there’s no reason to change what has been working all weekend long. “It means a lot to make the show at an event like this. There are so many good cars we will have to work super hard to stay in it. With the help of our teammate Swamp Thing, we hope to bring the win home today.”

Barefoot Ronnie Pace Runs Wild At Outlaw Armageddon

Barefoot Ronnie Pace probably wasn’t high on anyone’s list to make the main event at Outlaw Armageddon and he’s perfectly fine with that. Pace plays the role of underdog very well and he enjoys showing why nobody should look past him on race day. With a little bit of luck, Pace was able to go undefeated in qualifying and punched his ticket to the main event at Outlaw Armageddon.

“We’re always the dark horse at these big events but I’ll be honest, we were able to dodge two bullets in the first couple of rounds. The third round we did good and I’m proud of that run with how the car did. I’m feeling more comfortable in the car with this new setup the more passes that I’m able to make. DMB Motorsports has it figured out with the motor and that helps a lot. I’m not sure if I’ll have anything for the fast cars in this nine-car field but we’re going to give it hell,” Pace says.

Now that Pace is in the show he plans on opening his Camaro up a little more to try and see how far he can advance during eliminations. With the fastest cars on the property all in the nine-car field, Pace is ready to do what he can to go toe-to-toe with them for a shot at $50,000.

“We are turning it up for the main event but we’re on a little different budget than these other teams. It comes down to us weighing our options to see how hard we want to lean on the engine and possibly hurt it. For this next round, we’re going to bring the second kit in quicker and put more timing in it,” Pace explains.

All Hail The Queen Of No Prep Kayla Morton

Outlaw Armageddon 5 changed the way no prep will be viewed with its unique format. The three qualifying rounds for the main event produced some races that could have easily been a final round and that meant there were some brutally difficult matchups. In the end, Kayla Morton was able to fight her way through the qualifying races and then ran the table in the main event to win Outlaw Armageddon 5.

It wasn’t easy for Morton to pick up the win at all when the main event began. She had to earn each victory and even had to deal with a big thrash between rounds when her Hot Mess Express Mustang tried to eat a piston. Morton and her team fought on to get the car ready after the engine issue to stay in the fight.

When it was all said and done Morton was the last one standing and proving how she earned the right to be called the queen of No Prep….

 

About the author

Brian Wagner

Spending his childhood at different race tracks around Ohio with his family’s 1967 Nova, Brian developed a true love for drag racing. Brian enjoys anything loud, fast, and fun.
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