The 16^th edition of Lights Out showed why it’s the grandaddy of all radial tire races and a crown jewel event of the Radial Outlaw Racing Series (RORS). Once again, the grounds at South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP) were oozing with the best radial racers in the world. Records were broken, legends were cemented, and black hats were earned at Lights Out 16.

One of the biggest stories of Lights Out 16 had to be the weather. It was cold, like down in the 30s cold. Not only was the temperature low, but the density altitude (DA) was absolutely ridiculous. There were DA readings in the -2,000 range during the event, that’s some serious horsepower conditions. The problem is that many racers didn’t have data for this type of weather. While it was easy to make horsepower, it also made the tuning window very tight.

Radial vs The World (RVW) is where the true radial tire apex predators hunt. If you weren’t running in the 3.50s at Lights Out, you weren’t going to make the top half of the field in RVW. The class record was reset twice, the first time by Paolo Giust with a 3.479, and then again by Ken Quartuccio when he ripped off a 3.473 pass. Australian racer John Ricca made his debut on radials at Lights Out and locked down the third qualifying spot with an impressive 3.494 run.

Eliminations for RVW didn’t disappoint with plenty of great matchups. After a first-round bye, Quartuccio made his way to the finals by defeating RORS points leader Stevie “Fast” Jackson, and Ned Dunphy. Ricca plowed his way to the final by defeating Rod Macmaster, Manny Buginga, and Paolo Giust. In the final, Quartuccio’s 3.498 was enough to best Ricca’s 3.507.

The Pro 275 class at Lights Out 16 delivered the most drama and best finish of the entire event. Lyle Barnett locked down the number one qualifying spot behind the wheel of Tommy Youmans’ Mustang thanks to a 3.612 run. Brad Edwards dropped a 3.634 to earn the second qualifying spot, and that was also enough to set the turbocharged combination record for the Pro 275 class. Tim Dutton landed in the third spot with a 3.658 run.

Once eliminations started, things got really interesting for the Pro 275 class. Number one qualifier Barnett fell to Paul Major in the second round when he spun at the hit. Edwards beat the 2024 Pro 275 RORS champ Mo Hall in round one, but wounded his engine. The Edwards camp thrashed to get his Mustang repaired for a second-round matchup with Bill Lutz. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ladder, Granley Schloss was cutting his way through the field and made his way to the final. Edwards was able to beat Lutz and Brian McGee to make his way to the final round. In the final, Schloss spun and Edwards made an impressive 3.684 run to cap off his magical Lights Out 16 weekend.

Limited Drag Radial (LDR) is one of the most competitive radial classes. Kenny Hubbard qualified number one in LDR with a 3.842 with Greg Blevins Jr. right behind him thanks to his 3.850 effort. Chad Henderson landed in the third qualifying spot with a 3.870 run. All of these racers, plus the number four qualifier Shane Stack battled it out for the 2024 RORS title in LDR until the final round of No Mercy last year.

Blevins Jr. methodically made his way to the LDR final by defeating Taylor Laster, Mitch Mika, and teammate Steve Halprin. On the other side of the ladder, Rob Golobo played the role of spoiler for several top teams by beating Lyle Barnett, Jamie Stanton, and number one qualifier Kenny Hubbard. In the final, Golobo won on a holeshot with a 3.910 over Blevins Jr’s quicker 3.902.

Each racer who enters X275 knows just how tough this class has become, and they need to be ready for battle. Alan Felts earned the top qualifying spot thanks to his 4.129 effort. Mark Meiring was right on the tail of Felts thanks to his 4.131, and Eric LaFerriere landed in the third spot with a 4.135.

The chaos started in X275 eliminations right away when number one qualifier Felts fell in the first round to Rebecca Stuart, who then was beaten in the second round by Chris Taylor. Taylor went on to beat Scott Carter to punch his ticket to the final. On the other side of the ladder, Eric LaFerriere had some tough sledding to make his way to the final. Laferriere beat Nick Kokkas, Ron Rhodes, and Mark Meiring. LaFerriere saved his best run of the weekend for the final and ran a 4.084 to beat Tayor.

Ultra Street racing was very tight at Lights Out 16. Jessie Coulter qualified number one with a 4.427 effort, and Chuck Barthome went number two thanks to his 4.431. Davey Hull rounded out the top three qualifiers after running a 4.432.

The upsets started early in Ultra Street eliminations after number one qualifier Coulter couldn’t make the call for round one. On that side of the ladder, number 21 qualifier Ray Cox found his stride and beat Jason Spina, Mike Clark, along with Terry Wilson to make his way to the final. Davey Hull beat David Pearson, Stacey Roby, and Chuck Barthome on his way to the finals against Cox. In the final round, Cox jumped the tree handing Hull the first win of his Ultra Street career.

Lights Out 16 was an exciting event that showcased everything that makes radial drag racing great. The Battle For The Thrones is the next RORS event and it will be held at Rockingham Dragway March 27-29.