Words by Jason Fenn
DRO file photos by Ian Tocher
10/7/04

It all started less than a week before the Sept. 25-26 ORSCA event at Carolina Dragway, when rumors began to circulate about an Outlaw 10.5 car making a pass in the 4.50s.

While testing on the Tuesday before the upcoming race, Steve Kirk Jr. took car owner Rex Green's Outlaw 10.5 Camaro on an unprecedented 4.59 eighth-mile ride. After confirming this information from a viable source--track owner Jeff Miles--ORSCA sent word of the pass throughout the organization

Steve Kirk set the Outlaw 10.5 world abuzz with an unofficial 4.59-second pass during testing at Carolina Drag way’s “House of Hook.”

Kirk received a mixed response of praise and doubt for his effort, but none would question his ability by Sunday's end. The problem with running this kind of number in Outlaw 10.5 is not the horsepower, but getting that power to the ground. Outlaw drivers in ORSCA have access to unlimited power adders be it nitrous, turbo, blower, or any combination of these. This makes for some interesting racing when you combine them with the ultimate equalizer, a tire harboring a maximum width of ten-and-a-half inches. Track conditions, as well as the overall setup of the car, also have to be flawless in order to accomplish a record setting e.t. pass.

A mixture of anxiety and anticipation filled the South Carolina air on Saturday night as drivers and crew members lined up their vehicles in staging. Friday night’s test and tune gave participants a last chance to adjust their cars for track conditions and the first round of qualifying meant it was time for everyone to see what they were made of.

And they didn’t disappoint. From the first round on, a spectacle like one never seen before seen began to unfold.