- Race Coverage
- Photo Extra
Words and photos by Ian Tocher
9/15/06
They nearly got it in, but Mother Nature ultimately prevailed at the Outlaw Racing Street Car Association (ORSCA) Sep. 8-10, at South Georgia Motorsports Park, near Valdosta, GA. With five of six classes down to the semi-finals and only one quarter-final remaining to set the final four in 7.0 index action, steady rain showers resumed and the race was called off by ORSCA president Johnny Fenn.
“What else can you do? Everyone’s still got their cars safe, nobody’s hurt, the rest of it we can figure out. It wasn’t only the right call; it was the only call,” Fenn said. “What the racers
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The total purse for the semis and finals in each class at Valdosta was split evenly among all racers still alive in eliminations.
“There are clearly winners and losers in drag racing, but we just have to get everybody up here and try to make them happy. That’s the main thing, that everybody leaves a race feeling like they got paid and treated right. That’s the best you can do,” Fenn concluded.
Rain also cut short the action on Saturday night, resulting in only two qualifying rounds for ORSCA’s marquee Outlaw 10.5 class, though all other classes (with the exception of a pair of Limited Street entries) were able to complete their planned-for three sessions.
OUTLAW 10.5
With team owner John Ferguson looking on, Steve Kirk steered his 200 Camaro to the top of the 16-car Outlaw 10.5 field with a 4.542-seconds pass at 163.33 mph over the eighth mile at SGMP’s all-concrete strip. Kirk advanced past Lance Styck with a 4.60 effort, then ran another 4.54 against Rob Hale to reach the semis before rain cut the day short.
Making his ORSCA debut with the 2002 Camaro that won last year’s championship with Terry Robbins at the wheel, Jack Barfield qualified 3rd with a 4.578, then ran 4.61 to beat Justin Humphreys in round one and 4.58 to put Jimmy Blackmon on the trailer after round two.