Howard Wins Big Dog Points Title, Beal Wins The Race

Words and photos by Greg Burrow

There wasn’t as much drama in the points race in the Big Dog Shootout at Piedmont Dragway but the on-track action for the final event of the year was as exciting as it could be. Drivers had to deal with a cool track that had the blown cars backing down on their tune-ups to make it from A to B. Qualifying was tremendous as Edward Wilson took the pole with a 3.89 lap with the bump spot in the eight-car field at 4.02.  Todd Howard held top speed at 192.06 mph of the 19 cars making timed runs.

Todd Tutterow was third at 3.94 to Travis Harvey last with a 4.02. 

Charles Terrell was the last member of the 3-second club in a blown Mustang he built himself.  The new champ of the Extreme Outlaw Pro Mod series fell victim to the cold track as he crashed on his second qualifying attempt. 

Eliminations started with Andy Beal running a 3.92 in a close run over Jason Harris’s 3.95. Darrin Hoyle slowed to a 5.17 to defeat an even more slowing Todd Tutterow who ran a 5.52. Danny Perry got a single as Todd Howard didn’t make his first round call and Travis Harvey used a 4.72 to defeat a late-on-the-tree Edward Wilson at 4.68. Second round action saw Perry defeat Hoyle 4.20 to 4.29 and Beal made a single at 4.11.