Not long after completion of the first round and just a few ticks past 11:30 p.m. the teams brought their final round bound hot rods to the lanes, ensuring the final be completed before the track curfew of midnight.   With an impressive amount of die hard fuel altered fans still in the stands, Trussell and Marriott rolled through the water to blaze the hides one last time. 

As the cars pulled forward, Trussell lit the pre-stage first and Marriott followed.  Trussell then quickly lit the stage bulb and brought up the RPMs.  Marriott crept in and lit the last bulb and they were off!  Marriott had a chunk at the starting line and held the lead as Trussell’s car shook forcing him to pedal it.  Marriott streaked ahead with header flames through the traps, clicking off a 4.03 at 181 mph to take the win over Trussell’s 4.64 at 107 mph. 

For Trussell and team “Assassin” it was a positive outing to say the least.  Unexpected pre-season gremlins kept the team from testing before Kennedale and continued issues kept them from completing the first qualifying session, but the team didn’t give up and found their “A” game when it matter most, first round.  Congratulations to the entire Trussell & Darby “Assassin” team as they look forward to returning to North Star Dragway for round two, where they won their first OFAA event last October. 

Marriott notches his eighteenth win dating back to the 2002 season when OFAA results started being archived, the leader of the pack in that regard.  The “Shockwave” team will take their momentum and points lead into round two at North Star Dragway on Saturday, May 7th. 

“I didn't think we had much of a chance with the number Chris (Trussell) ran (3.94) and his driving ability.  It's hard for my clutch car to hang with the high rpm alcohol cars on the starting line.  I was able to leave with him and we both ran into tire shake down track.  I was able to drive through it, while he had to lift.  They did a great job and we had a little luck.  It was great to have one of our original members Brad Rigler back in action and we want to welcome the ‘new guys’ Terry Brian and Raymond Dawson," said Marriott.

After a four year drought, Texas Raceway finally got its fuel altered fix and with a strong crowd and handful of 4.0 and 3.9 second passes, everyone was smiles as the event finished before curfew and incident free. 

“It was great to have the Painless Performance Outlaw Fuel Altereds back at Texas Raceway.  The crowd and racers were pumped to open the season here in Kennedale.  We knew the OFAA would put on a wild show and they did not disappoint!  We are already pumped for the next race at Texas Raceway on Friday, June 24th and we will have plenty of cones on hand to handle these wild racecars!” said TXR owner and manager Cindi McMillan. 

That’s a wrap on the season opener for the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association.  Marriott and company can expect a challenge in round two at North Star Dragway in two weeks as several teams plan to make their OFAA debut and fight for a place in the OFAA Top 10 at the end of the season.  With names like Mitch King, Sean Belt, Anthony Whitfield, Rich Howell, Donnie Massey, Keith Anglin, Jimmy Todd, Hennen & Simpson, Jack Hodgson, Jim West, Howard Knowles, Mark Bowman and Dal Denton running cars that weren’t at Texas Raceway, you can only imagine how many cars could be on hand to do battle in two weeks at North Star Dragway.  Until then, see a complete photo gallery from the season opener, check the points standings and find out more information on your favorite driver by visiting us online at www.ofaa.net.

Custom Article Framing