Clash of the Titans, Outlaw Street Car Nationals at San Antonio Raceway

The Titans Return

Words and photos by J M Hallas

After a year hiatus, the Clash of the Titans returned to San Antonio Raceway for a big two-day show on Aug. 30-31. Clash of the Titans features some of the baddest racecars on the planet in an all-out, heads up run for the money on both the eighth and quarter mile.

Along with the Outlaw Pro Modifieds, Outlaw 10.5’s and Top Sportsman cars, the Top Fuel Dragster and Jet Funny Car are also there to put on exhibition runs. The series also comes in with a group of the fastest street cars around, True 10.5’s, Cheap Street, Super Trucks, Little Pooch, plus an array of index and bracket racers also look to strut their stuff. Teams, crews and spectators had a variety of manufacturer and vendor exhibits plus a swap meet to choose from during the off time.

One of the biggest names on the property was local ace and a 14-time champion, Mike Murillo in his Outlaw twin turbocharged Mustang.

Out-of-towner, Doug “The Mad Scientist” Riesterer also looks to put his nitrous ‘68 Camaro in the Winners Circle.

Friday started with an early test-n-tune session during the heat of the day. With air temperatures hovering around the century mark, the track surface skyrocketed to 130, making for tricky conditions. By the time first rounds of qualifying began, the sun had set and conditions improved with the track cooling (relatively speaking) to 105.

The racing action on track Saturday was as hot as the weather as San Antonio Raceway concluded their Clash of the Titans show. With temperatures again climbing to the century mark, the track reached over 140 during the heat of day. By the time the first round of Pro Eliminations began, the track was still holding around 125 degrees.

A couple oil downs slowed qualifying and time trials, but the track crews had things back to racing conditions for Pro Eliminations. In Pro Mod qualifying two drivers made sub 4-second passes, with Steve Wiley backing up his 3.91 pass in the first two rounds of eliminations.

The Top Fuel Dragsters of Todd Simpson and Scott Palmer made two sets of exhibition passes along with the Tulsa County Heat Wave Jet Funny Car of Sam Ives.

Scott Palmer

In the first Top Fuel race both cars shut off early with Simpson clicking off before halfway and Palmer aborting his pass just past half-track. On the second pass Palmer ran it nearly all the way through going 5-flat at 272 mph. Simpson got out the groove at mid track then went silen,t coasting through at 5.89.

Sam Ives, “Tulsa County Heat Wave” made two clean passes in his jet-powered Funny Car with both runs around the 200-mph mark.

Arlington’s Eric Clark, in the Clark Paint & Body Mustang got a bye in the finals when Dennis Sugrue had problems in the semi’s and was unable to get it repaired for the finals. With good track conditions and air, plus no competitor in the other lane, Clark was looking too see what the track would hold. Unfortunately timing line issues left his pass with no numbers of record, but it looked and sounded like a great pass.