The 21st consecutive season of Outlaw Fuel Altered Association action provided yet again an intense battle for the Good Vibrations Motorsports / Lone Star Forklift Championship crown . This year , five drivers held a solid chance heading into the final event of the season . What was set to be the ultimate season-ending battle wasn ’ t meant to be , though , as an unfortunate weather pattern blasted through Oklahoma and Texas over the weekend of October 27-28 , which forced the cancelation of the final race of the year . Bad news for most , but with the season officially concluded , Nick Poloson and the “ Sundown ” team tuned by Tom Wood were all smiles as they clinched their first OFAA championship , finishing just four points ahead of multi-time Champion Jimmy Jones . The final Top 5 standings also included Mary Reep , Ken Singleton and John Broussard with only 13 points separating all five of the top finishers in one of the tightest points battles in series history . For Poloson and company , the momentum started early with a runner-up finish
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at their hometown event at San Antonio Raceway early in the spring . Consistency and a No . 1 qualifying effort at the fall San Antonio event was just enough to hold off the competition , despite no event wins in 2017 . This nitro-burning 1948 Fiat-bodied , flame-belching fueler has been a crowd favorite in the OFAA series and this championship , a goal reached after 11 years of competition for the team after their debut in 2006 .
“ What a great year 2017 was for the “ Sundown ” fuel altered team ,” Poloson beams . “ This was our third year with the big nitro load Hemi combination . We had what we thought was a workable combination for our OFAA rules package , and we stayed with those plans all year . We qualified well at each event , went rounds , and worked to maximize our points total . That effort led to the championship . In the previous 10 seasons , we ’ ve been a constant top 10 team , and had been second and third a few times , but this year we finally captured the brass ring !
“ We ’ d like to thank Daniel and Elaine Soliz at Hill Country Performance & Machine and Gordon Leland and the staff at Alamo Hot Rod
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Parts for their support . Also , to the great group of racers in the OFAA family ; it ’ s a wonderful association to be a part of .”
Team “ Sundown ” also highlighted their 2017 racing season with a huge win at the 5th Annual Pro Mod vs . Fuel Altered Showdown at North Star Dragway , improving the Fuel Altered record to 4-1 overall and posting career-best performance numbers in this outlaw , rules-free event . With flames belching from the headers , nitro fumes fogging out the starting line , back-up girls working the fans and post-race pit parties with their fellow competitors , Poloson and company know how to have fun at the drag races and entertain the crowd .
The Outlaw Fuel Altered Association will move into its 22nd season of racing in 2018 and again lead the way for Fuel Altered racing as the longest standing series in the country . The OFAA would like to thank Good Vibrations Motorsports , Lone Star Forklift , Meyer Enterprises and Wizard ’ s Warehouse for their continued support . The 2018 schedule is out and can be found at www . ofaa . net .
– CHRIS GRAVES DI
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PHOTO : CHRIS GRAVES |
FIA PRO MODIFIED MICHAEL GULLQVIST |