Dirt |
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It ’ s ‘ Cuda Time |
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Barry Mitchell wins Big Dog Shootout points title with runnerup finish at season finale By Greg Burrow |
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Barry Mitchell started the 2024 season with a W in the win column . But as we all know , “ we don ’ t race on paper ,” so the season was still far from over for Mitchell . But Mitchell in his supercharged “’ Cuda Time ’” Barracuda tuned by Todd and Ty Tutterow persevered through a challenging 2024 Big Dog Shootout season at North Carolina ’ s Piedmont Dragway . With Mother Nature winning the scheduled April event with rain , the party moved on to May , with Mitchell taking the event over Mike Graham , also taking low qualifier at a great 3.77-second E . T . Travis Harvey experienced motor damage resulting in a big hit to the points program for the nitrous-fed H & H Racing Corvette .
June saw the return of a very familiar name to the winner ’ s circle after a 12-year absence in one Dale Brinsfield . With superior driving , Brinsfield never missed a beat to qualify at a great 3.81 and defeat Cam Clark in the final . Other semifinalists were Graham and Jamie Chappell , making for a great show for the fans and competitors alike .
July was highlighted by Harvey as the No . 1 qualifier at a great 3.782 and the return of 2017 champ Tim Lawrence to the field . The semis featured
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Harvey over Mitchell and Brinsfield over Robbie Keziah . With a string of mid-3.70s in his pocket , the “ Carolina Kid ” went a fine 3.74 with a . 030 light to defeat Brinsfield in a close one , with Brinsfield running a 3.76 at 200 MPH to give the spectators their money ’ s worth .
August had 11 cars on the property to run for the coveted eight spots , and once again , Harvey put the Corvette on the pole with a 3.766 run with Clark No . 2 at 3.794 . The semis were highlighted by Harvey over Keziah and Clark
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over Mitchell . The final was a great run with Harvey ’ s Corvette recently updated by Robert Hayes running a 3.77 at 200 MPH with a . 006 light . Clark was right there , but had a . 001 red light to end his night .
September highlights included new records by Clark , who qualified with a 3.719 at 205 MPH to serve notice that this young man intended to take home a porcelain dog before the end of the season . Also of note was the field of 11 cars again with Lawrence returning and Wayne Chambers competing in the car formerly owned by Brett Nesbitt , then PDRA world champ Donny Urban . The semis saw Clark run an incredible 3.66 at 206 but damaging a motor and making him unable to return . Not to disappoint the crowd , Mitchell and company unloaded a 3.71 at 205 MPH on a single to win his second event and take over the points with Harvey second and Brinsfield holding on to third .
The October event , or Allstar event , played host to 14 cars with low E . T . going to Clark ’ s fine 3.713 with Harvey taking top MPH at 205.5 MPH . This would set the stage for a great event featuring the usual suspects competing for the last “ Dog ” of the season . With low 3.70s the order of the day , the semis resulted in “’ Cuda Time ” defeating the “ War Eagle ” of Jamie and Gena Chappell , and the “ Carolina Kid ” defeating Clark . An unfortunate red light ended the season for all with Mitchell handing the win to the Harvey team .
However , the result was a points title for Mitchell and the entire WYO Racing group over the Hunt and Harris team with driver Travis Harvey by 9 points . The margin over third was 38 , Cam Clark , and 49 over Mike Graham . A total of 18 different drivers took a shot at the “ Dog ” that only few will attain . DI
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREG BURROW |