As if running a double header weekend wasn’t going to heat things up as it is, the weather in Texas decided to contribute in this department as well, bringing track temps as high as 150*F! The weekend’s festivities began with the completion of the canceled ADRL Dragpalooza VI from back in March. As things stood, we were to resume our #3 qualifying position ran in March, with all elimination races to count toward qualifying for the Texas Drags, to be held the very next day.

The first elimination round for Dragpalooza had Gary White lined up against Patrick Collins. The Scion spun off the line, and Collins shook. Gary tried to reel him in but left a rod on the track in the process, ending in a first round elimination right off the bat. Not exactly the result Team Titan imagined going into the weekend. But that’s racing.

The first round of Dragpalooza eliminations was also the beginning of qualifying runs for the Texas Drags, a round the Team would soon like to forget. After a replacement motor was fitted, the crew was ready and determined to make up the lost ground. The second and third qualifying runs were more like test runs, where the crew just eased into things, making sure everything on the new motor was running soundly. On these “test runs”, Gary managed a 4.512 at 166.83mph to make sure the team stayed in the runnings. Then in the final qualifying session, Titan turned it up, throwing down a solid 4.131 at 183mph to claim the #2 spot going into eliminations.

The first round of eliminations pitted the Scion against H.T. Wilson. Wilson flinched and Gary got a free pass to round two. The second round had Titan lined up against Todd Moyer, a highly anticipated match up, as both teams have been running strong as of late. In the end it was Gary and the Scion that prevailed, running a 4.113 at 183.57mph, the quickest of all elimination runs. In round three, it was Jeff Naiser who stood between the Scion and the final round. Naiser left early, but it didn’t matter. Gary was determined to get to the finals again and ran a 4.103 at 184.85 with a .001 light!

The finals look unsurprisingly familiar, with Gary White’s Scion once again going up against the likes of Billy Glidden. Billy had been tough all weekend and put down some good runs. Gary, after the motor swap, had also been progressively getting quicker approaching the final round. With the two cars lined up and the lights dropping, Gary got a little excited and left early, handing Glidden his second win of the weekend.

Wow, what a weekend. Between the heat of the track and the heat of the compition, coupled with the implication of a double header, it has been quite a weekend of racing. Team Titan will inevitably be testing and tuning in the weeks to come, hoping to dial in the new set-up before heading to St. Louis on August 6-7th for the Gateway Drags III. We’ll see you at the races!

*Photos courtesy of Chris Harrington