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Field of Dreams becomes Reality Monday, January 15, 2007 By ORSCA @ 10:02 PM :: 2986 Views   STEVE KIRK, JR. - Mickey Thompson - Outlaw 10.5 World Champion “It feels like a major accomplishment to have out performed the best of the best teams in Outlaw 10.5 world wide, especially with 2006 being a scheduled test year for the Kirk-Ferguson Motorsports Team.  We knew coming into 2006 it would be a tough year; however, our team was ready and willing to make the sacrifices it takes to do the testing and rounds of winning for a World Championship.  We knew by running in this series, we would be up against the best of the best in the industry. We are just glad we came out on top. “ Kirk continues, “Our worst performance was the first Carolina Dragway race. We had difficulty getting the car to accelerate; therefore, we were very fortunate to get to the semi-final round. Our best performance would have to be at South Georgia Motorsports Park.  We were #1 qualifier, with low E.T. every round and went to the semi-final with the race being rained out.  The car ran flawless that entire weekend.” The best improvement for 2006 that we could have made was having a very dedicated and precise crew at every race. I could not have made it with out them. Guys…what can I say, you’re the greatest.  For 2007, we will still be running the familiar red 2000 Camaro with a new Gene Fulton 870 cubic inch engine. As for the team, there will be some changes with the crew, but as for Kirk-Ferguson Motorsports, we will be rocking and rolling one more time – looking to repeat what we have done in 2006. “ Car Owner, John & Michelle Ferguson are #1 on our sponsor list. Gene Fulton provided me with the best nitrous engine on the planet. Rupture Street Wear for their awesome design with our racing apparel.  Fulton/Eldelbrock/Kirk’s Speed Shop for the nitrous development we made this year. VP Racing Fuels for the highest quality fuel in Motorsports.  Hughes Performance for their awesome customer service on the torque converter program. Bob Maze for all the help in our engineering department. Ron Santhuff at Santhuff Machine for keeping our shock program working very smoothly. Thanks to Bruno’s Automotive for a bullet proof converter drive all year. Joe Patterson, owner of J. Dog Kustumz for being on call all year for our paint/body needs, which unfortunately I needed more than I want to talk about. Michael Lynch and Scott Chandler for making sure the racing outfit and shop are handled in order for me to race. Jim Geese, owner of Vanishing Point Race Cars for building a bullet proof chassis. A very big thank you to Hoosier Tire Company for helping us set records and win the championship.  You guys are one of the most professional companies I have ever worked with.  Last but not least, my family and crew for supporting me in 2006.  Our goal for the 2007 ORSCA Points Series is to win as many races as possible amongst a superior group of competitors.  That is a lot to say in one sentence. Steve Kirk, Jr., one of the pioneers of Outlaw racing.  You got to admit, he’s got his act together on the track. There are a lot of Outlaw 10.5 drivers that shake in their shoes when on the starting line and he is in the other lane. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JEFF COONER – Nitrous Express – Limited Street World Champion   “First, I have to thank ORSCA and their awesome staff for what they have done for the Limited Street class and our sport.  Limited Street has come along way from where it was three years ago. The fact that I, Jeff Cooner, am standing here today as a World Champion, is still hard for me to believe. When we started the season, all I wanted to do is win an event.  I never thought a championship would come this quick.  The fact that it has, just speaks volumes for our team and our race car. “Out of the nine series races, South Carolina is for sure the worst race of the year. I know you are wondering which race, well BOTH of them! I think we went out 2nd round at the 1st South Carolina race with major suspension problems and not knowing which way to go. Then at the World Finals, we got to the track on Thursday to test and ended up blowing the motor and working 48 hours with no sleep to just get it running.  All we had to do is pass tech to clinch the championship, but we wanted to go out with a win. We ended up running a 4.77 with a patched up motor as Randy Sharpston really figured out something to help our 60 foot, which was what we were hunting. We had been running 4.80’s with a 1.28 and 1.29 at 60 feet. Randy told me he has something new he wanted to try. He told me I would love him or hate him at the finish line. IT WORKED !! …and we pulled off that 4.77 with me peddling about 350 feet. “ I have to thank ‘Lil Mo, for running me everywhere to get parts and for the machine work, the Halbert Brothers, Derek Fannin, Jason Steadman and Stacy Parker for all the help at the World Finals.  Our best race was in Atlanta, we made it to the final and I red-lighted with a -.399 against Szabo in that last round, should have won, but that’s racing. You got to be on your game in this class, the competition is brutally tough. In all the other events except South Carolina, we qualified in the top 3 and in the #1 position at 4 of them. I would have to say the 2nd Atlanta race was our best. We had to make up the rainout from SGMP and I had to run Darrin Hoyle in the final. We won that race and went to #2 in the points.  I also had to run Eric Dillard, who is going to be tough in 2007. Both Dillard and I ran a 4.968 and I won that race off the tree. It was awesome.” “The biggest improvement we made in 2006 was for Randy Sharpston to hire Derek Fannin full time at our shop as chief engineer, engine builder and master fabricator.  Derek placed 100% of his focus on our car and Drew Sims, as his right hand man, along with Jamie Woods. This team was a team that was going to be hard to recon with and we were thrilled about it.” “For 2007, we are building a 615 cubic inch big block Ford with a pair of Tubonetics 91 mm Turbos. The small block can run the numbers but we hurt a lot of parts last year and won’t have to lean on it quite so hard with the big block!! We also have our own powder coating machine and plan to tiddy up some cosmetics, thanks to Drew Sims.” “ I would like to thank PTC, especially Lane, for their help all year and their turbo combo is going to be the wave of the future, if you ask me, it already is. Allen Dudley has worked close with us all year. Al, Thanks man. Mickey Thompson for the awesome tires. We look forward to next year. Ed Bendall for the awesome Power glides and being there any time we needed him no matter where or what time !! Young’s Performance for all the parts and tubing when we needed it. J.E. Pistons for the rush on pistons when we needed them the most. Ray at RaceCoaches for supporting us this year and making traveling so much more comfortable. Todd at Huntsville Engines for all the quick turn arounds and parts. Huntsville Engines is a class act!! Ken Rainwater and team for all their help and support. Could not have done it without them and Ken’s wife Angela for all the great food !! I have to thank my Dad, for all his support, he is my mentor and my beautiful wife Kathy and my kids, Jordan and Baleigh for understanding my hobby!” “Our goal for 2007 is to WIN another championship. I already know it will be harder to do with a big bull’s eye on our head! We were the first to go into 4.80’s, first to go into 4.70’s and hope to be the first to go 4.60’s in this awesome class we call Limited Street, which is anything but LIMITED.” Jeff Cooner, a class act himself, a leader in his field and a true example of what a World Champion should be.  We gotta throw, “Who’s ‘Yo Daddy” out there one more time Jeff…. Take a bow, it’s you!! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ROBBIE ERWIN – TCI – EZ Street World Champion “It is truly a dream come true to win the ORSCA World Championship in our first full year running EZ Street.  At the beginning of the season, I never thought, I would have gotten this far, especially, after the engine failure at the very first race. We overcame that and won three races, which put us back in the hunt. Then we crashed at Huntsville and when I got out of the car, I thought to myself, Well Its OVER, there will be no coming back from this. Thanks to my very special Father and Rob’s Racing, we got the car back together, which raised our hopes back up, with only two races to go. We were sitting at the top with a Bull’s Eye on us, but we were able to hold off a very hard charging Kell Eubanks and Tim Kincaid to clinch the Championship.  The thing about the class that made us hang with it is that this class is the most exciting class in ORSCA. The name of the class does not match the class at all, because I can tell you from the seat of that race car, IT AIN’T EZ !! It is extremely tricky to run on a radial tie with so much horsepower and no wheelie bars, with the cars being so closely matched. You have to be on your game every race, every pass. The majority of the drivers and crews in the class are fun to race with and hang out with. They all help each other in any way. When our class comes to the line the stands fill up with a spectator, which pumps us up! There is no greater compliment than that!” “Our worst race of the year is a toss up between the first race at Commerce when the thrust bearing locked down the engine and the race at Huntsville when I got T-Boned in the driver’s door by Dustin Mewbourne.  The best race was definitely the second Commerce race. I won that race. I have always loved racing at Commerce. I guess with it being a National Event track and also winning in front of my hometown crowd, it makes it even more special to me. “ “The one improvement we made this year was re-installing the factory trunk pan including spare tire storage area. The factory floor pan created less drag under the rear of the car. By reinstalling the stock floor pan we also gained 2 mph on a run. We will be using the same car, same trans and running the same class in 2007, but getting rid of the 615 cubic inch BBC, and getting a small block Ford, with a big precision turbo hung off the front of it. The new combination will be put together by the great people over at Proline Racing Engines and tuned by the greatest Turbo Guru there is – Steve Petty.” “I could not have done this without the help of my sponsors, who I proudly can call my friends as well, Year One, your parts are great. TCI Automotive, UPR Products, Rob & Terri Fincher at Rob’s Racing, Wayne Casper Racing Engines, Jason Mote Motorsports, Lance Patton Racing Carbs, Nitrous Express, Atlanta Speed Shop, Mickey Thompson for the awesome tires, Torque Converter Services, and last and certainly not least – Gwinnett Place Ford. “ “We are already working on the new combination trying to get it together to start testing and learning the do’s and don’ts.  We will not be running the 2007 ORSCA Points Series next year, due to devoting the season to testing…BUT…the class better beware, because we will be ready to dominate in the 2008 ORSCA Points Series.” Robbie Erwin has earned the respect of his competitors this year.  A man of few words and much action… willing to take the time to develop and expand on what some already call…perfection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KENNY ACREE  – Southern Truck Parts – Outlaw 5.30 World Champion “It feels great to be the 2006 ORSCA World Champion, especially when considering that six weeks before the season started, I totaled out our ’63 corvette that was set up for this class. Race or work around the house??…You tell me!” “Albany was our worst race because of my own driver error. The second race was the best because I won the Run-For-The-Money, won the event itself. The finals in South Carolina had to be the best race as I won the Points Championship coming from 3rd in the points.” That was truly not expected on the way to the track. “Improvements… there were many.  I do have to contribute the fact that my bracket racing background prepared me for what I would be up against in heads-up index racing. Did I know the competition was going to be this stout?….No way!” “We are not planning to make a lot of changes for the 2007 ORSCA Points Series, just keeping up with what the other teams are doing will keep us and all 5.30 competitors on their game. I do have to thank Harvey Alsabrook and the employees of Southern Truck Parts and especially Josh Pitt for their support of our race team this entire year. They had what we needed when we needed it and did what it took to get us to staging each and every round.” “Our goal for 2007 is to defend and repeat the World Champion Title and most of all have fun doing it.  I have to say, this group of 5.30 racers that ORSCA has put together is the most competitive and most helpful group that I have every competed against and I have enjoyed each and every race, made a lot of new friends and look forward to what we as a class can accomplish next year.” Kenny Acree hung between fifth and third in the points the majority of the season. Lady Luck has hovered with the STP team this year, along with an awesome index driver that is humble in his love for the sport and his own abilities. What an awesome competitor and a tremendous World Champion family this team brings to every race. The laughter they exhibit when you pass by their pits … makes your day and they don’t mind sharing that with you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MICHAEL STRICKLAND – Industrial Depot – Outlaw 6.0 World Champion “It feels great to know that I am finally the Outlaw 6.0 World Champion. What a great battle it was with some of the best racers I know. We all sacrifice as a group to hang in there and do the job it takes to stay on top of the series. Trust me, that is not an easy job. Competition in the 6.0 heads-up series is as tough as it comes. My family and crew devote their time and love of racing so that I may have the chance to do what I love, and I thank each of them for that sacrifice.  I came in second place last year in this series which prompted me to do everything I could to win this year!” “The worst race of the series I experienced was in Huntsville, Alabama on October 1, 2006. Bad Luck was in the air for several racers. Broken cars, wrecks, things were flying in Huntsville called “tempers”… not cars. The best race of the series for me was in Albany, Georgia on May 27, 2006. I won that race. Everything just worked there for me. Albany is one of my favorite places to race. John Baldwin always runs a class “A” track and accommodates his racers, but puts on an awesome show. Everyone leaves Albany happy”. “Concentrating on the starting line helped me this year. When you are sitting at that tree looking at the car next to you knowing that the driver is a great friend, I have to drop that fact and cut his head off !! I gave it my all every pass I made.” “Changes for 2007? I would not change my team for anything. Car, class or anything else is all a mystery for you to solve the next year. We aren’t there yet.” The Industrial Depot 6.0 class sponsor really stepped up to the plate this year for our class. Southern Truck Parts – who are great people to have as a main sponsor, Jason Mote Motorsports, Alan Pope Transmission, Lance Patton, Alamo Auto Store, who is my local parts store were always there for me in a crunch. There is no way I would be here without them.” “My goal for 2007 is to try to stay competitive, enjoy myself and learn from the other racers in my class. Having the most fun I can has to be thrown in there too.” Michael Strickland gets to enjoy the reward of consistency from running the ORSCA Points Series this year. His ability off the line and his focus earned him the World Championship title. A more gracious sportsman there could never be. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RICKY PENNINGTON – Atlanta Speed Shop – Outlaw 7.0 World Champion “It feels great to once again be an ORSCA World Champion. Being the first and only driver to repeat and be a two time ORSCA World Champion feels even better. To accomplish that feat in a class such as 7.0, where the competition is probably the toughest you will find, makes being a World Champion all that much sweeter. Being World Champion from 2005 was a lot of motivation to stay on the 2006 ORSCA Tour. It feels good to display that #1. My family really enjoys the atmosphere of the ORSCA series. The racing is incredible and you meet some of the nicest racers in the country. Of course it also helps when dear ‘ole Dad is sponsoring the car with Performance Specialties. Makes racing a lot easier on my wallet.” “The worst event I experienced this year had to be Huntsville Dragway in September. The points race was really getting tight going into that event. I had a nice lead for quite sometime during the midway part of the season. My lead had stared to dwindle with each passing race. I actually made myself sick worrying about it the whole weekend.  Physically and mentally I was in bad shape, and I drove the car terrible during qualifying and red lighted the 1st round on Sunday in Huntsville. I was my first ever Round one defeat in ORSCA and it was at my closest event all year. The best ORSCA event I experienced of 2006 has to be the race at Albany, Georgia in May. I was by far one of the hottest races all year with temperatures in the high 90’s. I qualified in the top five and won the race. I made it to the semi-final and had a broken – bye run and my opponent Ricky Millard broke in the final on the starting line when the tree activated. With that win, it gave me the overall points lead in 7.0, which I held on to for the rest of the year. “ “We changed a few minor things over the winter months leading up to the 2006 Season. We went to a lighter Brodix cylinder head and relocated the batteries to the trunk of the car. That took a considerable amount of weight off the nose of the car. This helped with my reaction times and 60 ft E.T.’s.  The car seemed to work perfect all year. It let me down once or twice all year long, with most of the round losses coming from the nut behind the wheel.” “I do plan on returning once again to the ORSCA trail for another exciting season and defending my championship title in 2007.  My ’64 Chevelle will remain the same and will also remain in the same class.” “Again we had the same great people behind us that enabled us to repeat as champions: Comp Cams – Special thanks to Gordon Holloway. My family has used their products for over 30 years and there is nothing better. PTC – Kenny Ford and all his crew have supplied excellent transmissions and torque converters. Brodix: The Brotherton Family and Mark Fritz are great people that have outstanding cylinder heads. We picked up .15 hundredths and 4 MPH after switching to the Track I heads.  BCI – Randy Qualman has always had parts when we needed them. Goodyear – Brent Fisher and Carolyn Ashbee gave us a product that helped us stay consistant on the track. Performance Specialties – Thanks to Albert, Steve and Jerry Moore, along with my dear ‘ole Dad, Rick Pennington for having no engine trouble all season and helping with chassis repairs.” I would like to make it three championships in a row for 2007 in the 7.0 Index class. Stepping up and running another class in 2008, whether it is in 6.0 or 5.30 would be fun. If anyone is hiring, I am licensed and I drive cheap!!” Ricky Pennington is the first repeat World Champion in the history of ORSCA. A tougher 7.0 competitor you will not find. He came from a long line of racers. Ricky you can contribute this repeat championship to genetics.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On behalf of Outlaw Racing Street Car Association, I would like to wish each of you a Happy New Year!! Stay tuned as the ORSCA Staff makes preparation for another awesome heads-up season in 2007. Come join the fun, these guys need the competition!