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(April 11, 2008) Julian, NC - Piedmont Dragway put on a season-opener to remember yesterday, as fans enjoyed action-packed racing and weather fit for a king. After a single shake down session and two qualifying rounds, the field was set for an eye-opening Big Dog event that many won't soon forget.
As cars and drivers alike tried to shake off winter's ring rust, Todd Tutterow found himself sitting at the top of the ladder, driving his blown Willys to a 4.18 @ 175mph. Seven positions south sat Darrin Hoyle on the bump, making the show in his first Big Dog start. After a brilliant career in ORSCA Limited Street, Hoyle drove his ex-Rickie Smith Pro Stock Cobalt to a 4.30 @ 170mph.
Hoyle jumped into Big Dog with both feet when he rolled to the line to face Tutterow on his first race start with the series. Hoyle almost caught a break after Tutterow made his usual half track burnout, then sat stranded past the 330 mark as his reverser went out. It was the longest minute of Tutterow's life as the fans looked on and Hoyle waits patiently on the starting line, refusing to move until Tutterow made it back. Suddenly, a roar of applause from the crowd as Tutterow caught reverse and proceeded to return to the starting line almost as fast as he left. The cars staged quickly and Tutterow left first. At the finish line it was Tutterow ahead of Hoyle, 4.23 - 4.45 in a thrilling first round match up.
Fighting gremlins of his own throughout the race was Ronnie Gardner, who met Brian Williams in round one. Williams and the Mustang had Gardner covered with a 4.22, but a well-timed gate job took a slower 4.26 into the semis for Gardner and the slick 68 Camaro.
Gardner, who qualified 6th with a 4.28, was hit and miss in performance throughout the night. Gardner stepped it up nicely in the semis, escaping a gate job from Travis Harvey who clocked 4.26 @ 170mph. Gardner's sensational 4.19 @ 173mph came right when he needed it to hold off Harvey.
On the other side of the ladder, Tutterow battled Andy Beal to see who would face Gardner in the finals. Beal left a fraction ahead of Tutterow, but couldn't hold of the Willys the entire 660 feet. Tutterow streaked to his best numbers of the evening, 4.16 @ 175mph. Beal's Camaro stopped the clocks at 4.24 @ 173mph.
Approaching 10:30pm, Tutterow and Gardner reported to the scales for the weigh-in. After buckling down tight the engines fired for the finals. Worried that he might not make it back, Tutterow performed a short burnout, coming to stop at the 60 ft mark, then quickly testing out the reverser. A still-packed house looked on as Tutterow and Gardner crept closer to the beams. The tree flashed yellow and Gardner moved first, .056 to .064 rt. Tutterow was hanging on for dear life as the Willys danced over to the wall, then pulled an enormous wheelstand at 400 foot. Gardner drove away as Todd wrestled the Willys for the entire 1/8 mile, finally clocking 4.83 @ 152 mph. Winning time for Gardner, 4.26 @170 mph.
Photo by: Van Abernethy
Gardner outlasts Tutterow in Big Dog opener
(April 11, 2008) Julian, NC - Piedmont Dragway put on a season-opener to remember yesterday, as fans enjoyed action-packed racing and weather fit for a king. After a single shake down session and two qualifying rounds, the field was set for an eye-opening Big Dog event that many won't soon forget.
As cars and drivers alike tried to shake off winter's ring rust, Todd Tutterow found himself sitting at the top of the ladder, driving his blown Willys to a 4.18 @ 175mph. Seven positions south sat Darrin Hoyle on the bump, making the show in his first Big Dog start. After a brilliant career in ORSCA Limited Street, Hoyle drove his ex-Rickie Smith Pro Stock Cobalt to a 4.30 @ 170mph.
Hoyle jumped into Big Dog with both feet when he rolled to the line to face Tutterow on his first race start with the series. Hoyle almost caught a break after Tutterow made his usual half track burnout, then sat stranded past the 330 mark as his reverser went out. It was the longest minute of Tutterow's life as the fans looked on and Hoyle waits patiently on the starting line, refusing to move until Tutterow made it back. Suddenly, a roar of applause from the crowd as Tutterow caught reverse and proceeded to return to the starting line almost as fast as he left. The cars staged quickly and Tutterow left first. At the finish line it was Tutterow ahead of Hoyle, 4.23 - 4.45 in a thrilling first round match up.
Fighting gremlins of his own throughout the race was Ronnie Gardner, who met Brian Williams in round one. Williams and the Mustang had Gardner covered with a 4.22, but a well-timed gate job took a slower 4.26 into the semis for Gardner and the slick 68 Camaro.
Gardner, who qualified 6th with a 4.28, was hit and miss in performance throughout the night. Gardner stepped it up nicely in the semis, escaping a gate job from Travis Harvey who clocked 4.26 @ 170mph. Gardner's sensational 4.19 @ 173mph came right when he needed it to hold off Harvey.
On the other side of the ladder, Tutterow battled Andy Beal to see who would face Gardner in the finals. Beal left a fraction ahead of Tutterow, but couldn't hold of the Willys the entire 660 feet. Tutterow streaked to his best numbers of the evening, 4.16 @ 175mph. Beal's Camaro stopped the clocks at 4.24 @ 173mph.
Approaching 10:30pm, Tutterow and Gardner reported to the scales for the weigh-in. After buckling down tight the engines fired for the finals. Worried that he might not make it back, Tutterow performed a short burnout, coming to stop at the 60 ft mark, then quickly testing out the reverser. A still-packed house looked on as Tutterow and Gardner crept closer to the beams. The tree flashed yellow and Gardner moved first, .056 to .064 rt. Tutterow was hanging on for dear life as the Willys danced over to the wall, then pulled an enormous wheelstand at 400 foot. Gardner drove away as Todd wrestled the Willys for the entire 1/8 mile, finally clocking 4.83 @ 152 mph. Winning time for Gardner, 4.26 @170 mph.
Photo by: Van Abernethy
