Lynch then upped his speed to an outlaw record of 170.26 mph in a 4.47-second win over Thomas Huddleston in round two. Another 4.47 took care of Kirk in the semis, setting up the final round against number-three qualifier Robbins, who previously dispatched Josh McClelland, Tom Ranes, and Mike Hill.

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“I actually went three seconds flat to the 330 (foot mark) and he (Robbins) was 3.01, so I was actually a little bit quicker to half-track,” Hill said. “But it started poppin’ and bangin’ a little bit and I had to let off a bit and he drove around me.”

In the final, Robbins left first with a .102 light, compared to a .151 by Lynch, then followed it up with his best pass of the weekend, a 4.516/162.48 combo to beat Lynch’s 4.481 at 167.37 in the right lane.

“I could tell I was out front,” Robbins said later, “but I kept expecting him to come flyin’ right by me. We knew we could run good, but we couldn’t run a .46, and he already had. We were up against the wall, so it felt really good to get the win.”

Lynch said his team had changed rear tires before the final and he felt a vibration for the first time all the way down the track, though he quickly added that wasn’t the reason for his loss. “It got close to the wall and I probably should’ve lifted, but it’s the final round, the adrenaline is goin’, and you stay in it a little longer than you probably should,” Lynch said. “At mid-track I knew he was out there on me and I knew I was running him down and it would be real close, but then I saw the win light in his lane so I knew we’d come up short.”

LIMITED STREET

Keith Szabo was another driver who doubled up at Atlanta, beating newly crowned ORSCA Limited Street champ Darren Hoyle (far lane) in the Huntsville final and taking care of number-one qualifier Carlton Thompson in the Atlanta final. Szabo also announced he would have a two-car team entered in Limited Street next season, with Chris Sadler at the wheel of a nitrous entry to complement Szabo’s turboed ‘Stang.

Limited Street star Keith Szabo also managed to double up with his turbocharged ’93 Mustang in Atlanta, first winning the postponed Huntsville final over Darrin Hoyle, then advancing from his second-place qualifying position to defeat Carlton Thompson in the Atlanta final. Thompson qualified on top with a 4.849-second effort, followed by Szabo, Philip Tarlton, Shannon Ragsdale, and Terry Woodson.

Szabo, from nearby Gainesville, GA, left first with a .015 reaction against Thompson, followed by a winning 4.838-second pass at 160.19 mph, his career-best ET in ORSCA-legal trim. Meanwhile, Thompson had a .021 light and put together a 4.892 at 157.45 mph lap.

“This is my home track, so I kind of feel like I have a little bit of advantage here,” Szabo said. “But it was a great track this weekend and I want to say thanks to ORSCA and all the track workers for all their hard work.”