When Johnny Fenn and George Howard made the decision to take ORSCA to Memphis Motorsports Park, they knew it was a gamble. Most of the Outlaw Racing Street Car Association's membership comes from east of Alabama and, with virtually all teams carrying traditional Monday-through-Friday jobs, few could afford a twelve-hour tow back home from a "far western" Tennessee event.

ORSCA President Fenn, VP "Quick" Vandiver, and the rest of their Georgia crew apparently have inherited mentor Howard's penchant for sly wagers, however. Bringing ORSCA's brand of nonstop outrageous action to the mid-south, (not to mention more than four dozen Outlaw Pro Modified and Outlaw 10.5 stars), resulted in anticipation from Chicago to New Orleans. Whether it be marathon wheels-up qualifying sessions, guardwall-to-guardwall passes, or World Record performances, ORSCA once again delivered its best show to the new faithful at MMP.

OUTLAW PRO MODIFIED

It was only a timed trial for South Carolina's John Lynam (above), but when his Mauney Race Cars-built "Lil Red Corvette" posted at 3.925 at 185.92 mph right out of the box, everybody knew it was going to be another classic ORSCA event. Lynam's match race behemoth went untouched for qualifying in an attempt to repeat, but fate dealt a cruel hand. In the first qualifying session, the 'Vette rattled the tires and forced Lynam to abort the pass. On the launch of the second qualifying attempt, Lynam's mount shook hard enough to snap three different four-link bars completely in half; the subsequent "unloading" of the chassis sent the car into one wall and across into the other, tearing body panels apart on impact.

Before any fan could utter the phrase, "That's the end of Lynam," dozens of volunteers headed to the blown Corvette's pit area to assess the damage. Lynam immediately began rebuilding the rearend while other reassembled the fenders with red duct tape.

In less than four hours, Lynam again pulled to the line, still not officially qualified in the field despite the run which made him one of the four quickest doorslammer drivers ever. Even though only a 4.30 run was needed, Lynam unleashed enough Chuck Ford horsepower to blast to a 4.09/180.45 to qualify fourth!