Bil Clanton's infamous "Big Money" Studebaker Commander (shown) rocketed to 3.987/179.78 to officially lead the eight-car field; ironically, it was Clanton who assembled the volunteers for the thrash at Lynam's pit. Alabamian Perry Herring hit a 4.017/182.77 in "Doc" Perkins' '63 'Vette for second, followed by Joey Martin's Florida-based Gotham City '41 Willys at 4.08/178. The field was anchored by "Mr. Five Speed" Edmund Hall's nitrous-aided Firebird at 4.36/164.

Clanton, Herring, and Martin all made tremendous first-round passes on a 105-degree track surface, but Lynam dispatched Rex Kelley's nitrous '63 'Vette with a pedaling 4.05/181.35 which served notice the car remembered nothing of the previous day. In the semis, Herring's second consecutive 4.04/182.72 dropped Martin's 4.16/176 and Lynam made a shake-free 4.011/183.29 blast to stop Clanton's 4.07/175. Herring's relentless consistency was admirable, but it appeared Lynam was prepared to return to the three-second zone in the final round.

Undaunted, Perkins and Herring (shown) cast their fate to the tune-up and went to the line with no changes. Incredibly, Lynam once again fiercely shook the tires and Herring's 4.039/182.95 proved the "Doc" did, indeed, know best.

OUTLAW PRO MODIFIED AUTOMATIC

Jason Green's primered '63 Stingray struggled in qualifying, fairing no better than 4.70/155 against low qualifier Stephan Stringer's 4.35/165. Green's Eagle-powered 'Vette ransacked the PMA field in eliminations, however, with a 4.40/166 over T.J. Tracy's '67 Nova, a 4.29/166 against Stringer's '68 Camaro, and a final-round 4.26/168 (!) over Tom Stringer's Camaro, which fouled by only thirteen thousandths of a second. Incredibly, Green's 4.26 was only eight thousandths of a second away from the quickest of the nitrous OPM entries!