Texas Motorplex
Taylor Triumphs in Outlaw Pro Mod Return at Texas Motorplex
ENNIS, TX – After racing “down under” most of this year, Frankie “Mad Man” Taylor returned to his native state 
and pulled his sinister-looking, flat-black ’05 Corvette out of storage just in time to win the monthly O’Reilly Auto Parts Outlaw Pro Mod race Aug. 4, at the famed Texas Motorplex. It made the Dickinson, Tx-based driver the fourth different Texas Outlaw Pro Modified Association winner in as many TOPMA events staged at the Motorplex this summer.
“We’ve been down to Australia six or seven times this year racing with Victor and Ben Bray,” Taylor explained. “We just got back about a week before this race and we hadn’t raced the black car in about nine months. That was the first time we brought it out since last fall.”
Taylor and his brother, Paul, who also serves as crew chief, spent the previous week reconfiguring the car not only to run fast with TOPMA, but to conform to rules for a big $50,000-to-win Pro Mod special event Nov. 1-3 at the Texas Motorplex. In addition to routine maintenance, the Taylor brothers adjusted the screw-type blower atop their Hemi engine to run at 75-percent overdrive, installed a new transmission, and bumped the car’s weight up to 2,405 pounds.
“It was a lot of work in the shop getting it ready but we really had to do some testing because we still have a few races to do this year—and we really want to win that $50-grand,” Taylor said. “So to win at the Motorplex, man, that was a bonus and we’re pretty happy. It was the first time back out racing TOPMA this year and really the first race this year for us with a Pro Mod.”
Hargett Wins O’Reilly Auto Parts Outlaw Pro Mod Race at Texas Motorplex
ENNIS, TX – Consistency paid off for Dallas racer Kevin Hargett at the Texas Motorplex July 7, where he opened 
with a 4.29-seconds pass at 179.44 mph to qualify his turbocharged 2013 Camaro fourth for the track’s monthly O’Reilly Auto Parts Outlaw Pro Mod event. Hargett then ran a series of mid-4.20s to reach victory lane, which marked his second race title for 2018 and his first Texas Outlaw Pro Modified Association (TOPMA) win of the year.
“Despite the heat the track was killer out there and that really helped for me to tell the car what I wanted it to do,” said Hargett, 52. “The car has a twin-turbo setup, so we can control how much boost it has, so instead of turning it way up and trying to run a number that would make my team happy we just decided to make it run just good enough to beat the competition and it worked out okay.”
TOPMA points leader Steve Wiley took the top spot in qualifying with an outstanding 3.74-second run at 205.16 mph, but ignition troubles on the starting line with his supercharged ’63 Corvette handed an uncontested first-round win to eighth-place starter Chuck Poindexter and his Chevy Luv pickup. Meanwhile, last month’s winner, Doug Riesterer, advanced past David Baldwin, Tony Strachan also made a solo pass after Brandon McKinney suffered mechanical woes, and Hargett made the quickest and fastest pass of the opening round with a 4.26 at 179.40 mph to defeat Joseph Butler.
Texas Motorplex Creates American Jr. Dragster Challenge to Benefit Children’s Health in Dallas
ENNIS, TX – In less than a month, the Texas Motorplex will host a charity golf tournament and its inaugural 
American Jr. Dragster Challenge presented by CAPCO Contractors, with both events to benefit the Children’s Medical Center Foundation in Dallas.
The golf tournament will be held Tuesday, Aug. 7, at the Old Brick Yard Golf Course in Ferris, Tx., with racing beginning two days later at the famous drag strip in nearby Ennis, about an hour’s drive south of Dallas. Qualifying and eliminations for The American Jr. Dragster Challenge are scheduled for Aug. 10-11, with drivers aged 6-17 vying for trophies and nearly $16,000 in cash prizes.
“Ever since I came here I’ve wanted to do something kinda’ cool and big for our kids that race but also tied into charity, so we got involved with Children’s HealthSM, which is the big children’s hospital here,” Texas Motorplex General Manager Andy Carter explained. “They do such important work up there and mean so much to the community, not just in Dallas but for all over Texas, so we just want to help raise some money and awareness for them.”
Texas Motorplex Juniors Win ‘Wallys’ at Western Conference Finals
ENNIS, TX – A group of Jr. Dragster racers representing the Texas Motorplex outlasted 12 other teams from several 
different tracks June 22, to capture top honors at the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing Western Conference Finals (WCF) at Oklahoma’s Tulsa Raceway Park. Each of 10 members on the winning Motorplex Team 1 received NHRA “Wally” trophies, the much-sought-after symbol of excellence for drag racers modeled after NHRA founder Wally Parks.
“Everybody was ecstatic. Two years ago we lost the team championship by just one point and a lot of these kids were on that team, too, so it was really special for them,” said Motorplex team captain Tim Owen, whose 14-year-old daughter, Addyson, was among those making space on her trophy shelf. “We’ll all be remembering this for a long time.”
Two teams from the Texas Motorplex made up of racers aged 8-17 in three age groups participated in the WCF. The make up for each team was determined primarily by final standings after last season’s Jr. Dragster races at the Motorplex, with consideration also given to each driver’s experience at bigger events.
Owen explained the teams actually started racing in preliminary events the Sunday prior to the WCF, lasting through Wednesday. Two time trials for the main event were held on Thursday, with a final time trial the next morning before all eliminations were completed by Friday evening.
Wiley Wins O’Reilly Auto Parts Outlaw Pro Mod Race at Texas Motorplex
ENNIS, TX – After qualifying in the number-one position, Steve Wiley raced to a convincing O’Reilly Auto Parts 
Outlaw Pro Mod win May 5, during the Texas Outlaw Pro Modified Association (TOPMA) event at the famed Texas Motorplex, just south of Dallas.
Texas Motorplex General Manager Andy Carter dedicated the race to the memory of Tom Conquergood, event and motorsports marketing manager for O’Reilly Automotive Inc., who unexpectedly passed away the morning of the event. Carter said Conquergood helped get O’Reilly Auto Parts on board with the TOPMA series at the Motorplex, which will feature four more races on the first weekend of the next four months.
“Tom loved TOPMA racing and he loved coming here to the Texas Motorplex, too,” Carter said. “But it wasn’t just the big events or the big tracks that he and O’Reilly Auto Parts supported. Tom loved all kinds of racing, whether it was at the local drag strip or circle track or even kart tracks. He was just a great guy to be around and his influence on racing in general will be greatly missed.”
Texas Motorplex Launches Nitro Club With Exciting Facebook Fan Promotion
ENNIS, TX – The NHRA’s first super-track is offering fans of 330 mph Top Fuel dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars the 
chance to win exclusive Champions Club tickets, an amazing starting line experience and VIP parking during the 32nd annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex, October 13-15. The promotion which is underway now offers fans the chance to win one of three ticket packages good for Friday, Saturday or Sunday to the quickest and fastest sport on the planet.
“We have a lot of fans on our social media platforms and we wanted to do something special for our Facebook fans. Tickets and parking are always nice but taking the winners down onto the starting line to see a pair of 10,000 horsepower race cars launch is life changing. This promotion will run exclusively on our Facebook page and there will be three different opportunities for fans to win tickets and parking,” explained Andy Carter, Texas Motorplex General Manager.
