Blog single

Outlaws Showdown in the Desert

Nitro Outlaw Drag Racing Association

March 17th, 2018

Phoenix, AZ

Team Litton Racing recently headed to Wild Horse Pass at Phoenix, Arizona for the Nitro Outlaw Drag Racing Association (NODRA) series kick-off race on St. Patrick’s Day! NODRA is a new drag racing association that is “owned by racers for racers” with an emphasis on bringing more fun into the sport of drag racing for the racers AND the fans. Their mission statement includes a “safety first” approach while implementing a unique format that pays homage to drag racing’s past, all while utilizing new-age social media platforms to get more fans involved in a way not possible before. Instead of a traditional qualifying format, teams are given a single “test and tune” run at the start of the event and drivers then “challenge” an opponent in first round pairings. To add to the tech-savvy fan engagement experience, fans get to choose the lane for each driver via text or website voting.

The Worsham-Litton Top Fuel dragster was ready for a day full of nitro and spirited head-to-head competition. Driver Bill Litton, Crew Chief Seth Randall, and crew members Paul, Ray, Duane, Cody, Randy and Glenn got ready for the “test and tune”. They started the weekend off right with a planned 800-foot pass of 4.08 @ 247 mph, making them the fastest and quickest for the round. Although impressive, Driver Litton and Team were still hoping to crank it harder and push for the high 3 second range @ over 300 mph.

The test gave them good information to use towards the following semi-final round against veteran Top Fuel driver Cory Mac. Crew Chief Seth Randall commented on the car upon returning from testing, “It came back and the motor looked beautiful, we didn’t hurt a single thing and all the spark plugs looked great.  The clutch looked nice, all the pistons and rods and rings were great, and the motor was happy.”

As the race day progressed, Driver Litton and Team were ready to make some thunder and pulled up to the starting line to face Cory Mac in the semi-finals. Both Top Fuelers launched hard, but Litton’s car shook violently, and he had to lift. Per Chief Randall, “There were some issues when we went out there on the second run, it shook the tires. It didn’t really hurt anything, just our egos. Other than that, all in all it was a great day. I’m really glad Bill is here helping us get this dragster out and glad we’re running this Nitro Outlaw series. It seems to be an awesome series that has a lot of potential.” Litton stated, “Of course we are disappointed to come up short, but all things considered we’re happy with the progress. I am greatly appreciative of Dexter Tuttle for putting the Nitro Outlaw Drag Racing Association together, and for my sponsors and my Team for making this Nitro Outlaw Race possible. We will definitely come out swinging for the fence next time!”
For an extraordinary recap of the weekend including driver interviews, visit the following YouTube link to feel like you’re right in the center of the action: https://youtu.be/v-WmMssBDvs
Make sure to tune in April 6th-8th when Team Litton will be heading to Las Vegas for the NHRA Denso Spark Plugs Four-Wide Nationals! Grab your tickets now and be a part of NHRA history for the first time the strip goes 4 lanes wide. Also, you can catch Driver Litton for the second race of the Nitro Outlaw series in Ennis, Texas on April 28th. For insider updates and exclusive videos and photos, make sure to follow our Litton Racing page on Twitter and Facebook, and like us on Instagram @teamlittonracing
From all of us at Litton Racing, have a Happy Easter!