With North Star Dragway’s racing season coming to a close, one of the final events of 2008 will be the points championship for the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association on Saturday.

Formed in the spirit of the early drag racers of the 1950s — where Model Ts and Model As were stripped down to their frames and the largest motors put into their frames for maximum performance — the OFAA offers an unique form of drag racing.

Comparable to the Funny Car class, the OFAA uses small roadster bodies on its dragsters instead of a full-body Pontiac or Camaro. The fuel altereds have the “outlaw” designation as a result of the NHRA and other sanctioning bodies banning them from their competitions in the 1970s due to the cars’ erratic handling.

Bobby Marriott

Pilot Point resident Bobby Marriott, a former NHRA Pro Stock and Top Alcohol Funny Car driver, formed the OFAA, which races in Texas, Louisiana and Missouri, in 1996 as a way to bring faster cars to smaller tracks and keep alive this nostalgic form of racing.

Racing an eighth of a mile, the average speed of an OFAA dragster is about 180 miles per hour, with top speeds reaching over 200 mph.

“Part of the appeal of this class is that these cars are so unpredictable, they just don’t go straight down the track every time,” Marriott said. “They go to the left, to the right, to the middle. They are all over the place.”

That unpredictably will be a major factor going into Saturday’s race. Nearly 20 cars will compete for the 10 elimination spots. There have been previous seasons where the top points leaders have not qualified in the final race, allowing someone from several spots down to take the championship.

This year, five racers, including Marriott, have a mathematical shot at taking home the season points title.

Photo courtesy of Chris Graves

Outlaw Fuel Altered Association points leader Bobby Marriott will have to fend off four other challengers to clinch the title on Saturday at North Star Dragway.

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After qualifying, there are two rounds of eliminations. The first round is single elimination, leaving five winners. The second and final round has the two fastest winners from the first elimination round face each other for the win.

“We have racers from around the area and across the country, including Iowa, Florida and California,” Marriott said. “They work during the week and race on the weekend. For example, Chris White is a fireman and J.T. Heslink is a senior chief petty officer with the Navy.”

Gates will open at 5 p.m., with the race starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 general admission and $20 for pits. The race will later be broadcast on the show “Inside Drag Racing,” which airs on the Ion Network.

“They are definitely the fastest show we have out here,” said North Star Dragway executive Nick Duty. “With the speed and handling, these guys are more like pilots than drivers.”

TREVOR WILLIAMS can be reached at 940-566-6874. His e-mail address is twilliams@dentonrc.com .