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SUNNY Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, September 25, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 22, 2002 An official looks on as Mike Austin prepares for a race. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Austin just misses upset victory By DON HUNT Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — If Mike Austin were a football team, he would have been a four-touchdown underdog in the quarterfinal round of the top alcohol dragster division at the National Hot Association Northwest Division 6 race at the Southern Oregon Dragway. Austin, a 34-year-old Medford car mechanic operating on one of the tightest budgets on the Division 6 circuit, was matched against Morgan Lucas, a big-dollar driver from Riverside, Calif., whose father owns Lucas Oil, the major sponsor of the series. As the two drivers rolled their dragsters to the starting line Saturday evening, the public address announcer called the race a David-vs.-Goliath matchup. Lucas triumphed, but only after watching Austin get a huge jump at the starting light and lead for most of the quarter-mile race. "I had a big lead at half-track and thought I was on my way," said Austin, who cut a .455 light (.400 is perfect) compared to Lucas’ .493. "At 800 feet I saw his front end and at 1,000 feet we were dead-even. "He got me over the last 300 feet, but I sure made him sweat." Lucas recorded an elapsed time of 5.67 seconds at 250 mph, while Austin had numbers of 5.78 seconds and 244 mph. Lucas lost in the semifinal round to Oregon City’s Steve Federlin, who went on to beat rookie Brandon Johnson of Shelton, Wash., in the finals. Johnson, who could have wrapped up the Division 6 title with a victory, jumped the starting light and was disqualified. Meanwhile, Mike Andreotti of Colusa, Calif., won the top alcohol funny car title, beating Larry Miner of Woodbridge, Calif., in the finals. Miner’s motor lost power during his burnout, enabling Andreotti to make a solo run in the finals. Bucky Austin, who posted the fastest time in Friday’s funny car qualifying rounds, had to miss Saturday’s elimination rounds after his shop caught fire in Fife, Wash., Friday night. Mike Austin (who is not related to Bucky) qualified ninth on Friday and advanced to the final elimination round only after Joey Severance pulled out because of mechanical problems. But for someone with a limited budget and an all-volunteer crew, Austin measures his success on how often he makes it to the final eight. Saturday marked his third in a row. He advanced to the semifinals at events in Yakima, Wash., and Spokane, Wash., in his previous two competitions, and likely would have made the finals at Yakima had a 50-center transmission fitting not failed. "Getting to the final elimination round is a winning situation for me," Austin said. "It means you’re one of the elite eight, and considering this division (6) is the toughest in the country, that’s saying something." Austin often beats higher-budget drivers because of his quick starts and smooth shifts. "The startling line is the true test of your driving ability," he said. "After that, as long as your shifts are smooth, it’s the equipment that wins." Austin was the crew chief of John Shoemaker’s American Eagle Racing Team for eight years and helped him win a national event and finish second in the Division 6 top alcohol dragster points race in 1996. But Austin always yearned to drive his own dragster, and he finally took the plunge three years ago. Each time he makes a run it costs him between $700 and $1,000. And the aftermath is labor intensive as the transmission, clutch and bearings of the engine must be removed and resurfaced. It still doesn’t stop there — once Austin’s vehicle returns to his shop, he must completely rebuild the engine. But that’s life in the drag-racing lane. Austin and his racing peers are willing to exchange all that hard work and expense for a few glorious seconds of speeding down the strip at 250 to 260 mph. And the chance of knocking off a Goliath. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S