I have always been into motor sports! I started racing Go-Karts when I was 13 yrs old. When I was a teenager, my good friend and crew member Gary Parker, along with his father, were racing an un-blown fuel flat bottom drag boat. They introduced me to the sport, and I thought drag boat racing was as good as it got. Cool boats and scantily clad women! I purchased my first boat when I was just 18, an old Schiada truly flat, flat bottom with a big block Chevy tunnel ram with 2 four's.

By 1979 I was president of the OKC Drag Boat Association. Back then we had Eddie Hill and NASCAR legend Rick Hendrick both running Blown Fuel Hydro's. In addition to racing, I also drove the rescue boat for the S.D.B.A. I threw in the towel on boat racing after three friends were killed in boating accidents in a matter of 45 days.

After a few years away from racing, my employer and friend, Bill Morando, who also ran a Blown Fuel Hydro for many years, decided we would try our hand at Champ Dirt Car racing. We did this for a couple of years. But I decided after two years of constant carnage, dirt car racing was not for me. Bill and I spent all the money, did most of the work, and someone else was driving...not fun. I decided from that time on, if I was spending the money and the time, I was going to drive!

I had intentions of getting back into some form of drag racing. I had never driven racecars before but thought a super comp dragster would be a good place to start. Bill Morando wanted to get back to doing something as well, and he still had most of the engine stuff left from his fuel hydro. It was all 392 Chrysler Nitro parts. About that time is when nostalgia Top Fuel racing was getting started. We thought surely they would have a class for the Fuel Altereds as well. I bought a car, went to Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School, got my super comp license, came home and started making laps in a blown nitro burning Fuel Altered the “Nitro Xpress.” No class materialized for our car, but there was a nostalgia race at Thunder Valley in Oklahoma. That's really where the OFA got started. Bobby Marriott, the Cross Brothers, Jerry Williams, and a few other cars were there. After that race is when Bobby and Nancy got the OFA going. Bill and I ran the few races that OFA had for a couple of years. When I had to move to the Dallas area for business reasons, the travel to Oklahoma City to keep up the car got to be too much for me, so Bill and I parted ways on the car.

I knew that I wanted to run a car with the OFA, so I approached Danny Wright, my good friend, about us building a car. Danny had helped on the “Nitro Xpress” car a little towards the end and seemed to enjoy it. Danny has built and raced just about every type of drag race car there is. He also built and drove jet dragsters for many years and he still holds track records around the country. Danny has three cars that he has built currently running on the circuit, with one to two more on the way. Danny's knowledge and expertise have been instrumental in the "Toxic" team achieving its goals. I could not and would not be doing this without him. Danny and I built the “Toxic” car completely by ourselves. The chassis, the mold for the body, and pretty much everything on the car was built by Danny and me. Danny is now building cars full time. Ace Chassis is getting a pretty good reputation!

The people who make up the OFA are what makes [racing] so much fun. It is sort of like a family. We all look out for each other and help each other out at the drop of a hat. The circuit has gained the reputation of putting on some of the best shows anywhere. We are organized, have great cars, good people, and just as important, have the respect of many track owners, and operators.

Photos & Story: Chris Graves