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Speer roars to Top Fuel Hydro triumph and sets MPH record at Haas Memorial on "Lake Lucas"
- By Tyler Speer
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- 10 Jun, 2018
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Tyler Speer says Lucas Oil Speedway always will be a special place because it's where he received his license to run a Pro Modified boat in 2014 and a Top Fuel Hydro two years later.
So the 27-year-old Speer found it perfectly fitting on Saturday when he enjoyed the best day of his Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series career, as the 7th annual John Haas Memorial Drag Boat Classic wrapped up on "Lake Lucas."
Speer, of Woodstock, Georgia, captured his first career Top Fuel Hydro victory when he piloted Shockwave to a narrow victory over Mike Robbins in Nitro Nuts. Speer covered the 875-feet in 3.252 seconds at 227 miles-per-hour with Robbins at 3.3156 at 215.7142.
A few minutes later, Speer nearly scored a rare drag-boat double. His Georgia Outlaw was nipped for Pro Outlaw honors by Jim Richards in Alka-Hauler.
"To get one of them into the final, we were happy," a smiling Speer said. "To get both of them into the finals, we were pushing hard to get the round win in Pro Outlaw. But it was definitely a good points day, regardless if we got that win or not.
"Out here, when you get two boats into the finals, it's pretty awesome."
Speer marveled at the consistency of the Top Fuel boat over the two-day event, with elapsed times consistently between 3.2 and 3.3 both Friday and Saturday. He had a 233.44 pass in Friday's qualifying and that stood up throughout the weekend, for the Top Fuel speed record for the 875-foot course.
"We knew had to lay it down," he said of going up against Robbins and the Nitro Nuts team. Robbins had a 230.8764 miles-per-hour run in his semifinal round victory over Jarrett Silvey in Speed Sports.
"I couldn't be happier with all these guys on the crew," Speer added. "That boat takes so many people, mom and dad, Bob and Sue Montgomery. So many people back in the shop that help out. It's a big organization.
"To finally get our first win in Top Fuel is huge. Last year in Phoenix we were so close. Man, I thought we got it until the very end. To actually take home the win, especially here at Wheatland where we got licensed, it's pretty sweet."
"To finally get our first win in Top Fuel is huge. Last year in Phoenix we were so close. Man, I thought we got it until the very end. To actually take home the win, especially here at Wheatland where we got licensed, it's pretty sweet."
The Pro Outlaw final saw Richards run a 5.3252 in Alka-Hauler to Speer's 5.3297 in Georgia Outlaw.
Other winners in the Pro divisions on Saturday were Travis Tutle in Short Fuse (Top Alcohol Hydro), Bill Miller in Party to the Max (Top Alcohol Flat), Shawn Reed in Top Secret (Pro Mod) and David Schmidt in Just Another Quickie (Pro Eliminator).
The Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series is back in action June 23-24 with the Craig Partusch Memorial Showdown in San Angelo, Texas. The series returns to Lucas Oil Speedway Aug. 31-Sept. 2 for the 8th annual Diamond Drag Boat Nationals.