RVW VETERAN
MARK WOODRUFF
CRUSHES
CAREER-BESTS
■
MARK WOODRUFF has been around Lights
Out and Radial vs. the World long enough
to appreciate the incredible evolution the class
has experienced over the last decade. But in the
midst of that have been Woodruff ’s own signifi-
cant improvements over the years, and that’s nev-
er been more evident than what the fan-favorite
driver experienced at Lights Out 10.
Woodruff went 3.657 at 214.04 mph, a mas-
sive career-best in his turbocharged Corvette
that showed just how far he’s come in just the
last year. Woodruff ran 3.79 – a career-best
at that point – at last year’s Sweet 16 and fol-
lowed with a 3.76 at the U.S. Street Nationals
in Bradenton in January, almost improbably
knocking more than a tenth of a second off his
best nearly overnight.
“We’re super-ecstatic about it,” Woodruff
says. “We’ve got a handle on the car and we’re
going to fight this thing out. I’ve got the ability
to look at (teammate Mark Micke’s) data and
he’s an instrumental part of my program. You
put the right people in place and it’s going to
happen. We have the power and we’ve really
concentrated on the program. The team has
really jelled.”
It’s a fascinating story of a veteran who has
continued to stick with it and is now enjoying
the fruits of those labors. His introduction as a
driver to Lights Out came at the second annual
race and Woodruff has been as much a fan as he
has been a driver in the years that have followed.
He marvels at the fanfare the event receives,
how much attention he’s drawn over the years,
and he marvels at the crazy development the class
has made in such a short time. But Woodruff has
enjoyed every bit of the ride and continues to
prove himself in a class loaded with standouts.
“You’ve got the best of the best,” Woodruff says.
“You’ve got 70 cars and to make the top 32 field
is an accomplishment in itself. To be able to go
in and feel like you’ve got a competitive car in
the 10th year of this, it’s pretty exciting.”
Woodruff had one of the best runs of his
RvW career starting with the career-best pass
in qualifying. He went into the 3.60s two more
times in eliminations, including a 3.683 at 211.03
in Woodruff ’s narrow quarterfinal loss to Alex
Laughlin, who ran 3.669 to slip past the veteran.
“You’ve got the best tuners in the world that
are out here turning on these cars. It’s awesome,”
Woodruff says. “Transmission and torque con-
verter technology has come a long way, too, and
everybody is better. Coming out of the Sweet 16
and coming here, the top 32 was quicker than
the Sweet 16 and that’s amazing.” – JOSH HACHAT
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■ MARK WOODRUFF
alley in Marshfield, Missouri, where Slavens
and Werdenhausen compete in a local bowl-
ing league.
It’s the perfect essence of what makes Lights
Out so special, and there’s no doubt Slavens and
Werdenhausen delivered a star-making perfor-
mance in 2019. But to hear Slavens tell it, the
Camaro was nearly flawless and he simply had
to enjoy the ride.
“What we’re doing now, the car just goes
straight down the groove,” Slavens says. “It’s a
testament to a lot of people. It drives straight
down through there. I told the owner I’m pretty
sure you can just set the cruise control and go.
It doesn’t look like it’s trying to get away from
itself at all.” – JOSH HACHAT
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April 2019
DragIllustrated.com
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