Bobby Marriott stands in the driver\u2019s meeting at the Funny Car Chaos Classic at Texas Motorplex, expecting a typical weekend of racing. After all, he\u2019s been doing this for five decades now, so there\u2019s not much that surprises him at this point.<\/p>\n
Chris Graves \u2013 the man in charge of Funny Car Chaos, Nitro Chaos, and the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association \u2013 has other plans. During an emotional exchange, Graves presents Marriott with a large, framed photo celebrating his 50th anniversary in drag racing, featuring various cars Marriott has driven through the years in Pro Stock, Funny Car, and Fuel Altereds. It\u2019s but a small token of appreciation for the man who helped shape Graves\u2019 career.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a very minimal thing compared to all the things he\u2019s done for me,\u201d says Graves. \u201cTo be able to recognize him in front of a crowd of 200 drivers at the biggest Chaos race in history, I felt was more than deserving for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now 69 years old, Marriott began racing the same way many others have \u2013 with a street car. It didn\u2019t take long to move beyond his big-block Camaro, however, and he soon found himself competing in Pro Stock at NHRA and AHRA divisional events against the likes of Warren Johnson and Lee Shepard. He also got his wife, Nancy, hooked on the sport during this time, and the two have been inseparable ever since.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first race I went to was in San Antonio in 1975, I believe,\u201d Nancy says, admitting she\u2019d been more into sports like football before meeting Bobby. \u201cHe was running Pro Stock, and he won that race. I was like, \u2018Okay, this is pretty cool!\u2019 We\u2019ve been doing it ever since, and I\u2019ve never missed [a race]. I\u2019ve been to every one that he\u2019s raced in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marriott funded his hobby early on by working at his father and uncle\u2019s construction company. He\u2019d moved up to owning an equipment company when he met Nancy, and together they opened three Napa Auto Parts stores from the early 80\u2019s until the mid-90\u2019s. In 1996, Marriott formed the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association (OFAA), a risky move at the time that eventually paid huge dividends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Marriott had switched from Pro Stock to running Alcohol Funny Car, but fuel altereds remained a lifelong passion for him. When the funny car circuit he competed in disbanded, he called various track owners about starting a series specifically for fuel altereds. His idea was initially met with resistance, but Marriott was determined to make it work.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything he does, he plans it out. Nothing is on a whim,\u201d says Nancy. \u201cWatching him start the OFAA, I just thought, \u2018I don\u2019t see how this is ever going to work.\u2019 It\u2019s a lot to undertake to make something like that successful. But he thought about and planned it for a long time. We had four cars at the first show in Kennedale. We used to have to beg tracks for races; then suddenly they\u2019re calling us. It just took the perseverance to know that it could work.\u201d<\/p>\n
2007 Redline Raceway, Chris Graves photo<\/p>\n
In those early days of the OFAA, Marriott was the man to beat, winning numerous races and capturing five championships. But Nancy believes the biggest win for him was on April 21, 2007 in Shreveport, Louisiana shortly after his father passed away. Battling cancer, he\u2019d insisted Bobby go race, and the victory was a perfect way to honor him.<\/p>\n
In 2019, Marriott was inducted into the OFAA Hall of Fame, forever enshrining him in the organization that he founded. While Nancy says he never expected any glory from the series, the recognition by his peers still meant a lot to him.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
2023 Xtreme Raaceway Park, Chris Graves photo<\/p>\n
More recently, with the competition in the series stiffening, wins have been harder to come by. But Marriott continues to prove he still has what it takes to get the job done, winning the 2023 season finale at Xtreme Raceway Park in Ferris, Texas.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was extremely exciting because it had been a while,\u201d says Nancy. \u201cBut we always said we didn\u2019t want the same winner every race. That gets dull after a while. So when you get them, it\u2019s a real treat. That last race was a big deal for us and our crew.\u201d<\/p>\n
The determination and perseverance defining Marriott\u2019s racing career has undoubtedly inspired many individuals over the past 50 years; but arguably none more so than Graves. Graves recalls the times as a teenager when his mom would drop him off at a McDonald\u2019s parking lot in Texas, and Bobby would pick him up in their rig and take him to whatever track they happened to be traveling to that weekend. As their relationship grew, Graves became the team photographer and pit reporter, and eventually started the OFAA website.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose early years really got me hooked on racing,\u201d Graves says. \u201cHe gave me my first break and opportunity to travel, see the country, and go to drag races and have a job doing photography and website reporting. It fed my addiction, and a lot of what\u2019s going on today with Funny Car and Nitro Chaos stems from the days of traveling with Bobby and Nancy with the Shockwave fuel altered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Graves Warming Up Marriott\u2019s Altered Texas Raceway, 2012<\/p>\n
Graves says Marriott is like a father to him, and taught him so much about how to handle one\u2019s business and conduct his lifestyle. Marriott was the Best Man at Graves\u2019 wedding. Their families vacation together. And in 2020, Marriott handed the reins of the OFAA over to Graves, ensuring the series would remain in good hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So as the two stand hugging at the driver\u2019s meeting with a framed photo celebrating Marriott\u2019s 50th anniversary in drag racing, it\u2019s more than just an award. It\u2019s a symbol of the continuation of one man\u2019s legacy in the sport. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes a lot of organizing and planning,\u201d says Nancy. \u201cBobby spent a lot of hours doing that, and Chris does too. I think Chris had a good idea of what to expect by going with us to the track all those years and talking to Bobby constantly. We\u2019re so proud of what he\u2019s done. I guess it was just time for us to pass that torch to someone else, and it\u2019s been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
This story was originally published on May 17, 2024. <\/p>\n
The post Celebrating Bobby Marriott\u2019s 50th Anniversary in Drag Racing: A Look Back at the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association Hall of Fame Driver\u2019s Career<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bobby Marriott stands in the driver\u2019s meeting at the Funny Car Chaos Classic at Texas Motorplex, expecting a typical weekend of racing. After all, he\u2019s been doing this for five decades now, so there\u2019s not much that surprises him at this point. Chris Graves \u2013 the man in charge of Funny Car Chaos, Nitro Chaos, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93204\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}