His teammate had deservedly gained the spotlight over the past three races, but Jason Scruggs apparently decided it was his turn to grab the headlines.
After teammate Mick Snyder won three straight races to build a big points lead in Pro Extreme, the two-time world champion promptly threw his name back into the mix with a historic and impressive performance last weekend at the Summer Drags VIII at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park.
Bad luck had followed Scruggs for most of the past three events, but it was nowhere to be found in Martin as Scruggs put in a banner day, capped off by a new track record of 3.638 at 208.87 mph to beat Terry Leggett and his 3.689 at 205 mph in the finals.
Scruggs had four runs in the 3.60s during eliminations, including a 3.643 in the quarterfinals to get by Tommy D’Aprile.
On a historic front, Scruggs nabbed his eighth career win (second in 2012), matching Joshua Hernandez for the most in Pro Extreme history.
Scruggs also advanced to his 15th final, giving him the most finals appearance of any driver in PX history.
“It was a very good day and we’re real happy to get the win,†Scruggs said. “Every round 
here is tough, but we felt good out there and we ran good most of the day. Tommy had a great run, and Terry and his team are a great group of guys, so there’s nothing that comes easy.
“I’ve never had that much luck here, but the track was really good and things just worked out well.â€
In actuality, Scruggs didn’t have much luck for most of the past three races, capped off by a pair of frustrating events in the last two events.
In St. Louis, Scruggs’ car wouldn’t start before the finals, which kept him from racing his teammate, Snyder.
Just three weeks later, Scruggs made one of the best passes of his career, going 3.60 at Virginia Motorsports Park when track temperatures closed in on 150 degrees. But a minor parts breakage ended his day in the first round, capping off a disappointing stretch.
Scruggs, though, regained his mojo in a major way in Martin, qualifying No. 5 with a 3.674 in a field where the top nine qualifiers ran in the 3.60s and all nine were between 3.66 and 3.69.
That impressive parity continued in eliminations when D’Aprile went 3.68 in a losing 
effort in the quarterfinals and Leggett went 3.68 in his first finals appearance.
With Snyder falling in the first round, Scruggs also inched back into the championship chase, though Scruggs shrugged off that notion.
Instead, Scruggs wanted to focus on the impressive run the two-car team of Snyder and Scruggs has put together. Coupled with Scruggs’ win in Bristol at the Spring Drags in April, Snyder’s three-race winning streak and Scruggs’ win on Saturday, their two-car team is also in the midst of a potent 5-race winning streak.
“I think all this did was give something people can talk about for a little bit,†Scruggs said regarding the points race. “Mick had won three in a row, so as a team we’re on a pretty good streak.â€
Scruggs had suffered some electrical problems during the event, but Snyder and his team were right there helping in Scruggs’ pits after they had been eliminated.
That brought a smile to Scruggs’ face, as did his team persevering through the several rain delays in Martin.
He thought the track could have held a run in the 3.50s in the finals, but the team kept his mindset focused on the victory.
“My team kept me in check,†Scruggs said. “But the track was really good and I have to thank and commend the ADRL and the Traction Twins (Cale and Cody Crispe) for how hard they worked on the track to get this race in.â€
(Photos by ADRL/Richards)
