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June 30, 2008

Swimming With the Sharks: Part II

Your Agent received a call from none other than Wild Bunch member Camp Stanley hisself, who said he and his team had such a great time going to the Pro Extreme semis at the ADRL's national event in Valdosta, GA, earlier this year that they're coming back for more this weekend at Radford, VA. Stanley compared entering Pro Extreme to "swimming in a shark tank,"  but with his son, John, doing such a great job behind the wheel of the Stanley & Weiss '69 Camaro, he's confident they can make a few waves of their own at the 2nd annual Shelor Motor Mile Independence Drags. (ADRL/Tocher photo)

UPDATE July 3: Unfortunately, your Agent received notice this morning of the sudden death of driver John Stanley's grandmother. Understandably, this will prevent the Stanley-Weiss team from racing this weekend at Radford. The ADRL sends sincere condolences to the entire Stanley family. 

June 30, 2008

Filkins Finds Pro Extreme Appealing

Your Agent hears veteran blower racer Scott Filkins will be bringing his sharp-looking and sharp-performing '06 GTO down from Wareham, MA, to enter the Pro Extreme class at this weekend's 2nd annual Shelor Motor Mile Independence Drags in Radford, VA. Great to see the class continuing to grow with high-quality talent and machinery like this. (ADRL/Tocher photo)

June 27, 2008

Carpenter Can’t Wait for Radford

Pro Nitrous legend Charles Carpenter will be in test mode this weekend at Farmington (NC) Dragway, prepping his brand-new, Terry Murphy-built ’55 Chevy for its national-event debut July 4-5, at the ADRL Shelor Motor Mile Independence Drags in Radford, VA.

“The car is ultra-quick in the front half of the track, but we are having trouble keeping traction down-track. We have a few ideas as to what may be causing the problem and we are going to try them all this weekend,” Carpenter said. “This car is so quick off the line. It feels like a Mack truck is hitting me when I let the clutch out compared to my old car. It goes sub-one-second 60-foot times all day long, and even went a 2.57 to the 330-ft. marker."

Despite decades of experience, Carpenter also said, “The car is still so new to me, I’m making rookie mistakes out there. When you do the same thing over and over for 10 years, it’s hard to break some old habits and form new ones. It’s becoming more familiar to me as we get more runs on the car, though.”

With his son and crew chief, Michael, busy with a prior commitment, Carpenter has turned to friends and fellow racers Paul Albino and Rick Moore for help at the track this weekend. Carpenter, a two-time ADRL winner last year, is confident his temporary teammates will get him and the car ready for their first ADRL appearance in '08. "We are going to get this Shoebox ironed out," he stated. "We look to be a major factor when we roll through the gates at Radford next weekend.”

June 26, 2008

First Look: Franklin’s New PN Ride

Your Agent received a message this morning from one of his operatives in Missouri, who just happened to be at Garret Race Cars with camera in hand when former Pro Stock star Tommy Franklin's brand-new '68 Camaro rolled out of the Marble Hill shop with a slick Jeff Hoskins paint job applied to its Cynergy body. A Speedtech Nitrous-boosted Eagle 738 cubic incher set up to accept either a Powerglide or Lenco resides up front and the operative reports liberal use of titanium and carbon fiber throughout. Franklin plans on entering at least a few ADRL Pro Nitrous races after he gets in some testing.

June 26, 2008

ADRL Officials Ready to Embark on IndyCar Series Ride?

No, this isn't the ADRL's latest class for raceday. It's the IndyCar Series entry of 2008 Indy 500 runner-up Vitor Meira, who will be taking ADRL execs Kenny Nowling, Jeff Fortune and Jessica Alcoke for the ride of a lifetime this afternoon in a special, two-seat open-wheeler at Richmond International Raceway.

The National Guard and Panther Racing are hosting the ADRL crew, which also includes Dave "Bones" Koch, drivers Joshua Hernandez and Harold Martin, series co-founders Dave and Gidget Wood, and Houston Raceway Park owner Seth Angel, as they visit RIR for the eighth running of the SunTrust Indy Challenge this weekend.

"I'm a huge, huge fan of open-wheel racing, so this is just unbelievable to me," ADRL President Nowling said. "I'm very excited about meeting Vitor and going for a lap or two with him, but also about seeing up close how the IndyCar Series operates. The ADRL took a lot of inspiration from the IndyCar Series, even down to our logos, so I'm looking forward to sharing some marketing ideas with IndyCar Series officials. With the current resurgence of interest in open-wheel racing in this country, who knows what might come of this down the road?"

On Friday, the ADRL visitors will travel to Washington, D.C. for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Pentagon, courtesy of the National Guard, then it will be back to the racetrack for Saturday night's IndyCar Series main event.

"What an honor and privilege it will be to visit the Pentagon," Nowling said. "I know I speak for everyone in our group when I say we're all just as excited about that as we are about taking a lap around the Richmond oval. That it comes so close to the Fourth of July, too, just makes it that much more special. I can't thank Colonel Day and Sergeant Metzler enough for giving us this rare and very special opportunity." 

June 25, 2008

First Look: Hancock’s New Firebird

Thank goodness for cellphone cams! One of your Agent's operatives managed to grab a couple of quick snaps at Precision Racecraft in Douglasville, GA, where chassis man Mike Johnson has been working on this new '68 Firebird for reigning ADRL Pro Nitrous world champion Jamie Hancock.

The operative didn't hang around long enough to learn too many details, but your Agent hears this car is at least a couple of hundred pounds lighter than the champ's current '04 Corvette. Word also has it there's an outside chance for the car to debut at the Budd's Creek event in July, but more likely we'll have to wait until at least Norwalk in August to see it take the track. 

June 25, 2008

Glidden Going to Radford?

Well, here's one you can toss on the ol' rumor scrap heap. Your Agent heard through the grapevine that after Billy Glidden's ADRL competition debut earlier this month at Martin, MI, an even more famous Glidden might get behind the wheel of his son's Extreme 10.5 GTO at the 2nd annual Shelor Motor Mile Independence Drags July 4-5, at Radford, VA.

Nope. Your Agent checked with the man himself and Billy said although his father, multi-time Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden, still holds a valid competition license, no such plans ever were in the works. In fact, Glidden said, he's still hoping for a last-minute deal to help pay his way to the Radford event himself.

So, anyone interested in backing a proven winner? Let your Agent know and he'll put you in touch. (ADRL/Richards photo)

June 21, 2008

ADRL Statement on Scott Kalitta

"On behalf of everyone at the ADRL, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the entire Kalitta family," ADRL President Kenny Nowling said on the death of NHRA Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta, 46, in an on-track accident this afternoon in Englishtown, NJ.

"We all know Scott was a two-time world champion and a great racer, but I had the pleasure of spending some time with him on a couple of occasions and found him to be a great guy, too. He will truly be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott's wife, Kathy, sons Corey and Colin, his father and crew chief, Connie, cousin and teammate, Doug, and every member of the Kalitta family and race teams."  

June 21, 2008

Pizza Hut Summer Drags Photo Album

In between major electrical storms, there was plenty of "Adrenaline on Asphalt" served up June 6-8, by the 2nd annual ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. As always, ADRL photo team members Roger Richards and Ian Tocher were there to capture all the ADRL cars, crews and competitors in action. Check out a sampling of their work here.

June 17, 2008

Healthy Attendance Figures

The ADRL's record-setting spectator crowds are certainly drawing a lot of attention, but in looking over the updated points page (reflecting points earned up to the semis at rained-out Martin), your Agent grew curious about how many teams have made laps in the four ADRL national events that count toward this year's championships. There have been three races run this year, but the last race of 2007 at Dallas, TX, crowned last season's four champs with the ADRL's unique Battle for the Belts format held in conjunction with Friday night's qualifying, while Saturday's race actually counted as the first points-paying event toward the 2008 Battle for the Belts showdown among the top-eight finishers.   

It turns out Pro Extreme narrowly edges Pro Nitrous for having the most active participants so far, with 47 drivers earning at least attendance points compared to 46 in the nitrous ranks. The ADRL has 90 registered Pro Extreme teams and 85 official entry numbers issued in Pro Nitrous.

Impressively, 31 of 32 official entries are on the points list for the ever-growing Extreme 10.5 class and all 35 Pro Extreme Motorcycle entries have collected at least participant points toward the Battle for the Belts.

No wonder your Agent has so much difficulty manuevering his Vespa through the staging lanes. (ADRL/Tocher photo) 

June 17, 2008

ADRL Sends Get Well Wishes

Your Agent was sorry to hear that Letha Corzine, everybody's favorite ADRL official, recently went under the knife for treatment of a painful wrist condition known as de Quervain's tenosynovitis (try saying that five times fast!).

Your Agent is confident he can speak for the entire ADRL community in wishing Letha a complete and speedy recovery. Her role in keeping the control tower organized and providing your Agent with timely stats and sustenance cannot be overestimated. And Bubba, you be nice to her or fear your Agent's wrath! 

June 17, 2008

Nowling Feels Need for Speed

It's been more than two years since ADRL President Kenny Nowling last took a trip down the strip at speed, but our fearless leader will be back in action tomorrow at Gateway International Raceway, just across the river from his hometown St. Louis. Nowling's last ride in a race car also came at GIR in April 2006, in the first-gen Camaro (above), then owned by ADRL right-hand man Dave "Bones" Koch and now in the collection of ADRL co-founders Dave and Gidget Wood.

This time around, "Superman," as Nowling was previously known behind the wheel of his bracket-racing Nova, will be piloting local racing legend John Taylor's late-model Camaro in GIR's weekly test-n-tune session. Taylor, as you may recall, was a partner in the Camaro that Bill Kuhlmann broke the 200-mph barrier for door cars with in March 1987 at Darlington, SC, and basically sowed the seeds of today's Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous scene. Taylor's current car carries a naturally aspirated 600 cubic incher up front and is consistently capable of low-8-second passes in the quarter mile. Staying true to his belief that eighth-mile racing is inherently safer, however, Nowling promised your Agent he would be cutting the power after 660 feet, which he hopes to cover in about 4.9 seconds.

"I'm going through some personal hardships right now and racing always helped to clear my head," Nowling explained. "One thing you can be sure of seeing from me is Michael Neal-style burnouts. In fact, the first time out I think I'll just do a burnout the length of the track and bring it on back because we'll probably need new tires by then."

Your Agent regrets a prior commitment to his manicurist, but Nowling invites all his other ADRL friends to visit his pit at GIR for the proverbial "good time had by all."

(Jeff Burk photo courtesy of DragRacingOnline.com) 

June 17, 2008

ADRL Pro Stock On the Horizon

Looks like the ADRL is expanding. Your Agent can confirm that mountain-motor Pro Stockers will be added to the mix as exhibition entries at three of the remaining six events on the 2008 schedule. Right now it looks like their debut will come at the July 25-26 event at Budd's Creek, MD, with subsequent appearances at Norwalk, OH, and Rockingham, NC. Like all current ADRL classes, Pro Stock, as it likely will continue to be known, will run on the eighth mile with rules yet to be finalized.

Your Agent hears good racer turnout and positive fan response (of which he has no doubt) will determine whether Pro Stock becomes a full-fledged, purse-and-points-paying class as soon as next season.

It's actually not the first time around for these cars, though. Veteran ADRL watchers will recall an exhibition outing for the Pro Stock class (including Kenny Benso, above) at the seminal Dragstock III event in 2006 at Rockingham. (ADRL/Tocher photo)

June 14, 2008

Championship-Caliber Car For Sale

Word just came to your Agent that James Hancock has put up for sale the 2004 Corvette that his son, Jamie, 18, drove to the 2007 ADRL Pro Nitrous Battle for the Belts world championship, becoming the youngest major drag racing series champion ever in the process.

Check out details on the title-winning ride here. But there's no need to worry Hancock fans, the Opelika, Alabama-based team is just making room in the shop for a new '68 Firebird being put together by Mike Johnson at Precision Racecraft in Douglasville, GA. (ADRL/Tocher photo)

June 13, 2008

Adrenaline Available Online

Ready to relive the 4th annual Hardee's Georgia Drags? Or at least ready to read about it online? The new issue of Adrenaline: The Magazine featuring the recent ADRL national event at South Georgia Motorsports Park is now available by clicking here or on the cover image (right).

This is exactly the same magazine that was handed out at the 4th annual Pizza Hut Summer Drags last week in Martin, Michigan. In addition to extensive race coverage, it contains a profile of Lowmad driver Bob Mandell Jr., a special section on ADRL Pro Jr. Dragsters, a spotlight on Holley/NOS and the ever-popular Burk's Blast from the Past that focuses on the roots of Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous racing. And of course there are plenty of great shots from the ADRL's award-winning photography team. 

Join your Agent for a shot of Adrenaline online!

June 11, 2008

ADRL Postpones Tulsa Event to October

Just like everyone else, it seems, your Agent heard rumors that the 2nd annual Shelor.com Spring Drags were in danger of getting washed away for the second time this year--and maybe even cancelled outright for 2008.

Well, it turns out the first half of the rumor was true as the ADRL national event at Tulsa Raceway Park has again been postponed, from June 20-21 to Oct. 3-4, according to ADRL President Kenny Nowling.

Nowling told your Agent the track is again in good shape, but the facility's parking and pedestrian areas are heavily saturated and unable to sustain the record-setting crowd both the ADRL and track officials are expecting.

Tulsa in the fall. Your Agent likes the sound of that.

Check out the official ADRL press release here.

June 10, 2008

ADRL Receives ‘Radioactive’ Reviews

No need to be alarmed; your Agent just found veteran journalist Rob Geiger's new online project at www.go2geiger.com and was pleased to see plenty of ADRL coverage and photos alongside that of other major drag racing series. The news of the ADRL is gradually getting out and your Agent couldn't be happier. Well, he could if that annoying rash would just clear up, but that's another story altogether ...

June 9, 2008

Local Take on ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags

Your Agent's early-morning Web surfing turned up this little gem about the Pizza Hut Summer Drags from reporter Kyle Austin of the Kalamazoo Gazette. Austin also wrote about Extreme 10.5 racer Michelle Wilson and Pro Nitrous top qualifier Billy Harper, as well as submitted a pre-race report on Pro Extreme world champion Jason Scruggs. Good stuff all around!

Also, there's a great piece on Pro Nitrous racer Harold Martin (left), another on Extreme 10.5's Wilson, and a pre-race story about Pro Extreme pilot Bob Mandell Jr., all written by Steve Kaminski of the Grand Rapids Press.

Your Agent applauds the editors of both newspapers for recognizing the value of ADRL coverage to their readers. 

June 8, 2008

Arm Drop Racing League Heads to Tulsa

Imagine your Agent's surprise when he arrived at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park this morning and found ADRL head honcho Kenny Nowling deep into the resurrection of an age-old drag racing practice. Seems the track's starting-line tree suffered catastrophic damage related to a lightning strike last night, so Nowling planned to employ arm-drop starting--just like they do in all those great, old hot rod movies your Agent loves so much.

In a pre-race, starting-line meeting, Nowling gave racers in all four ADRL pro classes the chance to opt out without prejudice or penalty, but most embraced the idea, especially since the purse and points to be earned at the 4th annual ADRL Pizza Hut Sumer Drags would be split evenly among all remaining competitors. Essentially, they would be racing only for the coveted National Guard Minuteman trophy that accompanies each ADRL national event win. 

With the opening rounds for Pro Extreme, Pro Nitrous and Pro Extreme Motorcycle completed last night before severe weather ended the progress and only an eight-car field in Extreme 10.5, all classes entered the unorthodox eliminations format with three rounds to go. The experiment was working out quite well, your Agent thought, but another bout of bad weather rolled in about mid-afternoon, leaving only the final rounds to be completed.

So, Nowling announced the final rounds of the Martin, Michigan event will be completed June 20-21, at the rescheduled Shelor.com Spring Drags in Tulsa, Oklahoma--complete with arm-drop starts, just to keep it all fair and consistent. Facing off beneath Nowling's upstretched arms will be Joshua Hernandez and Bob Mandell in Pro Extreme, teammates Billy Harper and Dennis Radford in Pro Nitrous, turbocharged import pilots Brent Rau and Gary White in Extreme 10.5, and Pro Extreme Motorcyclists Scott Gray and T.T. Jones.

The Arm Drop Racing League (ADRL). Being a bit of a nostalgia buff, your Agent approves.

Click here for more on the race from ADRL Communications.

June 8, 2008

Summer Drags Resume at 10 A.M.

Your Agent made the trip from his secret lair to Knoll Gas Motorsports Park at U.S. 131 only to find the 4th annual ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags interrupted by high winds and heavy rain. When it became clear eliminations would have to be  delayed from Saturday to Sunday, your Agent headed to local the No-tel Motel and awaited confirmation or denial of its continuation. Well, word has it eliminations will resume at 10 a.m., weather permitting, so as they say, stay tuned for more!

June 6, 2008

Titan Testing Turns In Top Time

Wow, your Agent just learned that Titan Motorsports went testing at Steele, AL, on their way up to this weekend's Knoll Gas Motorsports Park in Martin, MI, and driver Gary White made a great 4.298-seconds pass at the helm of their Extreme 10.5 Scion. Making the pass that much more impressive, the Titan guys managed a 1.02 60-foot time and 2.84 to the 330 mark--all despite 140-degree track temperatures. That's haulin' the mail and with the top cars in the XTF class now dipping into the 4.20s, it proves the Team Titan Toyota certainly belongs to that elite group. (ADRL/Tocher photo)

June 5, 2008

PX Champ on the Way

One of your Agent's operatives at the Martin, MI, track said he received a call from Jason Scruggs confirming the reigning Pro Extreme champion had departed Tupelo, MS, about 8 p.m. tonight destined for the 4th annual ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags after a long, hard day of farming and selling building supplies. Scruggs said he's bringing his new Garret Race Cars '06 Stratus to race, but his trusty record-setting Vette is in the trailer, too--just in case. Your Agent says, look for the Dodge to make some waves this weekend. 

June 5, 2008

Personett Plans ADRL Return

Last year, at  Dragstock IV in Rockingham, NC, Brad Personett turned more than a few heads when he drove the Team Titan Scion to the Extreme 10.5 win. Personett will be hoping to turn the trick again this weekend at the 4th annual ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags, but this time in the Pro Extreme class behind the wheel of a '53 Corvette owned by Ed Marx. The Tim McAmis-built Vette carries a 525 cubic incher assembled by Personett and boosted by a pair of 90 mm billet-wheel turbochargers from Precision Turbo. Marx said they're still working a few bugs out, but the combination is promising and he expects a good outing at the Martin, MI, track.

June 5, 2008

Glidden Going to Martin

Your Agent got downright giddy to hear one of his favorite racers also plans to be in Martin this weekend for the Pizza Hut Summer Drags. Apparently, Billy Glidden has pulled the nitrous-fed, small-block Ford motor out of his familiar, black 'Stang and dropped it into the silver Mickey Thompson Tires test mule GTO. With a pair of 10.5-wides on the rear, Glidden will tackle the uber-competitive Extreme 10.5 class. Veteran ADRL watchers will remember Glidden had his Mustang out at the rain-cancelled Montgomery, AL, event last year, but this should be his ADRL competition debut. This race just keeps getting better and better! (ADRL/Tocher photos)

June 4, 2008

There’s a ‘Lil Evil’ On the Way

Looks like Brandon Snider liked what he saw in his first ADRL experience at Valdosta last month. The Atmore, AL-based Pro Extreme racer let your Agent know he's making the 1,000-mile trek to Martin, MI, for this weekend's 4th annual ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park at U.S. 131 in Martin, MI. With Joey Martin again on hand to help with the tune-up on Snider's "Lil' Evil" 1963 Corvette, they'll be looking to improve on a first-round finish after qualifying fifth with a 3.93/186.23 pass in Georgia. Rex McKinley, who sprayed the color on the car, is also making the trip, so Brandon, don't scratch it! (ADRL/Tocher photo)

June 4, 2008

Statistically Speaking

It's been a long time coming, but stats hounds (like ADRL pres Kenny Nowling and your humble Agent) finally have some new numbers to sink their fangs into. The ADRL Stats and Fast Facts is now up-to-date and you can be sure your Agent will do all he can to ensure they remain that way.

June 3, 2008

OSOFAST Ready to Release the Beast

Well, this is getting interesting. Your Agent has learned that 2007 Sport Compact Modified champ Brent Rau is fed up with battling rule makers over the years who keep insisting on adding weight to his record-setting 2.0 liter (that's about 122 cubic inches if your Agent's abacus is correct), four-cylinder, single-turbo-equipped Mitsubishi Eclipse. So, "the no-nonsense, no-weight-rule structure the ADRL provides is a natural fit," he said.

Rau is hauling his car down from Minnesota, bolting on a pair of 10.5Ws and making his Extreme 10.5 debut at the 4th annual ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags this weekend at Knoll Gas Motorsports Park at U.S. 131.

Word has it the little Eclipse is easily capable of running mid-fours in restrictive Sport Compact Modified trim, so your Agent is sure he won't be the only one watching to see how Rau and his OSOFAST Racing Team (gotta' love that name!) do against all the big-block nitrous, blown and twin-turbocharged entries once they truly release the beast within.

June 3, 2008

ADRL Event Pre-Registration Coming

Your Agent has been asked by the ADRL's crack IT team to pass along the word that the online pre-registration process for racers will be available June 13, after this weekend's 4th annual Pizza Hut Summer Drags. ADRL racers will soon be able to pre-register for all ADRL national events from the comfort of their homes, race shops, or anywhere else they have Internet access, beginning with the rescheduled 2nd annual Shelor.com Spring Drags June 20-21, at Tulsa, OK.  

June 2, 2008

Myers Makes it Into 3-Second Zone

Your Agent offers kudos to Pro Nitrous star Thomas "Tom Slick" Myers for finally breaking into "the threes" May 30, at Tulsa Raceway Park. Myers told your Agent it was a nice tune-up opportunity for this weekend's 4th annual Pizza Hut Summer Drags at Martin,MI, after he struggled to a DNQ in last month's ADRL event at Valdosta, GA. The 3.980 at just over 186 mph came on just the 13th pass with a new Reher & Morrison 800 cubic-inch motor up front, topped by the latest and greatest NOS nitrous system. Well done, to the entire "Slick" clan. (ADRL/Tocher photo)

June 2, 2008

‘Gladiator’ Set for PN Battle

Your Agent was pleased to hear that Dave Roemer and the Roemer Motorsports Promodifieds.us team are set to make their 2008 ADRL Pro Nitrous debut with a new Buck Racing Engines combo at this week's 4th annual ADRL Pizza Hut Summer Drags in Martin, MI. Roemer's Jerry Bickel-built Chevy also has received a new variation of its popular "Gladiator" paint scheme that is sure to make it a fan favorite with the Michiganders.

“If I didn’t think we could run and compete for a win we wouldn’t be going,” Roemer stated. "But after a great start and strong numbers we feel we have a real shot to not only qualify, but to compete for an event win." Your Agent figures you've gotta' like that kind of confidence.

The team also will continue its partnership with www.Promodifieds.us this season.

"Dave and the guys are a quality group and have worked very hard to field a competitive ride this season. We are proud to continue our partnership with Roemer Motorsports and look forward to a great weekend at Martin," Brian Cupp of Promodifieds.us said. Cupp also is the on-site, round-by-round reporter for www.ADRL.us.

Dave Roemer Motorsports is actively seeking sponsorship and invites interested parties to contact Eric Rapson at (216) 267-5454 or (440) 308-7654.