ADRL.us sponsored by Flowmaster

August 27, 2007

Stanton Makes It Two Straight and Carpenter Wins Again as ADRL Chevy Drags Overcome Mother Nature

NORWALK, Ohio (August 25, 2007) - Mother Nature tried her best Saturday, but the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League's inaugural ADRL Chevy Drags were eventually able to crown four champions to conclude a spectacular weekend of eighth-mile racing.
The ADRL's first trip to Summit Motorsports Park - and first trip into the northern part of the country - ended early Sunday morning with Bubba Stanton (Pro Extreme), Charles Carpenter (Pro Nitrous), David Janes (Extreme 10.5), and Eddie Gonder Jr. (Pro Extreme Motorcycle) claiming event titles in their respective classes. The event was plagued by three rain delays Saturday, beginning just before the scheduled start of eliminations, but the track was dried and prepped in good order each time.
Stanton, the 2006 ADRL world champion and the incoming Battle for the Belts points leader, made it two consecutive  event wins after claiming a bizarre Pro Extreme final. Stanton's crew had to thrash just to make the call, but final-round opponent Dwayne Watkins' crew turned out to be having even more problems. After not being able to start their '57 Chevy, Watkins' crew actually attempted to push-start the vehicle, but to no avail. Stanton was able to get down the track with a 5.641 to claim the event win.
Carpenter joined Johnny Pilcher as a two-time winner this season in Pro Nitrous. He qualified No. 8, but then put everything together in eliminations, beating Stan Allen, No. 1 qualifier Doug Riesterer, and Greg Godwin to reach the final. In that race, he outran Rod Houck, 4.05 to 4.08, to add the Norwalk title to his win earlier this season in Houston.
Janes, driving the AlphaTrade.com-backed Grand Am, scored his first career ADRL event win with a clear final-round victory over Bill Jewett, 4.52 to 4.95. Janes won from the bump spot, qualifying No. 8 and then upsetting top qualifier Steve Gorman in the first round.
Gonder also won his first career ADRL title, outlasting a deep Pro Extreme Motorcycle field and eventually beating T.T. Jones in the final, 4.396 to 4.605. The ADRL's two-wheeled class put on a great show all weekend, with Billy Vose becoming the first rider to reach the 4.20s in the eighth-mile (4.293 in the quarterfinals) and Ron Clark putting together passes of 4.346 and 4.383 to establish a new e.t. record for the class.
Next up for the ADRL is the Eastern Race Fuels Dragstock IV event, which will set the fields for the AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts world championship eliminators.

(Roger Richards photo) 

August 26, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme eliminations (final)

L-Dwayne Watkins, NTR/NSR
R-Bubba Stanton, 5.641/86.10 (**Winner**)
Watkins’ crew actually tries to push-start his car, but to no avail. Stanton makes it two straight ADRL event wins and increases his points lead

August 26, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Nitrous eliminations (final)

L- Rod Houck, 4.083/178.87
R- Charles Carpenter, 4.057/181.28 (**Winner**)
Carpenter caps off a great weekend with another solid pass. He joins Johnny Pilcher as a two-time Pro Nitrous winner this season

August 26, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Extreme 10.5 eliminations (final)

L- David Janes, 4.524/166.44 (**Winner**)
R- Bill Jewett, 4.953/144.72
Janes (near lane) scores a popular event win in the car backed by Battle for the Belts sponsor AlphaTrade.com

August 26, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme Motorcycle eliminations (final)

L- Eddie Gonder Jr., 4.396/162.39 (**Winner**)
R- T.T. Jones, 4.605/156.12
Gonder cruises to his first career ADRL event win

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme eliminations (semifinals)

L- Bubba Stanton, 4.301/177.46 (**Winner**)
R- Brian Daniels, 4.932/135.57
Stanton will be looking for consecutive ADRL event wins; he also keeps pressure on Joshua Hernandez to keep pace in the competition for the Battle for the Belts points lead

L- Dwayne Watkins, 3.965/185.97 (**Winner**)
R- Joshua Hernandez, 4.674/157.26
A rematch of the 2006 ADRL World Finals final round. Watkins with a clutch run to eliminate Hernandez and grab lane-choice for the final

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Nitrous eliminations (semifinals)

L- Rod Houck, 4.066/178.71 (**Winner**)
R- Jim Halsey, 4.302/177.46
Houck keeps it straight and true and advances to his first career ADRL final

L- Greg Godwin, 5.639/85.80
R- Charles Carpenter, 4.064/181.03 (**Winner**)
Houston winner Carpenter will return to try for his second win. He narrowly gets lane-choice, too

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Extreme 10.5 eliminations (semifinals)

L-Kenny Kneece, 4.737/157.63
R-Bill Jewett, 4.538/164.77 (**Winner**)
Jewett leads from point-to-point to move on to the final

L- Jim Robbins, NTR/NSR
R- David Janes, 4.608/171.66 (**Winner**)
Robbins has problems after the water-box and is shut off; Janes, in the AlphaTrade.com-backed car, moves on to his first final

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme Motorcycle eliminations (semifinals)

L-Bill Vose, 4.699/141.06
R-T.T. Jones, 4.510/156.81 (**Winner**)
Vose looks to have some sort of mechanical problem, and Jones is able to take advantage

L-Ron Clark, Red-light
R-Eddie Gonder Jr., 4.568/161.07 (**Winner**)
Gonder gets a free pass into his first career ADRL final

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme eliminations (round 2)

L- Jason Scruggs, 4.069/193.27
R- Bubba Stanton, 4.029/176.95 (**Winner**)
A great marquee matchup here. Scruggs appears to stutter once during the staging process and then is unable to put together one of his killer runs. Stanton moves on and continues to protect his points lead

L- Brian Daniels, 4.166/155.67 (**Winner**)
R- Bil Clanton, NTR/NSR
Clanton breaks on the burnout. Daniels clicks it early after some good early numbers

L-Mike Neal, 4.071/180.09
R- Joshua Hernandez, 3.897/192.60 (**Winner**)
Following a short burndown, Neal gets off the line first. But Hernandez has way too much power and he is able to keep pace with the points leader

L- Dwayne Watkins, 4.053/184.40 (**Winner**)
R- Travis Swearingen, 3.982/191.16
Watkins with a prescient .005 light to take the big holeshot win

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Nitrous eliminations (round 2)

L- Keith Baker, 4.390/172.76
R- Greg Godwin, 4.186/177.79 (**Winner**)
Baker gets loose and Godwin is able to get around for the win. The world champion is done for the night

L- Mike Lockwood, 4.446/147.23
R- Jim Halsey, 4.068/181.40 (**Winner**)
Lockwood gets a great start, but then begins to drift to the right. Halsey is still alive in his ADRL debut

L- Rod Houck, 4.055/178.92 (**Winner**)
R- Johnny Pilcher, 4.403/166.91
Houck, the No. 10 qualifier, with a nice 4.05 to oust the ADRL points leader

L- Charles Carpenter, 4.645/153.40 (**Winner**)
R- Doug Riesterer, 5.545/115.39
Both cars in trouble early, but Carpenter is first to recover. Riesterer’s dreams of back-to-back ADRL wins comes to an end

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme Motorcycle eliminations (round 2)

L-Bill Vose, 4.293/168.79 (**Winner**)
R-Scott Valetti, 4.393/163.95
Vose gets the win and becomes the first Pro Extreme Motorcycle rider to hit the 4.20s. The bikes are putting on quite the show

L-Charlie Prophit, 4.609/153.54
R-T.T. Jones, 4.448/158.89 (**Winner**)
Jones goes wire-to-wire to reach the semi’s

L-Eddie Gonder Jr., 4.490/162.29 (**Winner**)
R-Mantez Thompson, 4.692/154.81
Gonder into the semi’s in his ADRL debut

L-Jack Young, 4.397/164.89
R-Ron Clark, 4.422/163.18 (**Winner**)
Clark with enough of a holeshot to take a narrow win

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme eliminations (round 1)

L- Jason Scruggs, 3.879/198.67 (**Winner**)
R- T.J. Harrill, 5.885/80.43
Scruggs again flirts with the 200-mph barrier en route to an easy win

L- Michael Neal, 4.182/150.38
R- Bubba Stanton, 4.008/187.39 (**Winner**)
The 2006 world champion and current points leader puts together a nice pass to keep his lead safe for now

L- Joey Martin, 4.857/81.13
R- Travis Swearingen, 3.981/191.35 (**Winner**)
Swearingen entered the event in a tight points battle, but he will move up from the fourth spot with this spectacular run

L- Kelly Martin, 4.053/180.26
R- Mike Neal, 4.055/184.02 (**Winner**)
Neal with a heart-stopping holeshot win. They were bumper-to-bumper all the way to the eighth-mile

L- Bill Hill, 7.822/68.07
R- Bil Clanton, 3.930/188.60 (**Winner**)
Clanton with a huge starting-line advantage and it was all over. Surprisingly, it’s his first ADRL round-win in more than a year

L- Brian Daniels, 4.002/181.40 (**Winner**)
R- Frankie Taylor, 4.171/174.64
Ohio native Daniels takes a popular win

L- Dan Bandish, 4.145/181.25
R- Joshua Hernandez, 4.129/185.87 (**Winner**)
Hernandez struck the tires briefly, and the door looked open for Bandish to score an upset. But the Dr. Moon’s Rage car had enough to get back in the race and win

L- Dwayne Watkins, 4.069/183.82 (**Winner**)
R- Hugh Scott, 4.136/177.37
Scott gets left on the line and can only watch as Watkins advances

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Nitrous eliminations (round 1)

L- Stan Allen, 11.731/NSR
R- Charles Carpenter, 4.081/180.45 (**Winner**)
A nice win for the ’55 Chevy, but the real story is Allen, who crosses the centerline and hits the right-hand wall. He heads back toward the left barrier, but appeared to get the car stopped just in time. Allen has emerged from the car and appears to okay.

L- Rod Houck, 4.069/179.42 (**Winner**)
R- Thomas Myers, 4.084/178.05
A great side-by-side race all the way to the lights; Houck with just enough to move on

L- Terry Housley, 10.237/22.87
R- Mike Lockwood, 6.007/124.37 (**Winner**)
Housley produces enough sparks to make his entire car briefly visible in the night air; Lockwood had to hook it up again, and he drives around for the win

L- Dennis Radford, 4.197/170.88
R- Keith Baker, 4.138/179.85 (**Winner**)
The 2006 world champion has just enough to keep the ‘Cuda at bay

L-Teddy Smith, 4.186/175.39
R- Greg Godwin, 4.125/178.57 (**Winner**)
Smith, the No. 13 qualifier, gives it a game effort, but Godwin with just a little too much power

L-Jim Halsey, 4.713/147.19 (**Winner**)
R- Blake Housley, 6.766/69.58
Both cars get extremely loose, but Halsey does a nice job wrestling his Camaro back into line

L- Johnny Pilcher, 5.886/85.11 (**Winner**)
R-Ed Burnley, Red-light
Burnley put together a great 4.07, but it came after a red-light. Pilcher, the ADRL points leader, gets a break and moves on

L-Jarod Wenrick, Red-light
R- Doug Riesterer, 4.019/180.62 (**Winner**)
Wenrick goes red, but he would have needed to set low e.t. of the round to get past Riesterer’s nice 4.01

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Extreme 10.5 eliminations (round 1)

L-Jim Robbins, 4.524/164.73 (**Winner**)
R-Michelle Wilson, 9.354/47.40
Wilson goes into immediate trouble, giving Robbins an easier-than-expected run

L-Bill Lutz, 4.938/150.33
R-Bill Jewett, 4.524/168.16 (**Winner**)
Jewett just has too much in this matchup

L-Kenny Kneece, 4.917/152.47 (**Winner**)
R-Brian Keller, 5.495/117.46
Not Kneece’s best run of the weekend, but enough to advance

L-Steve Gorman, 10.648/57.63
R-David Janes, 4.561/162.78 (**Winner**)
We have our first big upset of eliminations, as Janes puts out the No. 1 qualifier

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme Motorcycle eliminations (round 1)

L- Bill Vose, 4.396/159.63 (**Winner**)
R-Leshon Norman, 4.892/144.30
Vose pins Norman to the Tree, then posts the better number

L- Steve Drake, 4.629/153.37
R- Jack Young, 4.385/164.51 (**Winner**)
Young will take over the ADRL points lead with that win

L- T.T Jones, 4.478/159.27 (**Winner**)
R-Darian Guillory, 11.260/32.57
Guillory in trouble right away, giving Jones an easy win

L- Mantez Thompson, 4.460/160.25 (**Winner**)
R- Scott Gray, 4.670/131.89
Thompson pulls away to move to the quarters

L- Charlie Prophit, 4.359/160.86 (**Winner**)
R- Carlos Wilkerson, 4.621/163.02
Great pass for Prophit, who finds the 4.30s. That could be the first half of a new ADRL record

L-Ron Clark, 4.383/159.72 (**Winner**)
R- Monte Campbell, 4.449/160.14
Close race, but Clark gets the stripe

L- Eddie Gonder Jr., 4.504/161.27 (**Winner**)
R- David Vaztine, 4.570/156.21

L-single
R- Scott Valetti, 4.354/164.41 (**Winner**)
A huge pass for Valetti, who outdoes Prophit’s earlier run. He can use his 4.383 from qualifying as a back-up run, so we have an ADRL e.t. record

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme qualifying (round 2)

L-Joey Martin, 4.192/179.49
R-Travis Swearingen, 4.019/188.13
We’re back up after checking the timing equipment out. Swearingen with a big improvement and a spot in the field for now

L-Greg Holt, 4.224/174.68
R-Herman Sheppard, NTR/NSR
Holt also improves, but he’ll be keeping an eye on some of the drivers who can bump him back out. Sheppard trails some sparks before shutting everything down

L-Frankie Taylor, 5.006/104.52
R-Bill Hill, 4.072/176.17
Another 4.07 for Hill. Frankie skated a round a bit, but he still has his 3.93 from last night

L-Dan Bandish, 4.131/180.89
R-Joe Baker, 5.046/139.17
Bandish looks better this time, running a 4.13 that might be good enough; Baker shook and bounced and will not qualify

L-Dwayne Watkins, 3.884/189.87
R-Bubba Stanton, 8.076/56.41
Watkins with a huge run, moving all the way to No. 2; the world champ shook and threw in the towel

L-Tommy Mauney, 4.254/183.32
R-Tommy Gray, 8.785/49.49
Mauney gives it a valiant effort, managing to hook up again after losing traction. He comes up just short, though

L-Kelly Martin, 6.085/77.31
R-Steve Engel, 4.351/175.07
Engel improves, but not enough to make the show. Martin has his 4.06 from Friday

L-single
R-Brian Daniels, 4.097, 172.74
Daniels stays with it and is rewarded with a spot in eliminations. That wraps up qualifying at the ADRL Chevy Drags

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme qualifying (round 2; partial)

The rain has retreated, the Summit Motorsports Park track crew is satisfied with the condition of the surface, and we're back to racing. The plan is for the Pro Extreme class to get its second and final qualifying pass, and then for eliminations to begin very quickly in all four professional classes. The race teams are prepared for quick turnaround times.

L-Joel Bayless, 5.013/110.56
R-T.J. Harrill, 3.927/172.41
A nice-looking run for Harrill, although it appears that his incremental times will be examined. For now, on to the next pair

L-Michael Neal, 4.102/179.64
R-Mike Neal, 3.937/NSR
Huge burnouts for both Neals, bringing the crowd to its feet. Nice-looking runs for both drivers, with Mike hitting 3.93.

L-Bennie McDonald Jr., 4.727/161.98
R-Hugh Scott, NTR/NSR
Scott is credited with a 3.43 with no speed showing. It looks like the right-lane timers will have to be checked.

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: the rain has returned

The rain returned to Summit Motorsports Park just after the first pair of Pro Extreme cars were getting ready for their burnouts on Saturday afternoon. The three other ADRL professional classes were all able to get their second and final qualifying sessions completed before the moisture returned.

The Saturday schedule will have to be further adjusted; stay tuned to www.adrl.us for updates.

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Nitrous qualifying (round 2)

L- Blake Housley, 4.135/175.18
R-Ed Burnley, 4.204/174.46
Last chance for a big PN field to qualify. Both drivers here are in for now

L-Teddy Smith, 5.109/104.22
R- Randy Weatherford, 5.711/84.34

L- Stan Allen, 4.116/180.55
R-Thomas Jones, 5.763/83.86
A quality run for Allen, who moves up the order

L- Thomas Myers, 7.674/61.68
R- Johnny Pilcher, 4.060/180.65
Great run for Pilcher, who also ran a 4.05 last night. He’ll qualify for his 18th consecutive ADRL Pro Nitrous field

L- Rod Houck, 4.121/176.53
R-Terry Murphy, NTR/NSR
Problems for Murphy, who never gets it into reverse and drives it through. Houck doesn’t quite improve

L- Keith Baker, 4.203/169.70
R- Dennis Radford, 4.121/174.28
Big improvement for Radford, who jumps up to No. 10

L-Jarod Wenrick, 4.145/174.39
R-Jeff Lutz, NTR/NSR
Wenrick improves and is in the show for now; Lutz never takes the Tree

L-single
R-Jeff Lutz, 4.392/170.56
Lutz is allowed to make a pass, as apparently the right lane might not have been fully ready last time

L- Burton Auxier, 4.273/175.64
R- Charles Carpenter, 4.115/179.80
Carpenter makes it look easy, vaulting all the way to the No. 7 spot; Auxier will not qualify

L- Mike Lockwood, 6.857/93.70
R- Jim Halsey, 4.925/114.18
Halsey will stay at No. 3 as we get down to the final few pairs

L- Steve Vick, 7.199/90.42
R- Jamie Hancock, 4.607/146.93
Nothing doing for either driver, leaving us with two surprising DNQs

L-Dwayne White, 4.605/125.05
R- Greg Godwin, 4.061/179.90
Great effort from the Godwin team, which vaults up to the fourth spot

L- Kenny Rucker, 4.235/175.43
R-Billy Harper, NTR/NSR
Harper has problems after the burnout and is shut down. Rucker fights his car all the way and comes up short of  making the field

L-single
R- Doug Riesterer, 4.003/181.75
Following a short delay for some track clean-up, Riesterer unleashes a beautiful run, straight and true and nearly into the 3s

L-single
R-John DeCerbo, 4.242/173.52
That’s a wrap for Pro Nitrous, with Riesterer’s earlier run looking very impressive

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Extreme 10.5 qualifying (round 2)

L-Brian Keller, 5.723/136.41
R- Kenny Kneece, 8.374/71.19

L-Bill Lutz, 5.180/142.79
R-Bill Jewett, 4.405/169.27
Nice improvement for Jewett; Lutz takes his first shot in XTF

L-Steve Gorman, 7.305/75.47
R-David Janes, 7.949/75.84
Big tire shake and shut-off runs in both lanes

L- Michelle Wilson, 10.991/51.41
R-Jim Robbins, 5.744 /158.80
Robbins bogs down after the hit, but gets it going again

August 25, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme Motorcycle qualifying (round 2)

L-Jeff Lindeman, 8.047/52.43
R-Steve Drake, 4.688/153.28
And we’re back at 4:04 p.m. Eastern time. This will be the final round of qualifying for all four ADRL professional classes

L-David Vaztine, 4.554/154.83
R-Ron Clark, 4.476/160.63

L-Charlie Prophit, 4.414/164.09
R-Mantez Thompson, 4.449/161.79
Nice pass for Prophit, who just manages to grab the No. 1 spot

L-Darian Guillory, 4.502/160.86
R-Monte Campbell, 4.464/160.50

L-Ashley Owens, 4.930/104.21
R-Eddie Gonder Jr., 4.435/162.65
Gonder to the No. 4 position

L-Carlos Wilkerson, 4.581/164.75
R-Jack Young, 4.375/165.50
Young dips into the 4.30s to take over the top spot; Wilkerson gets into the field

L-Leshon Norman, NTR/NSR
R-T.T. Jones, NTR/NSR
Norman never takes the Tree; Jones goes five or so feet before the bike stalls

L-single
R-Scott Valetti, 4.383/161.90
Valetti appeared to lurch just off the line, but maybe everything was okay, as his run is good enough for the No. 2 position

L-Bill Vose, 4.452/159.61
R-Scott Gray, 4.515/157.08
Vose with a solid pass to wrap up the two-wheeled qualifying

August 25, 2007

Second rain delay at ADRL Chevy Drags

NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 25, 2007) — It’s 2:15 p.m. at the track and we’ve had some bad luck. A short while ago, track drying was basically finished, but, as if on cue, a major storm came through the Norwalk area and engulfed the track.
The rain has slackened considerably and the track personnel at Summit Motorsports Park are beginning to grab their drying equipment. The track will need a major drying, though, so we’re looking at an estimated two-hour delay.
No ADRL runs were made before our first rain delay earlier today. Any updated schedule information will be posted here as soon as it is determined.

August 25, 2007

Track drying under way at Summit Motorsports Park

NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 25, 2007) — It’s noon at Summit Motorsports Park, but the second round of qualifying for the ADRL Chevy Drags is on hold while we deal with the rain that is finally coming down after threatening to fall all morning. The track will need an end-to-end drying when the moisture stops, but the Summit Motorsports Park crew has been fantastic all weekend, so we’re hoping it’s a short delay.
Once racing resumes, we’ll be keeping an eye on two possible ADRL records. Jason Scruggs ran a 199.11-mph speed in his Pro Extreme qualifying run Friday night, while Steve Gorman posted a speed of 174.50 in Extreme 10.5. Both of those marks are potential ADRL records, but each will require a 1-percent backup run at some point today.

August 24, 2007

Scruggs just misses 200-mph run to highlight ADRL Chevy Drags

NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 24, 2007) - Pro Extreme driver Jason Scruggs came within less than one mile per hour of making history Friday night at Summit Motorsports Park, blasting a 3.824 at 199.11-mph run to easily lead qualifying after the opening night of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League's inaugural Chevy Drags.
Despite having to re-stage his '63 Corvette, Scruggs (pictured, near lane) came within an eyelash of becoming the first ADRL driver to record a 200-mph pass. As it is, his 3.824 leads Pro Extreme qualifying by more than a tenth of a second; Joshua Hernandez ran a nice 3.930 earlier in the day, but was soon relegated to a distant second. All told, five Pro Extreme drivers recorded 3-second runs and six had passes of greater than 185 mph.
Coming into the Chevy Drags, the ADRL speed record (held by Scruggs) was 198.44 mph. Scruggs can back up his 199.11 run and re-set his record on Saturday if he can put together a pass of at least 197.12.
In Pro Nitrous, six drivers recorded 4.0-second passes, led by Doug Riesterer's 4.038 at 180.94. Riesterer is coming off an event win in Radford, Va., at the ADRL's most recent national event.
The other first-day leaders Friday were Steve Gorman (Extreme 10.5; 4.360) and Bill Vose (Pro Extreme Motorcycle; 4.414).
The ADRL Chevy Drags continue Saturday with a full day of racing. Two more qualifying sessions (noon and 2 p.m. local time) will set the fields for evening eliminations in all four professional classes.

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Nitrous qualifying results

(through 1 of 3 sessions)

1. Doug Riesterer (pictured), 4.038/180.94
2. Johnny Pilcher, 4.053/181.32
3. Jim Halsey, 4.056/182.67
4. Keith Baker, 4.073/181.42
5. Terry Housley, 4.085/177.49
6. Thomas Myers, 4.096/178.19
7. Rod Houck, 4.116/175.80
8. Mike Lockwood, 4.117/179.64
9. Teddy Smith, 4.133/179.18
10. Ed Burnley, 4.140/176.95
11. Stan Allen, 4.150/179.09
12. Randy Weatherford, 4.154/176.77
13. Jarod Wenrick, 4.188/173.67
14. Thomas Jones, 4.198/180.65
15. Dwayne White, 4.222/152.42
16. David Roemer, 4.283/153.53
(not qualified)
John DeCerbo, 4.321/160.86; Kenny Rucker, 4.365/168.75; Jeff Lutz, 4.558/172.72; Terry Murphy, 4.904/104.48; Dennis Radford, 5.105/98.21; Burton Auxier, 6.503/71.32; Greg Godwin, 6.663/68.54; Steve Vick, 7.061, 94.55; Jamie Hancock, 8.325/58.85; Billy Harper, 9.686/42.88; Charles Carpenter, DQ

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme qualifying results

(through 1 of 3 sessions)

1. Jason Scruggs, 3.824/199.11
2. Joshua Hernandez, 3.930/192.82
3. Frankie Taylor, 3.932/189.87
4. Bil Clanton, 3.954/189.90
5. Mike Neal, 3.988/186.41
6. Bubba Stanton, 4.021/184.12
7. Michael Neal, 4.024/181.86
8. Herman Sheppard, 4.058/185.97
9. Kelly Martin, 4.068/178.66
10. Bill Hill, 4.078/176.03
11. Hugh Scott, 4.169/175.50
12. T.J. Harrill, 4.174/171.77
13. Joey Martin, 4.186/173.18
14. Dwayne Watkins, 4.285/168.77
15. Dan Dandish, 4.458/130.52
16. Tommy Gray, 4.847, 100.62
(not qualified)
Steve Engel, 5.182/96.94; Tommy Mauney, 5.318/92.11; Joe Baker, 5.502/88.90; Bennie McDonald Jr., 6.147/77.47; Travis Swearingen, 6.469, 72.37; Bryon Rich, 7.070, 64.16; Greg Holt, 7.769, 71.16; Joel Bayless, DQ.

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme qualifying (round 1)

L- Steve Engel, 5.182/96.94
R- Dwayne Watkins, 4.285/168.77
Engel gets real loose; Watkins will be back for more

L- Herman Sheppard, 4.058/185.97
R- Kelly Martin, 4.068/178.66
Sheppard waits at the Tree, then unleashes a nice pass. Good run for Martin, too

L-Bryon Rich, 7.070/64.14
R- Joshua Hernandez, 3.930/192.82
Hernandez not only becomes the first driver at the event into the 3s, he gets WAY under the 4-second barrier

L- T.J. Harrill, 4.174/171.77
R- Greg Holt, 7.769/71.66
Harrill with a nice baseline pass; Holt’s wagon makes a hard turn at the hit

L- Joe Baker, 5.502/88.90
R- Joey Martin, 4.186/173.18
Martin nearly loses the groove twice, it looked like, but still manages a weaving 4.18

L-single
R-Dan Bandish, 4.458/130.52
Bandish clicks it early

L- Mike Neal, 3.988/186.41
R-Joel Bayless, 4.445/129.16
Great run for Neal, the second driver into the 3s

L- Tommy Gray, 4.847/110.62
R- Bill Clanton, 3.954/189.90
Another 3-second pass, combined with a big speed. Our next pair will set the bump

L- Bubba Stanton, 4.021/184.12
R- Tommy Mauney, 5.318/92.11
Stanton enters the event as both the defending ADRL world champion and the most recent race-winner

L- Jason Scruggs, 3.824/199.11
R- Michael Neal, 4.024/181.86
Scruggs has to re-stage the car, then still comes up with the quickest run in ADRL history; the 200-mph barrier might live for just one more day. Neal with the unfortunate circumstance of running a solid 4.02 that looks slow

L- Hugh Scott, 4.169/175.70
R-Frankie Taylor, 3.932/189.87
Nice run for Taylor in his bright-yellow machine, just missing the 190-mph barrier

L- Travis Swearingen, 6.469/72.37
R- Bennie McDonald Jr., 6.147/77.47
No 3-second runs here; both drivers will figure it out and get two shots tomorrow

L-Bill Hill, 4.078/176.03
R-single
And that’s a wrap for the first night of the ADRL Chevy Drags. Be sure to check back with www.adrl.us all day tomorrow to see if the 200-mph barrier can survive

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Nitrous qualifying (round 1)

L- Jamie Hancock, 8.325/58.85
R- Dennis Radford, 5.105/98.21
Nothing doing for either driver; Hancock does a nice job getting his car back under control

L-Thomas Jones, 4.198/180.65
R-Thomas Myers, 4.096/178.19
Battle of the Toms goes to Myers, but Jones hits 180 at the big end

L-Ed Burnley, 4.140/176.95
R-Teddy Smith, 4.133/179.18
Good-looking runs, but not close to Myers’ effort

L- Terry Murphy, 4.904/104.48
R- Stan Allen, 4.150/179.09
Nice plume of nitrous from Allen, who follows it up with a 4.15. It looked like he might have clicked it a bit early

L- Doug Riesterer, 4.038/180.94
R-David Roemer, 4.283/153.53
Riesterer coming off of his first career ADRL event win (Radford); he goes right to the No. 1 spot with a great pass

L- Johnny Pilcher, 4.053/181.32
R- Mike Lockwood, 4.117/179.64
Pilcher has never failed to qualify for an ADRL Pro Nitrous event; he comfortably moves into the No. 2 spot with his first run

L-John DeCerbo, 4.321/160.86
R- Steve Vick, 7.061/94.55
No dice on either side

L- Randy Weatherford, 4.154/176.77
R-Jarod Wenrick, 4.188/173.67
Wenrick with a respectable pass in his Pro Street entry

L-Jeff Lutz, 4.558/172.72
R- Burton Auxier, 6.503/71.32
Auxier has problems right away

L- Jim Halsey, 4.056/182.67
R- Rod Houck, 4.116/175.80
Halsey is already making the most of his first ADRL appearance; he just misses the top spot

L- Charles Carpenter, 6.756/74.77
R- Kenny Rucker, 4.365/168.75
Carpenter hits the centerline, but quickly gets things under control. The bump is at 4.55 and dropping quickly

L- Greg Godwin, 6.663/68.54
L-Blake Housley, NTR/NSR
Things were over before they began in both lanes

L- Terry Housley, 4.085/177.49
R- Keith Baker, 4.073/181.42
A nice side-by-side effort puts both drivers into the top five

L-Billy Harper, 9.686/42.88
R-Dwayne White, 4.222/152.42
White gets into the show for now; Harper loose right away

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Extreme 10.5 qualifying (round 1)

L-Jim Robbins, 4.682/163.49
R-Brian Keller, 5.301/129.12
Robbins sets the baseline for the XTF class

L-David Janes, 5.640/45.38
R-single
Janes lurches a bit and there’s some flashes from underneath the car

L- Kenny Kneece, 4.383/166.85
R- Steve Gorman, 4.360/174.50
Great side-by-side pass, both drivers  going right to the top of the order

L- Bill Jewett, 4.892/115.71
R- Michelle Wilson, 4.511/170.00
Wilson goes from A-to-B, but Jewett gets loose almost right away

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: Pro Extreme Motorcycle qualifying (round 1)

L-Bill Vose, 4.414/163.14
R-Carlos Wilkerson, NTR, NSR
And we’re under way! Vose straight and true, but Wilkerson loses power and coasts to the guardwall

L-Mantez Thompson, 4.442/160.88
R-Ashley Owens, NTR, NSR
That looked like a repeat of our previous pair: Thompson straight and true; Owens loses power

L-Jack Young, 4.442/161.87
R-Charlie Prophit, 7.157/62.16
Same thing again. Nice pass for Young

L-Eddie Gonder Jr., 4.447/162.74
R-Jeff Lindeman, 4.584/153.63
Nice side-by-side pass

L-T.T. Jones, 4.503/158.20
R-David Vaztine, 4.663/155.74

L-Steve Drake, 4.693/153.86
R-Leshon Norman, 5.636/104.52

L-Louie Grist, 4.501/160.04
R-Monte Campbell, 4.47
Campbell on a nice pass.

L-Scott Valetti, 4.426/158.56
R-single
Valetti with a great pass, just missing the No. 1 spot.

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: more Friday test runs

The ADRL's traditional Friday testing session is winding to a close; the drivers will shortly be attending their drivers' meeting. Meanwhile, there has been some morenotable hits:

*Bil Clanton makes a 4.02 look easy;
*Doug Riesterer, the winner at the most recent ADRL event in Radford, lays down a nice 4.10;
*Herman Sheppard continues to impress; he just posted a solid 4.03;
*Rod Houck with a 4.14 in his PN 'Vette.

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: testing continues

Many ADRL drivers continue to take test runs and gather data in anticipation of tonight's first qualifying session. Here's some noteworthy runs:

*Travis Swearingen posts a 4.11 in his Willys;
*Jim Halsey raises some eyebrows with a stout 4.08 in his Pro Nitrous entry;
*Pro Extreme driver Steve Engel records a nice 4.05/184 mph;
*Bill Hill makes his ADRL debut with a respectable 4.13

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags: open testing

The area Sportsman drivers appear to be finished with their time trials, and the staging lanes are full of ADRL drivers looking to take a shot at the track before tonight's first qualifying run.

Here's some early results:

*Keith Baker with a nice 4.108, 181.20 in Pro Nitrous;
*Thomas Myers follows with a 4.155;
*Dennis Radford wows the crowd first with his popular '70 Barracuda, then with a solid 4.11;
* In Pro Extreme, Brian Daniels throws down a good-looking 4.08.

August 24, 2007

ADRL points: a quick primer

While every driver at this weekend's ADRL Chevy Drags has the ultimate goal of winning an event title at this inaugural event, a number of racers will also be very interested in keeping track of the AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts points standings. The Chevy Drags are the second-to-last chance for racers to score points; only the top eight competitors in each ADRL professional class will qualify to compete in the Battle for the Belts eliminators.

Here's how drivers earn points in ADRL competition:

* 100 points for qualifying, then 100 points per round-win;
* Qualifying points, from 16 to 1, in inverse order of finish (16 points for No. 1, 15 for No. 2, etc.);
* 50 points for setting official ADRL e.t. or speed records;
* 25 points for attempting at least one qualifying run, plus a 50-point bonus at season's end for any driver who attends every event his class competed in.

August 24, 2007

ADRL Chevy Drags live coverage

It's Friday afternoon at Summit Motorsports Park, and it looks like we're going to have a great weekend of ADRL racing. The current weather is sunny and a bit muggy, but it beats the raindrops that much of the Midwest has endured recently.

Right now, some area racers are making some time trial runs for their Pro and Super Pro competitions. A limited number of ADRL racers have made passes during the open testing session.

In about four hours, the Chevy Drags will get under way "for real" when the first round of qualifying in all four ADRL professional classes commences. That will set the stage for Saturday's wall-to-wall ADRL action, which will finish up with eliminations in all four classes in the evening.

Stay tuned for live updates all weekend here at www.adrl.us

August 22, 2007

ADRL Heads North for First Time; Inaugural Chevy Drags Open Friday

NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 21, 2007) - Following a mid-summer break, the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League resumes racing action this weekend with the inaugural ADRL Chevy Drags, a pivotal event that should go a long way toward determining which drivers will be eligible to compete for the 2007 AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts world championships.

The Chevy Drags, the fifth of seven events on the ADRL's 2007 schedule, will be the second-to-last chance for all ADRL competitors to earn points in the Battle for the Belts points standings, with only the Eastern Race Fuels Dragstock IV event remaining as a last resort for points-scoring. The top eight finishers in each of the ADRL's four professional classes automatically qualify for the AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts eliminators, Oct. 12 in Ennis, Texas.

The Chevy Drags also represents the first national event in the ADRL's four-year history to be held outside the southern U.S. or the Atlantic seaboard. Norwalk's Summit Motorsports Park will be, by far, the northern-most appearance for any ADRL national event.

The race will follow what has become the ADRL's template for national event competition: open testing for most of the day Friday, followed by one round of professional qualifying at 8 p.m. local time, with Saturday featuring two rounds of qualifying (noon and 2 p.m.) and the first round of eliminations for all classes at 4 p.m.

Heading into the event, the league's points leaders are Bubba Stanton (Pro Extreme), Johnny Pilcher (Pro Nitrous), Mike Hill (Extreme 10.5), and Coodee Thomas (Pro Extreme Motorcycle). Stanton and Doug Riesterer were the winners at the ADRL's most recent event, last month's ADRL Independence Drags.

The ADRL has been aggressively promoting the Chevy Drags throughout the northern Ohio area, and a large turnout is expected. Area fans are encouraged to check www.summitmotorsportspark.com or to call the track at (419) 668-5555 for the latest updates. Directions to the facility are available at www.summitmotorsportspark.com/for-our-fans/directions.