Harold Martin spins out in the shutdown area to keep out of the sand trap. He qualified for the Pro Nitrous field with a 4.0799/179.43

The final round of qualifying for Pro Nitrous saw big changes in the ladder as Billy Harper went from almost not being qualified to the number one spot in one pass turning in a 3.9339/187.19 slip. That pass sent Steve Vick to the number 2 spot on the strength of his Friday night 3.9863 lap. Just behind him in the 3rd spot was barrier buster Alan Jensen in his turbo-charged ‘69 Camaro.

Dennis Radford’s 4.0187 was good for the number 4 spot and Rickie Smith’s 4.0194 was good for the five spot.  Burton Auxier was the last qualifier for the eliminator when he made it on his last lap with a 4.1256/177.51

Andy Jensen deploys the chutes on his 3.99 pass.

Andy Jensen became the quickest turbo-charged car on the eighth0mile with a 3.9972/184.65 pass during the last qualifying session for the ADRL’s Pro Nitrous Class. Although the class is called Pro Nitrous ADRL rules allow turbo-charged cars to compete. Jensen’s single turbo-charged 427 inch small block Chevy is backed for a five-speed trans.

The car was built by Tim McAmis but finished by engine builder and driver Andy Jensen in his Northwest Pennsy shop. Look for a feature on this car in a future issue of DRO. Congrats to the Jensen crew for their barrier busting performance from the DRO staff.

Noted Mountain Motor Pro Stock engine builder Sonny Leonard of Sonny’s Racing Engines has agreed to a two race sponsorship beginning with the ADRL event at Maryland International Raceway. Sonnys along with the Purvis Ford folks will sponsor the class to be known and Extreme Pro Stock. Rules are being negotiated and the sponosrship is for two races only and will not include the ADRL race at Norwalk, Ohio as that date conflicts with an already scheduled IHRA event. Should the two-race experiment work look for a Extreme Pro Stock class at all ADRL races on the 2009 Schedule.

After another long raidelay this morning the sky finally cleared up at about 4:00 PM EST and the track crew began drying the track. Once that was completed the second round of qualifying for all classes began. The second round of Extreme Bike, Extreme Ten Five and Pro Nitrouws were completed with some amazing performances. Then just as the last of the Pro Nitrous cars completed their passes a drizzle began tht turned in a steay ran and DRO Pres Kenny Nowling called the race at about 8:00 PM and rescheduled the race for Noon Sunday when the final qualifying round of Pro Extreme will begin followed by Eliminations.

Gary Gardell's Ecotec powered front wheel drive Extreme Ten Five Cobalt

For the first time in ADRL history a front wheel drive extreme Ten-Five car competed. The car is a Chevy Cobalt powered by a turbo-charged 2.1 liter Chevrolet Ecotec engine. This may be the most difficult drag car to drive in drag racing.
The drive wheels are in front of the driver and the engine is positioned in front of the wheels and tires. Gary Gardella does a magnificent job of driving this car which is subjected to unreal “torque steer” and requires a lot of attention to drive.
If the name Gardella sounds familier his Dad ( or perhaps his Grandad) worked for Castrol on the John Force teams and was a fixture at NHRA events for years.
Gardella’s Cobalt has mucho factory parts and help involved. He ran a very respectable 4.914/155.71 on his first qualifying pass Friday night and is soldily in the field. A historic first in ADRL history.

It has been raining all morning here at the track but the ADRL and the track management are determined to wait the rain out and still try to attempt to get the program done today. Should today’s event be rained out the complete program would be re-scheduled for Sunday

Greg Godwin before the crash

ROLL ‘EM
Pro Nitrous racer Greg Godwin made a very good practice lap on Friday with an exceptional 4.022/182.78 while Pro Extreme competitor Bubba Stanton ran an equally great 3.83 in other other lane. When Godwin’s car got to the top of the hill with the chutes out he was still going too fast. He turned the car left and it tumbled four times into the sand trap. The amazing thing about the crash was the car was relatively unhurt. According to the crew the only serious damage was to the sheetmetal intake manifold.

THE SHEIK STEPS UP

If we didn’t know that Sheik Al Anabi was serious about drag racing we know now. Sources at the track confirmed that the Sheik has ordered Eight of David Reher’s 800 inch plus Pro Mod engines as well as 16 500 inch motors for use in his bracket dragsters. Seems like he has ordered 16 bracket style dragsters with engines from a Florida car builder. They reportedly are shaken down in Florida and then shipped to the Sheik’s race facility where he and his friends race each other.

BILLY HARPER SAYS; NO SALE!

Billy Harper says that the Sheik has been trying to buy his Vipar Pro Nitrous race car but Harper who is a wealthy man in his own right told me that they just weren’t able to meet his price. You could tell from talking to him that he probably wasn’t going to sell any part of his operation unless he was offered “Stupid” money.

Craig Rosenberg qualified 10th with a 4.6305/152.59

Four Pro Extreme motorcyclist qualified in the 4.30 range lead by number one qualifier C. Prophit’s unreal 4.3475/163.58 lap. He was followed in order by Young-4.3875/158.23,Vose-4.3888/161.40 and Corley-4.3897/157.29.
Pro Extreme bike had teams entered from as far away as Florida and Texas and 14 of them ran the first round of qualifying.
Qualifying today begins at noon EST and all the Bike teams will get at least one more session.
It should be noted here that at least one of the bike and rider rended up in the Sand Trap on Friday This track’s shutoff is one of the shorter on the ADRL circuit so the drivers have to be on their toes after a pass to get stopped. 
One thing in their favor is the fact that this is another track where the shutdown area goes uphill almost right after the finish line.

Micheal Neal and T. Moyer use the chutes

Micheal Neal’s Supercharged Chevy II leads the 12 car Pro Ten Five class with a very good
4.4545/170.66 clocking. He was followed by the Nitrous Oxide Injected Chevy of Steve Gorman who recorded a 4.47/161 lap.

In keeping with the variety theme turbo-charged Todd Moyer claimed the third spot with a 4.48/155, and the fourth spot went to hitter Mike Hill’s nitrous oxide machine,

Billie Gibson is now driving this Bill Barret tuned Pro Extreme Camaro

Bubby Stanon proved his 3.83/196 blast in practice was no fluke as he came back with a 3.8434/196.08 qualifying pass to take solid possession of the pole at Radford. In fact the first rour qualifers were all solidly in the three-second zone.

Texas Outlaw king Frankie Taylor made the tow from Ft. Worth and proceeded to run a 3.89 in practice and then came back to run a 3.8575/193 lap to get the number two spot. In the process he bumped his former tuner/advisor Jim Oddy now tuning, along with son Dave, the Dave Wood owned cars. Driver Josh Hernandez clocked a 3.8904/182.55 for the number three slot and Missouri racer Travis Swearingen put his “41 Willys in the four spot with a 3.96.

Jason Scruggs was shut off on the line for a leak so he didn’t make an official pass, neither did Bil Clanton nor Rick (nor Rickie) Smith. There are 18-19 cars trying to make the Pro Extreme field and five cars have ran three-second laps. Four officially and one unofficially ( Jason Scruggs).

Dale Brinsfield's GT-500 Mustang

Veteran Nitrous racer and privateer Steve Vick put his unsponsored ‘63 Vette into the three-second zone during the first round of qualifying todight at Motor Mile Dragstrip. Vick stomred into the number one slot with a solid 3.983/183.00 effort. He bumped Charles Carpenter out of the number one spot with that pass. Randy Weatherford is in the 3rd spot with a 4.0410/179.43 effort followed by Rickie Smith’s 4,0501/181.23 effort and in the fifth spot is Dale Brinsfield’s Mustang with a 4,076.178.08.
Twenty-one Pro Nitrous cars attempted to make the field including at least one turno-charged entry.

Charles Carpenter's new '55 Shoebox

Charles Carpenter has struggled this season with a new car and has made about 15 passes trying to get it sorted out. He won two ADRL Pro Nitrous events in 2007 but faded late in the season with a tired chassis. Over the winer the got a new car.
Tonight he solved his new car blues and proved new “pipe” is a good thing by recording his career best ET in the eigth-mile with a 4.04/180.22 blast that put him at the top pf the Pro Nitrous qualifying sheet.

Billy Harper smokes the tires on the quickest Nitrous injected Viper in drag racing.

Billy Harper won the all Mopar Pro Nitrous final in a bizarre finish to the postponed “Arm drop” finals from the postponed Michigan race. Harper’s Vipar and teammate’s Dennis Radford’s AAR Cuda both had traction issues immediately due to a very tricky track.  But Harper got the win light with a 5.987/83.78 pass that buried Dennis Radfords even more troubled 9.389/56.72.

Defending ADRL Pro Extreme World Champ Jason Scruggs has abandoned his faithfu '63 Vette for a late model sedan for the 2008 season

After a long day of intermitant rain and subsiquent track drying efforts the first cars began practice laps at about 4:30 PM EST.
Although the times weren’t official Pro Extreme defending belt holder Jason Scruggs showed that he is still one of the strongest car’s to beat with a strong 3.882/196.16 pass.
His tine stood as Top Speed and Low ET of practice until Bubba Stanton came out shortly before the practice session was concluded and powered his screw-blower equipped, Hemi-powered ‘63 Vette to a jaw dropping 3.837/196.85
Before the actual qualifying began a quick check of the entry cards showed that the race will have full 16-car fields in all classes.
Qualifying for Saturday’s Eliminations began at about 9:00 PM EST but on and off rain showers and the resultant delays seemed to indicate that the session would be a long affair.

ADRL President Kenny Nowling balances atop a concrete barrier and prepares to send the Extreme 10.5 entries of Billy Glidden (near lane) and H.T. Wilson down the eighth mile at Martin, Michigan. (ADRL photo)

When the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard visits Motor Mile Dragway in Radford, Virginia July 4-5, for the 2nd annual ADRL Shelor Motor Mile Independence Drags, fans and racers alike will be in for a history-making experience.

The conclusion of the first day of this year’s Independence Drags will feature a unique event as all four finals from the ADRL’s rain-shortened previous event in Martin, Michigan, will be run with ADRL President Kenny Nowling personally starting each pair of competitors with hand signals. The unusual format came about as a result of severe electrical storms in Michigan taking out the track’s starting-line tree and scoreboard displays, but leaving the staging and timing equipment intact.

“Sometimes you have to do what it takes,” Nowling said of what one Extreme 10.5 team quickly dubbed the Arm Drop Racing League (ADRL). That means the finals will be run—complete with arm-drop starts—at the end of Friday night’s qualifying session in Radford.

“It’s the only way to remain fair and consistent,” Nowling stated. “Besides, I think everyone left in contention is looking forward to the bragging rights of winning such a unique title. The fans in Virginia are in for a real treat, too, because these arm-drop starts for a pair of 3,000-horsepower cars have to be seen to be believed.”

Points leader Joshua Hernandez will take on Bob Mandell Jr. in the Pro Extreme final, teammates Billy Harper and Dennis Radford will square off for Pro Nitrous honors, Gary White and Brent Rau will stage the ADRL’s first-ever meeting of import cars in the Extreme 10.5 final, and T.T. Jones will ride against Scott Gray to determine the Pro Extreme Motorcycle winner. All final-round passes also will count as official ADRL qualifying attempts toward the Independence Drags, Nowling added.

“And one more thing; when we came up with the arm-drop idea, I promised Steve Gorman, our reigning Extreme 10.5 champion, that he could shave my head on the starting line when it was all over,” he said. “Well, that’s still on. It actually comes at a good time, too, because our next event is the inaugural 1-800-GO-GUARD.com U.S. Drags up in Budd’s Creek, Maryland, so I’ll fit right in with my new military-style haircut.”

Saturday’s on-track action will include two scheduled qualifying sessions, with eliminations for all professional classes beginning at 4 p.m. Additionally, extensive fireworks displays are planned for both nights at the track, along with a trackside custom car show and comprehensive manufacturer’s midway.