UPDATE
2/17/06 - 4:25pm
Vadosta GA -- More than 60 pro mod racers from around the nation have showed up for the ADRL test a tune prior to the Winter Drags on Saturday. Although no times are official for qualifying still the numbers are pretty stout. Jason Scruggs and John Lynum lead all Pro Extreme racers with 3.93 Elapsed Times. Scruggs set the speed mark at 192.01. John Lynum was right behind with a 188. Quain Stott winner of the last two ADRL races unloaded off the trailer from testing at Gainesville with a 3.95/186 which he swears was done at IHRA legal 20% over on the blower. Complete results and photos here later tonight.
Outlaw Pro Mod's Top Drivers Ready to Open ADRL's Second Season
2/17/06
oming off a record-setting and crowd-pleasing 2005 season, the FLOWMASTER American Drag Racing League will begin its second full season of racing Friday when drag racing's top Outlaw Pro Mod drivers descend upon South Georgia Motorsports Park for the second annual ADRL SpeedTech Winter Drags.
Large fields are expected in both the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous classes when action gets underway Friday at 2 p.m. with open testing for all competitors. ADRL President Kenny Nowling estimated Tuesday that he had received more than 80 entry requests for the season-opening event, including many from first-time ADRL drivers.
The two-day event concludes Saturday with a full day of qualifying and eliminations. Three rounds of qualifying are scheduled for noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m., with eliminations - including an expanded 16-car field in Pro Extreme - set for 6:30 p.m.
"Since we finished the 2005 season with record-setting crowds in Valdosta, Jackson [S.C.], and Kennedale [Texas], I have been literally counting the days until we could continue that momentum in 2006," Nowling said. "I'm very proud of how far we've come in the one calendar year since we put on the first SpeedTech Winter Drags, and I'm confident we can continue our upward trend. I'm also excited to be returning to Valdosta, which will be the first venue we have visited three times."
Both the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous fields appear to be loaded. Among the Pro Extreme drivers expected to compete for one of the 16 spots in Saturday night's eliminations are 2005 ADRL world champion John Lynam; Quain Stott, who is riding a two-event winning streak in ADRL competition; Bil Clanton; Mike and Michael Neal; quarter-mile Pro Mod veterans Troy Critchley and Joshua Hernandez; and Todd Tutterow, who also plans to enter a car in Pro Nitrous. The list of drivers expected to make their ADRL debuts includes Pro Mod legend Bill Kuhlmann, Danny Rowe, Scott Ray, Tommy Gray, and Scott Cannon Jr.
In Pro Nitrous, a who's-who list of bottle-powered drivers are expected to fight it out for the coveted eight eliminations spots, including 2005 ADRL world champion Dan Parker; teammates Shannon Jenkins and Mike Castellana; Pro Stock and Pro Mod veteran Rickie Smith; Burton Auxier; and fuel-injection wizard Harold Martin, who is scheduled to make his ADRL debut.
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The SpeedTech Winter Drags will also feature a special four-car shootout in the Pro 10.5 category, a class that ADRL officials are seriously considering for full-time status at future events. The invited drivers are Steve Kirk Jr., Jack Barfield, Marcus Birt, and Sandro Sementilli, who will drive Parker's 10.5 entry.
Stott (Pro Extreme) and Keith Baker (Pro Nitrous) enter the Winter Drags on top of the ADRL points standings, having won their respective classes at last year's season-ending Kennedale event. Points earned at that race count toward each drivers' 2006 total.
Pro Extreme driver Michael Neal and Pro Nitrous standout Johnny Pilcher are the defending event champions. Last year's event was contested at Hub City Dragway in Hattiesburg, Miss. 