EVENT RESULTS EVENT NOTEBOOK LIVE RESULTS EVENT AUDIO			FRIDAY GALLERY SATURDAY GALLERY

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - A LONG, LONG DAY IN SOUTH GEORGIA

GLIDDEN, TIGER, 10.5, OH MY! -I PGA superstar Tiger Woods had better count his lucky stars that Pro Stock legend Bob Glidden didn’t put all of his efforts into being a professional golfer. That’s because now he’d have to deal with Billy Glidden, who is more of a chip off of the old block than the competition can handle.

The second generation Glidden, the defending Extreme 10.5 world champion extended his streak of consecutive ADRL round wins to 19 (including the championship-determining Battle of the Belts last year) with a victory at the recently completed Hardees Georgia Drags in Valdosta, Ga.

He now holds a 26 – 2 round win record in ADRL competition. Of those two losses, Glidden only concedes one and that was at the ADRL Ohio Drags when he lost in the finals. The other was when he failed to participate in the arm-drop drags conclusion of the event in Martin, Mich.

Much to the chagrin of the competition, Glidden excelled in Valdosta even when he wasn’t at his strongest.

“We were actually trying some new stuff,” Glidden admitted. “We had some new parts in the car. We made the first test run on Friday and it showed promise and I stuck with it. It just changed on me and I had no tuning window for the rounds we needed so I put the old stuff back in it. Luckily it repeated, thank goodness.”

After qualifying No. 2 with a 4.111, Glidden never blazed in qualifying and got off to a tough start by nearly losing an obviously off-pace 4.492 to 4.493 in the first round against H.T. Wilson.

That opening round miscue was as close as the competition would get throughout the night.

Glidden then upped the ante, even though it was still off the pace with a 4.325 to stop Todd Moyer. He returned to his familiar antics with a record eclipsing 4.083 (Steve Kirk Jr.) and in the final, a 4.091 to defeat Spiro Pappas.

Glidden admits that he made a few withdrawals from the luck bank over the course of the weekend and no matter how much his car may dominate, each and every round gets his attention.

Spiro Pappas had Glidden’s attention headed into the final round.

“Guys like this come in here and start beating up on us,” Glidden admitted.

Headed into the final round, Glidden elected to leave well enough alone and hope that it was enough to overtake a surging Pappas.

“We didn’t change a thing,” Glidden admitted. “I got pretty gun shy because of the first two runs. I just made it a little soft in order to keep it driver friendly and make it down the track.”

For the record, Glidden’s driver friendly remark doesn’t equate to opponent friendly as he remains undefeated in ADRL Extreme 10.5 final round competition. He’s now won six of the eight races he’s entered.

STILL LEARNING - If the circle of good fortunes sometimes runs counter to the norm, judging from Jim Halsey’s performances of the last seven months, the Street, Md.-based Pro Nitrous veteran was due for a run on the downside. Unfortunately for his competitors, Halsey has become such a strong runner that his downside still turns out pretty good.

Saturday was a tough day to be Halsey, but a good one as well.

“We had a tough weekend,” Halsey said, describing his winning weekend in Valdosta, Ga. “We had some mechanical issues with the car and then the track was so good … we’ve never had to run in those kinds of conditions with this new car, if we had our old one we probably could have backed down the race track.”

Halsey didn’t back into his ADRL Hardees Drags title by any means. It just wasn’t his typical leave no prisoners style as he stopped a determined and consistent 3.90s runner, Steve Vick, in the final round.

In fact, his first three rounds looked “unHalseylike” when both Thomas Myers and Pat Stoken didn’t receive an elapsed time and Halsey won automatically. Halsey reeled off a strong 3.898, 193.02 in the first round but it fell off from there with a 5.226 in the second round and 5.228 that still topped Burton Auxier, who fouled.

The culprit for the off performances, learning the nuances of his new Tim McAmis car that he debuted this season.

“We made some moves with the car where it would go down a really good race track,” Halsey admitted. “We had tried some stuff in the previous two rounds and that gave us a good idea where to go. We tried it in the final and it worked. I was pretty confident that if we got the car in second gear that it would run a good number.”

Halsey’s victory represented his first in ADRL competition this season and third overall. He’s also recognized as the first nitrous doorslammer driver to record a quarter-mile five second elapsed time.

Halsey is creeping towards the 3.7-second zone, in the eighth mile, and an excellent Friday run could have nudged him closer to the magical mark.  

“I wish I could have had a run at the track last night because I felt like I could have run a 3.82 or a 3.81,” Halsey admitted. “There’s always the next race.”

JUST ENOUGH TO WIN EVERY TIME - Jason Hamstra isn’t one to boast about himself or his team. The DeMotte, Ind.-based driver and his crew just do it.

Saturday night in Valdosta, Ga., Hamstra became a first-time Pro Extreme ADRL national event winner, driving his supercharged, Lencodrive-equipped entry to the Hardees Georgia Nationals title by stopping the dominating Jason Scruggs.

Hamstra raced like he’s raced for much of his career to this point, under the radar and with very little fanfare, posting just enough to win.

He had a monster match up in the finals with Scruggs. With Scruggs capable of running 4.60s, one would expect they would have to load up and throw everything including the kitchen sink at the run.

True to form, Hamstra was very predictable in the highly unpredictable Pro Extreme division.

“We didn’t try to do too much but it got a little out of hand in the semi-finals,” Hamstra said. “I just tried to make a smooth lap [in the final] and had a good reaction time and decided to let the cards fall how they were going to fall.

“We just try to run consistent and get off the line quick. That’s what wins races.”

Truer words couldn’t have been spoken.

In four rounds of competition Hamstra recorded a 3.83, 3.79, 3.81 and then a 3.80 in the final round.

“We could step it up if we wanted to but our main goal is just to get down the race track,” Hamstra admitted. “Sometimes we are just a little conservative.”

GAHM TIME -  In only its second event as a full-time class in the National Guard ADRL, the biggest names in big motor Pro Stock racing filled the pits at SGMP and provided the overflow crowd with a full 16-car field of Extreme Pro Stock (XPS) cars.
 
Ford campaigner Robert E. Patrick Jr. entertained the crowd during testing on Friday with a string of 4.0-second runs, resetting the ADRL XPS elapsed time record in the process.
 
"This is a better motor than Houston," said Patrick. It makes a little more power. "We could have run a but quicker, but I couldn’t get a hold of the track."
 
Get that grip on the track come on Saturday when, during qualifying, Patrick stunned the crowd with a 4.059 pass, easily placing him in the top spot for eliminations.
 
While not as quick, keeping pace with Patrick was Houston XPS final round runner-up Brian Gahm, Dean Goforth, John Montecalvo and Cary Goforth who qualified first through fifth, respectively.
 
The shocker of the weekend came when Patrick suffered a mechanical problem and was eliminated in the first round by Carl Baker. That opened the door for second place qualifier Gahm.
 
The Buckeye took on all challengers as he upped the ante in each round, dispatching first Pete Berner and then Matt Hartford with back-to-back 4.0 runs that set up a final round match up against Cary Goforth.
 
In the final, it was all-Gahm from start to finish as he easily defeated Goforth 4.08 – 177.09 to a losing 4.13 – 175.18.
 
It was sweet redemption for the Gahm team after losing in the finals at Houston.
 
"This is just great," said Gahm. "This team busts their butt all day. They kept making this thing faster and faster. We had to adapt to the track today. I'm just so proud of these guys.
 
Long time Gahm crew chief Cliff Moore kept making changes throughout the weekend in an attempt to keep up with the track.
 
"We knew the car would run 0's, we just didn't know what the track would take," said Moore. "We were a bit scared of the track. We knew coming into the finals that we could put more to it but we were afraid that if we did, it would bite us. So we just left the same thing that we ran in the semis.
 
"I know that if Brian does his job that we ought to be in pretty good shape."
 
Gahm gave high marks to his ADRL experience.
 
"What about the ADRL bringing us over here?" said Gahm. "That's what I'm talking about. "I can't say enough good things about what this organization has done to make a class for us. I can't wait to see where it goes to, because I know that it's going to get big.
 
"We had 16 cars here and they were all 'right there.' It was good. It is great drag racing right here."

ALL IN THE FAMILY - The Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM) final round in the National Guard ADRL has become a regular family affair these days as the brothers Prophit, Matt and Charlie, once again met in the final round.
 
It wasn't an easy route for either as both men had to fight their way through a record-high motorcycle field of 41 bikes.
 
Joining the field of PXM regulars for the first time was motorcycle legend George Bryce's Star Racing entry with rider Matt Smith on board. It's early in the development of Bryce's ADRL program and the Georgia-based team spent the weekend getting their bike dialed-in and as a result, Smith failed to make the ultra-tough field.
 
Also on hand was veteran motorcycle racer Steve Johnson who showed up at SGMP without the typical nitrous assisted setup needed to be competitive in PXM. Despite being several tenths of a second off the pace on each pass down the eighth-mile, Johnson made a run down the track during each round in an effort to better understand what he'll need to be competitive on the National Guard ADRL tour on a regular basis.
 
While older brother Charlie Prophit, winner of the tour's last event in Houston, was gaining headlines with his world-record qualifying effort (4.212 elapsed time) that earned him the No. 1 qualifying spot, it was provisional number one qualifier Broderick Jackson who emerged as a fan favorite.
 
Jackson turned his 2006 Walter Robinson-tuned Suzuki into a bracket racer making 4.2-second passes with regularity.
 
Matt Prophit had his share of problems during testing and qualifying, running nearly a tenth of a second off his usual 4.2-second pace.
 
"I went with a new engine combination and a change to my nitrous system and it was just really…I had too much," said Prophit. "So we went back to some of our old set up and got going in the right direction, tuning it back to where we need to be.
 
"It just had too much power."
 
Despite dealing with the changes in the bike, Matt Prophit qualified in the upper half of the ladder (7th).
 
As eliminations began, first Jackson then big names in PXM like Ron Procopio, defending class champion Billy Vose and Scott Gray fell by the wayside, setting the stage for a brother versus brother rematch of the final round from Houston.
 
This time though, it was Matt who made it to the finish line first, as Charlie lost traction 300 feet down the track.
 
Despite holding his first career Minuteman in his hands, Matt Prophit expressed disappointment.
 
"We still haven't got the fastest side-by-side pass," said Prophit. "We really wanted to do that, especially after the disappointment in Houston when my bike died on the line."
 
With his win at SGMP, Matt Prophit now holds a 2-to-1 edge in head-to-head final rounds against brother Charlie.
 
Yet, Matt still downplayed his first career Minuteman.
 
"I just ran out of ways to lose, I guess," he said. 

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -FRIDAY NIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

THE FASTEST EVER

K.A. Balooshi’s 3.870 at 196.33 mph run was not only a career best for the young driver from Qatar, but the mile per hour mark was faster than the current world record (194.13) held by Jim Halsey. Balooshi needs to back up his run within 1% during the weekend to claim the record. - (Roger Richards Photo)

A DIFFERENT WORLD FOR THE LEGEND

Ed Hoover traditionally competes on the IHRA tour but this weekend he's giving the ADRL a tryout. Word has it that Hoover and team owner Paul Trussell already have a car under construction to compete on the ADRL tour. The first-ever Pro Modified national event winner is currently 8th in the Pro Extreme field with a 3.903, 190.87. - (Roger Richards Photo)

GLIDDEN CONTINUES STRONG RUN

Defending world champion and current points leader Billy Glidden experienced a strong test session entering this weekend's ADRL Hardees Georgia Drags. He ran quick on the first day of qualifications posting the second quickest time in Extreme 10.5 competition. - (Roger Richards Photo)

TUTTEROW'S EARLY STRUGGLES

Todd Tutterow could do no wrong in Houston but the first day in Valdosta left the recent winner on the tour wanting more. He is 17th after one session with a 4.124 at only 188 miles per hour. - (Roger Richards Photo)

BAKER, ASHLEY, FORD IN THE HOUSE

  This is an entry you would normally see on the NHRA tour but luckily for the SGMP race fans, Joe Baker is in town driving Mike Ashley's Chuck Ford-tuned Camaro. The first session proved a bit complex for the team and they are currently unqualified headed into Saturday. - (Roger Richards Photo)

UH OH, GONNA NEED MAACO

Todd Moyer keeps wondering when he's gonna catch a break. Moyer crashed his Extreme 10.5 entry in Houston and found a glimmer of hope when he finished a new car in time to compete this weekend. The team was unable to test the unproven car and arrived early to take advantage of Friday's test and tune opportunity. If only the story were that simple. The rig became stuck in the sand/mud and when the wrecker began extraction, the front bumper was pulled off in the process. - (Roger Richards Photo)

NHRA PRO STOCK BIKES IN THE HOUSE

Past NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith [top] rode George Bryce's STAR Racing entry on Friday. This is Bryce's first Buell in PXM competition. Steve Johnson is also competition this weekend aboard his Suzuki entry. Both are currently unqualified.  - (Roger Richards Photos)

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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -TOUGH DAY ALREADY IN VALDOSTA

HILL, CONNOVER CRASH IN XTF TIME TRIALS

XTF Racers Mike Hill and mike Conover crashed during Friday afternoon time trials.

Hill launched hard and about 200 feet into the run encountered severe tire shake. The car got loose and Hill apparently overcorrected sending the car up onto two wheels and into Conover's lane. He then struck Conover's car in the quarter-panel before impacting the wall and sliding to a stop on his side.

According to the ADRL's Communications department both drivers appear to be uninjured but are undergoing medical evaluation at this time.

“I’m not sure what happened exactly,” said Hill. “The car just took a hard turn and maybe the wind caught hold of it. I’m OK.”

“I saw him coming,” said Conover. “I saw his oilpan and transmission and it kind of confused me for a second. It took a split second for me to figure out exactly what to do, but then he hit me. It was a pretty good jolt and shook me around the (roll) cage. It gave me a headache.

“All I could do then was to concentrate on getting my car straight and not make it any worse.” 

Conover’s Mustang suffered enough damage to force the Douglas, Wyoming racer to call it a weekend. 

Both drivers escaped serious injury.  

Here's a link to Roger Richards' incredible PHOTO CRASH SEQUENCE.

OFF TO A GOOD START - The National Guard ADRL’s traditional Friday afternoon test-n-tune session began at noon sharp with Pro Jr. Dragsters opening the Hardee’s Georgia Drags V, but Matt Hartford made the first doorslammer pass of the weekend in his Extreme Pro Stock Pontiac.

Right after Hartford made his first hit, Robert Patrick followed with a 4.08 effort, the quickest pass ever in XPS, though not eligible to become an official record as it came only in testing.

Early estimates show 150 cars in five classes with the Extreme Pro Stock division boasting 17 entries.

CALAMITY CORNER - Some days you are the dog and some days you're the fire hydrant.

Todd Moyer keeps wondering when he's gonna catch a break. Moyer crashed his Extreme 10.5 entry in Houston and found a glimmer of hope when he a new car in time to compete this weekend. They were unable to test the unproven car and arrived early to take advantage of Friday's test and tune opportunity. If only the story were that simple. The rig became stuck in the sand/mud and when the wrecker began extraction, the front bumper was reportedly pulled off.

Pro Extreme racer Andy Jensen encountered his share of problems enroute to SGMP. The right front tire on his new hauler blew, shredding the front fender.

A SECOND CAR, MON - Drag racing in Aruba, nothing vould be finer. Maybe a second car for the Team Aruba Extreme Pro Stock team might come close to that level of coolness.

CompetitionPlus.com has learned that the Team Aruba operation will bring out a second Ford Escort this weekend and the driver will be none other than its crew chief Carl Baker.

This will be a treat for Baker who hasn't driven since the earlier part of the decade and when he did, he won more than his share of events.

LIFE FROM THE SIDELINES - In the days leading up to the ADRL’s Safety-Kleen Dragpalooza V at Houston Raceway Park, Charles Carpenter spoke of wanting to experience deja vu of his breakthrough win in Houston in 2007.

Carpenter definitely felt deja vu, but unfortunately it was more reminiscent of one of the lowest points in his career, a devastating crash in 2004, instead of one of the highest points.

In his first round matchup with fellow veteran Ed Burnley, Carpenter’s iconic ’55 Chevy lost traction as the car washed out of the narrow Houston Raceway Park groove and became airborne as it darted back across the track. The car made a hard impact with the wall at 180 MPH after crossing the finish line ahead of Burnley and climbed the concrete barrier before miraculously returning to earth within the confines of the racing surface.

After seeing all the photos and video, including high-definition footage broadcasted nationally on the Versus Network, Carpenter considers himself fortunate, even though he walked away with a fractured vertebrae, cracked ribs, and the fact that the wreck nearly destroyed his new race car and severely damaged any hopes he had of a promising 2009 season.

“We were seeing photos and video on my son Mike’s iPhone before we even got back home to Charlotte,” said the 35-year veteran. “Of course at first you are sick because of what just happened to your pride and joy, not to mention any physical injuries. But after seeing the TV footage last weekend, I consider myself a lucky man. That wreck happened in the absolute best way it could have to minimize damage to both myself and to the car. I shudder to think what might have happened if it had gone over the wall and into the huge culvert that runs parallel to the track, or the scoreboard poles just beyond it. The guys at Terry Murphy Racecars built a really safe race car for me. It did its job along with the great safety equipment from Bell, R.J.S., Stroud, and HANS.”

Carpenter poured over photo after photo for weeks for a clue as to what caused the accident, but it wasn’t until the TV footage was available that he was able to determine the cause with any certainty.

“It just got out of the groove,” said Carpenter. “It got out of the groove, and in the heat of battle, I stayed with it like I have a million times. The track barely had any rubber down in the groove, so you can imagine what the conditions were outside of it. The car simply lost traction and the back end washed out and spun around like you would see a street car do. From there, I have no idea why it went airborne. My only guess is the car tried to start rolling over and the 35+ MPH wind gusts that were blowing down the track had something to do with it. The wind was about to blow my doors off back in the staging lanes right before we ran.”

Regardless of what caused the spectacular nature of the crash, the reality remains that a team that was already walking the thinnest of budget tightropes now faces an uphill battle to get back on the track.

Carpenter, still suffering the effects of injuries sustained in the wreck, has been unable to perform any physical labor and enlisted the help of a few friends to begin the rebuilding process. About a week after the wreck, fellow Pro Mod racer Rick Moore and crewman extraordinaire Luther Johnson made the drive from Greensboro to Charlotte to help Charles Carpenter Racing crew members Paul Albino and Mike Carpenter unload the car and strip it down to a rolling chassis and body.

From there, a professional assessment as to whether or not the car was a total loss or repairable needed to be made. The decision was made by Carpenter and Albino, in the sake of available resources, to haul the car two hours down the road to Alan Pittman Race Cars in Greenville, SC. After carefully examining the wrecked chassis, Pittman determined that the car was repairable.

“That was great news to hear,” Carpenter said. “Having to build a new car could have very well spelled the end for us, at least for the foreseeable future. We just simply couldn’t afford it. Luckily, Alan said he could fix the car, and I’ve got complete faith in him. He and his guys are a talented bunch, and he’s been doing this for a long time with a lot of success. They are already making incredible progress on the car, and Alan thinks he could have us ready in just a couple more weeks.”

“Unfortunately, the only thing slowing us down is funding,” Carpenter admitted. “We are going to be in a position where we have the car repaired and are pretty much back to where we were, but any and all funding we had allocated as an operating budget for 2009, as little as it was, will have gone into repairing the car. We’re doing everything we can to scrape together enough to pay for the repairs and ultimately get back to racing, but we’ve certainly got a tough road ahead of us.”

Carpenter has received an outpouring of support from the racing community and is humbled by all the concern.

“I probably took over 100 phone calls the Sunday after the wreck as we drove home, and they didn’t stop for weeks,” said Carpenter. “The support has been almost overwhelming. It’s a great feeling to know that after 35 years in this sport I guess I’ve made more friends than enemies. And that’s really what it’s all about. It’s all about the people; the fans, the racers, the staff, everyone. We go to the track to race and win, but I try to never do it at the cost of the friendships I’ve formed over all these years. Doing well and running fast is great, but to me it’s meaningless if everyone around you dislikes you.”

That mentality has helped to cement Carpenter as a “people’s champion” in Pro Modified. As such, he had only been home for a few days when unprecedented things began to happen. Handwritten letters from fans claiming Carpenter as their “hero” and a “working man’s inspiration” along with personal checks began arriving in his mailbox, and a donation fund was set up on Pro Modified website www.ProModZone.com for fans to donate to the repair cause via PayPal.

“Those types of things are really the most incredible and the most humbling,” Carpenter said. “I mean, here are fans, many of whom I haven’t even met, sending me personal checks and letters encouraging me to get back out there if I can. In these tough economic times, they are sending me their hard earned money in hopes that I can get back out there and do something that I love. It’s just incredible. We all take racing for granted sometimes and get caught up in our own little worlds, but something like that will really wake you up to the bigger picture. It’s not about world records; it’s about the people, and I can’t thank all of them enough.”

In addition to support from individuals, some of Carpenter’s longtime supporters and equipment manufacturers have chipped in what they can to help get the doorslammer pioneer back on the track. Those offering assistance include Doherty Motorsports, Total Induction Tuning Solutions, Santhuff Suspension Specialties, Custom Autosound, Hairy Glass, Pro Glass, TEK Headers, JAZ Products, Stroud Safety, Goodridge Hose & Fittings, Goodyear, MagnaFuel, Friction Unlimited, Lockwood Racing, Reed Robbins at East Coast Refinishing, Racepak, and VP Racing Fuels.

“Some of these companies have been with me forever and some new ones have come on board in the last couple years, but they have all been amazing supporters,” said Carpenter. “Every one of them is doing what they can, and ‘thank you’ simply doesn’t cover it. The grim reality is that we are still quite a ways off from where we need to be in order to get back to competing on the level I know we are capable of. Every little bit helps tremendously though.”

As of this writing, Carpenter looks to have his ’55 back at his Charlotte, NC shop in the coming weeks to begin the reassembly process. The auto repair center owner currently sits 5th in the Speedtech Battle for the Belts standings in Pro Nitrous, and a shot at that championship belt is still within the realm of possibility.

“Our goal is to be back for Memphis, but a lot of pieces will have to fall into place for us to make it back then, or to make it back out at all,” said Carpenter. “I’m still really sore right now, but I’m getting better each day and my doctor has cleared me to be able to drive by May. We’re certainly not giving up hope that a big break will come our way. My whole career has been based around hard work and never giving up, so that’s what we plan to do now more than ever.”

“I’m not ready to quit,” Carpenter continued. “We are running too well and having too much success out there to throw in the towel now.” 

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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

THAT'S JUST NASTY - Jason Scruggs described what could be the quickest and fastest pass in drag racing history as one he had to “drive a little bit”.

The two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion from Saltillo, Ms., in only his second pass in a new Garrett Race Cars Camaro, turned in a 3.687 elapsed time at 206.61 miles per hour. This testing run at Alabama International Raceway in Steele, Ala., though unofficial, eclipses his previous best of 3.70 at 205 in Rockingham, N.C.

“If the clocks are right, I guess we did,” Scruggs said with a laugh, describing unofficially the quickest and fastest Pro Extreme run ever.

If one studies the “what if” factor, the quarter-mile incremental would have netted a 5.5-second elapsed time.

“The air was real good and the track was too. The car did a good job and we still have some fine-tuning to do before it’s to our liking. We’ll get it worked out in another pass or two.”

Scruggs told CompetitionPlus.com he had to work on the run to keep the car off of the centerline. He’s confident with the car he’s bringing to this weekend’s ADRL Hardees Georgia Drags in Valdosta, Ga.  He also knows that a good run in testing is nice, it’s what he does this weekend that really counts.

“I feel like we have a good and fast car,” Scruggs said. “Some of the media calls me a long ball hitter but to win in this Pro Extreme class, you have to make those kinds of runs over and over. That’s what wins.

“We just lucked up and hit it right. We’ll see what we do this weekend. It will be a whole different ballgame down there.”

Scruggs will be going for the upper deck shot too. 

THE ICEMAN TUNETH - Shannon Jenkins will have his nitrous injected Camaro at the ADRL Hardees Drags in Valdosta, Ga. Whether it rolls out of the trailer at South Georgia Motorsports Park [SGMP] remains to be seen. However, what is certain is Jenkins will be leading the four-car Al Anabi Racing charge into the second event on the ten-race National Guard ADRL Series.

Jenkins will fill the primary role of crew chief this weekend, wrenching Mike Castellana, K.A. Balooshi, Rickie Smith and Burton Auxier. This appointment comes one race after the multi-time Pro Modified world champion and touted nitrous expert drove his way to a semi-final finish at the ADRL Dragpalooza V event at Houston Raceway Park.

Jenkins, nicknamed the Iceman, got a head start on his new role by orchestrating a successful test session recently at Gainesville Raceway. Of the four cars, it was Balooshi that soloed the best for the new maestro with a 3.88, 194 mph lap.

“We’re still striving for consistently fast race cars,” said Jenkins. “We’ve made a lot of progress and things are looking good going into this weekend. We made a series of good runs in each car during the test session, and there’s no questioning that we’ve got the performance to put an Al-Anabi Racing car in the winner’s circle.

“Our ultimate goal is to go rounds, win races and have each of the team’s cars in the SPEEDTECH Nitrous ADRL Battle for the Belts this fall and it’s important for us to make a strong showing here in Georgia.”

Jenkins has history at SGMP. Three years ago, he drove his way to the first eighth-mile, three-second nitrous doorslammer pass and followed that performance with the first 3.8-second lap.

This time it will be up to the talented tuner to pass off his good fortunes to the rest of the team. That works well for Castellana, who holds down the third place in ADRL Pro Nitrous points. SGMP also works well for Castellana.

“Valdosta always provides us with an incredible racing surface,” started Castellana, “and that gives us the opportunity to put on a good show for the fans with some big performance. We’ve spent a lot of time testing in between events and have seen some success that gives us a lot of confidence going in. This ADRL Pro Nitrous field, though, is as competitive as ever, leaving little margin for error.”

“Every single one of these Al-Anabi Racing cars are capable of a 3.80, and we obviously want to be the first to do it, but our focus is winning races and consistency has proven to be the name of the game time and time again," Jenkins surmised. 

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE BATTLE - Scotty and Scott Cannon had a simple plan headed into the ADRL Hardees Georgia Drags in Valdosta, Ga.

They would drop in to Mooresville Dragway, make a few laps with the Modzilla/Cannonball Racing team, try out some new parts and pieces, then head to South Georgia Motorsports Park.

It was a good plan with high expectations. If only fate saw it the same way.

“Benny Alfonse has given us the resources for a first class season, and we want to deliver,” Scotty said, speaking of the new team owner who recently purchased his race operation.

“We recently tested Mooresville Dragway and tried out some new parts and pieces. On our third pass we encountered a broken piece of Mike Janis’ header on the track and prematurely ended our test session.”

The Cannons were pressed into repair duties as the debris caused significant damage to the team’s supercharged 1967 Firebird.

“When I ran over the track debris we actually broke a strut and put a pretty good size hole in the firewall,” Scott Jr. explained. “I actually let off early on that run and I am sure glad.”

Alfonse would have normally been driving the car but part of the agreement with hiring the Cannons was that one of them would drive if he was unable. Recent surgery has suspended Alfonse’s driving aspirations.

“Benny recently had hip replacement surgery, so we are making him lay low for now,” Scotty said. “I am sure he will be better soon and will be ready to get behind the wheel of his new car. We’ll just do our best this weekend and take it round by round said Scotty Cannon.”

The team has a second 1967 Firebird under construction which will debut later in the season.  

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WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK - GEARING UP FOR EVENT NO. 2

GIMME BACK MY BULLETS - Robert Patrick has made many withdrawals from the bank of good fortunes over the course of 18 years in mountain motor Pro Stock racing. In the last two years the majority of his banking has been done at South Georgia Motorsports Park [SGMP] located outside of Valdosta, Ga.

SCRUGGS, NEW CAR, NEXT CHAPTER - Jason Scruggs is more excited than he is concerned with debuting his new Camaro next weekend during the ADRL’s Hardees Drags in Valdosta, Ga.

One might believe just the opposite if presented the history of the last time the Saltillo, Miss.-based driver debuted a new ride.

Scruggs debuted a new Dodge Stratus, in late 2007 and crashed on the maiden voyage.

During testing, after winning the 2007 ADRL Pro Extreme title, the repaired Mopar exploded the supercharger and in turn ripped the roof from the car.

The following February Scruggs brought the car out for the first test session of the season and had a run-in with the Valdosta retaining wall.

One would think the car needed more than a repair job; it needed an exorcist.

That’s what the competition likely believed as Scruggs ran like a bat out of hell for the rest of the season en route to becoming the first Pro Extreme driver into the 3.70s and first two-time champion in the ADRL’s premiere no-holds barred division. Its first run down the drag strip produced a 3.8-second lap.

So what does Scruggs do in the off-season? He had Garrett Race Cars build him another new car, this time a 1968 Camaro.

After all, there was nothing wrong with the car they built considering their creations have consistently ran quicker and faster than anyone else in the class. Scruggs always walked away from the snafus.

There was nothing wrong with Scruggs driving either.

Stuff just happened.

If you talk to the fan-friendly Scruggs he’ll tell you that regardless of what others think, luck had nothing to do with it either.

“You have to make your own luck out here,” Scruggs said. “I think we’ll be okay next weekend because we’ve learned a lot. We tried some new things on the old car but then when went back to the basics.”

It’s been said that bad things sometimes happen to good people.

That’s why Scruggs is quick to forget those misfortunes and look firmly to the future where he says things are going to get even quicker than before. Clearly what happens with the Stratus stays with the Stratus, and that includes memories.

He’ll make some test runs in the middle of the week with the Camaro at Alabama International Raceway before heading to this weekend’s event in Valdosta.

Scruggs believes his latest creation from Garrett could be his quickest, and the quickest in eighth-mile doorslammer racing and capable of running 3.60s, a realm he’s definitely aiming for.

“We’ve got a few new pieces on this new car that we haven’t tried before. I don’t think it is make or break kind of stuff,” Scruggs admitted.

“This car is built to go as fast as we can make it go. It’s easy to talk about all of these big runs on the phone or in the shop, but it’s another to go out there and make them happen. We didn’t leave any stone unturned and there are a lot of track pieces on this car.”

Scruggs is highly proficient at making things happen.

He’s the ADRL’s long-ball hitter, or at least that’s the perception of the ADRL and Pro Modified community.

Scruggs doesn’t necessarily view his image with the same stereotype but rather as a competitive racer who seeks to be the quickest ever time and consistently. Those familiar with baseball trends will admit the majority of homerun leaders also lead in strikeouts as well.

That’s a good reason Scruggs would prefer to be described as a hard-hitter, letting the balls fall where they may.

“There are a lot of people who believe we go up to the starting line every time with the intent of setting a new world record,” Scruggs said. “That’s not necessarily the truth. We do go up there aiming to run fast every run. We want to be fast but more importantly we want to be consistently fast. That’s what wins races.”

The ADRL’s championship format, where the top eight point earners battle it out in a season-ending championship determining race, affords racers the opportunity to bring out a new car in the early-to-mid-season and have it broken in by the time the championship battle is on the line.

Scruggs is planning on being the No. 1 seed headed into the Battle of the Belts competition. Reportedly, the No. 1 seed will receive a bye run into the semis this year.

“We’re leading the points and we’d like to stay number one,” Scruggs said. “I guess we’re confident enough that we can have all the new car bugs gone by the time we get to Georgia.”

Scruggs is only bringing the Camaro to Valdosta but just in case bad luck sneaks up on him, he’s got a back-up plan which includes the Stratus or the Corvette.

He’s yet to sell either.

“Something happens, we could come back and get one of them,” Scruggs surmised.   

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