TINDLE’S SUNDAY DRIVE PAYS OFF

Tim Tindle wasn’t exactly seeking out another driving opportunity, but it was a nonchalant Sunday when Tindle matter-of-factly decided to get behind the wheel of the fastest car he had ever been in.

After repeatedly being asked by ADRL Pro Extreme star Frankie Taylor to drive Taylor’s second car, Tindle finally relented, agreeing in such a laid-back manner it might have been akin to choosing take-out over pizza for dinner.

“He called me one day and asked if I wanted to drive his other car,” Tindle said. “I kind of hesitated and waited a year, and he called me the next year and said, ‘Hey man, you going to come drive this car with me?’

“I thought about it and I was sitting around the house one Sunday and I asked my wife, ‘You wanna go run Pro Extreme in the ADRL?’ She replied, ‘If you want to,’ so I called Frankie and he was ready to go.”

It truly was as simple as that, and now Tindle is enjoying a breakout season in the ADRL Pro Extreme ranks.

Debuting a new carbon-fiber body and a black carbon-fiber wrap at Dragstock IX earlier this month at zMAX Dragway, Tindle put together a fabulous weekend, running a 3.64 in the finals – the quickest pass of the weekend – to win his first ADRL event.

“To go to that track and be the first Pro Extreme driver to win at zMAX, it was pretty special to me,” Tindle said. “It’s been real exciting.”

It truly has been a dream year for the former NHRA Pro Mod standout.

As the hired gun and second driver for Taylor Racing, all Tindle has to do is show up and drive.

That was plenty appealing on its own, but racing for a team spearheaded by Taylor has made his debut season in Pro Extreme that much more fulfilling.

“I bring my helmet, my driving suit and I get in and drive the car. Afterwards, I get in my motorhome and go back home,” Tindle said.

“(Taylor Racing) is a great organization. They have fast race cars and they have fun drag racing. These are guys who have raced all their life. To be part of it and have fun and be competitive, it’s a blessing to me.”

Before he committed to the full 10-race ADRL schedule, Tindle had to get the approval from a family who was already very much involved in race.

But it didn’t seem to be all that hard, even considering the family is now racing more than 40 weekends per year.

“We already go to about 35 races a year counting bracket races and Pro Mod. I’m trying to get her blessing to go to 10 more races, so now I’m going to 45 races a year,” Tindle said. “She said, ‘Sure, let’s go.’ It’s a blast for our family. I think it’s pretty awesome.

“My family and I have a big love of racing. We race almost every weekend somewhere, so it’s a family sport for us.”

But even in a standout career that has spanned 15-plus years in the Pro Mod category, Tindle had never experienced going 3.60s in the 1/8-mile.

That has come and it has come quickly and often for Tindle, who has made strides at nearly every race.

He advanced to the finals of the U.S. Drags in Virginia in June, running a 3.64 before losing on a holeshot to points leader Mick Snyder in the finals.

Tindle, though, got his revenge, going 3.68 to beat Snyder in the quarterfinals en route to his winning performance in Charlotte.

The win culminated a season of rapid improvements, and plenty of family and friends – including the Taylor clan – joined Tindle in a memorable winner’s circle celebration.

“We decided to try the ADRL stuff and, man, we love that. It’s just a blast,” Tindle said. “Frankie and his team have years of technology in this Pro Extreme stuff that would take me 4-5 years to get up there with them. To jump in something like this, to me it’s awesome. It’s a dream gig.”

The dream doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon, either.

Tindle is currently sixth in points heading into the Memphis Drags III on Sept. 7-8, and Tindle is already planning his 2013 season, which could include an extra Tindle in the mix.

“We’ve already got good plans for the rest of this year and next year. “We’re going to be on board with Frankie for next year,” Tindle said. “My son (T.J.) is going to be running in the legal Pro Mod car next year, too. We hope to debut that at the beginning of next year.”

All articles and photography published in CompetitionPlus.com are protected by United States of America and International copyright laws unless mentioned otherwise. The content on this website is intended for the private use of the reader and may not be published or reposted in any form without the prior written consent of CompetitionPlus.com.

< Prev		Next >