The biggest event in Outlaw Pro Mod racing just keeps getting bigger, with this weekend's American Drag Racing League Eastern Race Fuels DRAGSTOCK III event expected to outshine its two predecessors in terms of both car count and attendance.

More than 140 pre-entries in three classes have been approved for DRAGSTOCK III, according to ADRL President Kenny Nowling. The event, the sixth of seven on the 2006 ADRL schedule, will feature points-earning competitions in both the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous classes, as well as a Pro 10.5 competition that will showcase a class due to become a full ADRL eliminator in 2007.

"The Eastern Race Fuels DRAGSTOCK event has always been the premier Pro Mod event of the year, but the enthusiasm I have seen from race teams and fans for DRAGSTOCK III has been nothing short of phenomenal," Nowling said. "Everyone in the ADRL family is looking forward to huge fields and crowded grandstands at Rockingham Dragway."

The event begins Friday with open testing sessions throughout most of the day and the first round of qualifying for both the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous classes at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. As always at ADRL events, Saturday is a full day, with Sportsman time trials and eliminations beginning at 9:30 a.m. and Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous qualifying resuming at noon. Eliminations in the two Outlaw Pro Mod classes are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. DRAGSTOCK III will also feature an eight-car mountain-motor Pro Stock competition.

In addition to competing for event titles at DRAGSTOCK III, a number of ADRL drivers will also be looking to clinch spots in next month's Battle for the Belts ADRL world championship eliminators in Kennedale, Texas. DRAGSTOCK III is the final event in which drivers can earn points in the 2006 ADRL standings, and only the top eight points-earners in each Outlaw Pro Mod class are guaranteed positions in the Battle for the Belts eliminators.

Entering this weekend's event, Mike Neal (1,564 points), Bil Clanton (1,473), John Lynam (1,436), and Jason Scruggs (1,370) have clinched spots in the Pro Extreme half of the Belts competition, while Keith Baker (1,558), Terry Housley (1,437), Burton Auxier (1,362), and Johnny Pilcher (1,258) are already qualified for the Pro Nitrous competition. In both classes, a number of drivers in lower positions could claim spots in the Belts competition by racing well in Rockingham, but the exact order of the Belts qualifiers will likely not be determined until the final pairs go down the track.

For further information on the Eastern Race Fuels DRAGSTOCK III event, or to learn more about the ADRL, visit www.adrl.us.