ADRL'S HEATED BATTLES
Wed, 2008-10-22 10:29
For the past 12 months, the stars of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard
have been working toward this weekend at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TX.
On Friday night (Oct. 24), the 4th annual LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals will open with the ADRL’s unique Battle for the Belts, which pits the top eight points earners in each of four professional classes against each other in single-elimination playoffs to determine the series 2008 world champions. Just like last year, Saturday’s action will actually usher in the next season as points earned in qualifying and elimination rounds will count toward the 2009 Battle for the Belts. For the past 12 months, the stars of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard
have been working toward this weekend at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TX.
On Friday night (Oct. 24), the 4th annual LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals will open with the ADRL’s unique Battle for the Belts, which pits the top eight points earners in each of four professional classes against each other in single-elimination playoffs to determine the series 2008 world champions. Just like last year, Saturday’s action will actually usher in the next season as points earned in qualifying and elimination rounds will count toward the 2009 Battle for the Belts.
The ADRL’s all-pro show features teams from all across the country competing in just four classes, including Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM), Extreme 10.5 (XTF), Pro Nitrous (PN) and Pro Extreme (PX), all racing from a standing start over an eighth-mile distance (660 feet). Each class in the Battle for the Belts features first-round match-ups that would be more than worthy of final rounds at any race in the country, leaving many Belts contenders feeling nervous.
“We’re heading into the Battle for the Belts in the points lead, which doesn’t mean a whole lot given the caliber of cars we’re facing,” said Pro Extreme star Joshua Hernandez, who opened this season with a record-setting three straight race wins. “But hey, at least we have lane choice for the first round.”
Hernandez initially will face off against fellow Texan Wes Johnston, who earned the number-one qualifying position in Georgia early in the season. Mississippi’s Bubba Stanton, the series most recent race champion and second-place points finisher, will battle former event winner Brian Daniels in the opener, while defending series champ Jason Scruggs will go up against veteran Bil Clanton, a three-time former ADRL winner. The last first-round Belts pairing will feature number-four finisher Travis Swearingen against Texan Frankie Taylor, after both notched career-first ADRL victories this summer.
“I was talking to Jason (Scruggs) about it and we’re both just hoping to get past the first round,” Stanton admitted. “You can’t take anyone lightly out here and there’s just so many things that can go wrong. It’s not like NASCAR where you can come back; it all happens so fast here and one little mistake will put you out.”
It’s no different in Pro Nitrous, where Billy Harper finished number one after a record-setting romp through the class that included three consecutive event wins mid-season. In round one of the Battle, Harper has to take on Burton Auxier, a recent addition to the powerhouse Al Anabi Awesome Motorsports team, while his teammate, Dennis Radford, in second and the defending Ennis event winner, will have the always formidable Rickie Smith, who also won his first ADRL race earlier this year. Number-three seeded Randy Weatherford and number-six Stan Allen, both still seeking that elusive first win, are destined to meet in the opening round, as are series superstars Shannon Jenkins and Jim Halsey, both of whom secured ADRL race titles in 2008.
“[The Battle for the Belts] is my kind of racing,” Harper said at a recent event. “I think my team is the best there is at going over the car and making sure everything is as perfect as it can be and that’s what it’s going to take to win in Dallas, perfection.”
With three wins in the last five events, it’s easy to believe points leader Billy Glidden has the hot hand going into the Extreme 10.5 (named for the cars’ relatively narrow 10.5-inch-wide rear slicks) Battle for the Belts, but he’s certainly not taking his first-round pairing with defending class champion Steve Gorman lightly.
“Some people don’t believe it, but I’m pushing my car really hard,” Glidden said of his Ford-powered GTO after winning the most recent ADRL event last month in North Carolina. “Anything could break at any second, so it doesn’t matter who I’m racing, I have to take them all seriously. To do anything else would just be foolish.”
Looking to avenge his loss in the Battle for the Belts final last year will be this year’s Georgia winner Mike Hill, going up against Texas racer Michelle Wilson, the lone female driver making a championship charge in the ADRL. Also squaring off in the Belts’ first round are Todd Moyer, also from Texas, against David Janes, the class winner in Ohio this year, and Gary White, the winner in Michigan, against former elapsed time record holder Steve Kirk Jr.
The ADRL’s two-wheeled warriors will be led into the Pro Extreme Motorcycle Battle by Ronnie Procopio, who backed up his Houston win in March with last month’s race title at Rockingham to become the first-ever, two-event PXM winner in one year. Procopio will open his championship bid against T.T. Jones, one of the larger riders in the series.
“Just like everyone else, you can’t take T.T. for granted. Despite his size, he can throw down a 4.20 at any time, so you have to be ready. Your bike is going to have to be running in top condition, so we’ll be going out testing a lot before the race. I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got. We won’t be holding anything back,” Procopio promised. “I’m excited, but I’ll be honest, I’m nervous, very nervous. You’ve got to be on top of your game because any one of the eight (qualifiers) are capable of winning and you can get taken out any round.”
No doubt feeling much the same way will be rookie rider Matt Prophit, with three runner-up finishes, as he goes up against Scott Gray, who won his first ADRL event this summer. Defending class champ Billy Vose, also a winner in Ohio, has former ADRL winner Jack Young in round one of the Battle, while Nikie Corley and Charlie Prophit, both event winners this season, round out the first-round pairings.
Past editions of the ADRL’s Battle for the Belts have produced both expected champions and underdog triumphs. With the tightest fields ever, the 2008 version of the greatest playoff in motorsports will undoubtedly continue the drama. All that remains to be seen is who will turn on the win lights this Friday night at the Motorplex.
ADRL Pro Extreme points leader Joshua Hernandez enjoyed a
record-setting three wins in a row with his supercharged ’57 Chevy to
open the 2008 ADRL season. He will face off against fellow Texan Wes
Johnston in the opening round of the Battle for the Belts to determine
this year’s champion.
On Friday night (Oct. 24), the 4th annual LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals will open with the ADRL’s unique Battle for the Belts, which pits the top eight points earners in each of four professional classes against each other in single-elimination playoffs to determine the series 2008 world champions. Just like last year, Saturday’s action will actually usher in the next season as points earned in qualifying and elimination rounds will count toward the 2009 Battle for the Belts. For the past 12 months, the stars of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard
ADRL Pro Extreme points leader Joshua Hernandez enjoyed a
record-setting three wins in a row with his supercharged ’57 Chevy to
open the 2008 ADRL season. He will face off against fellow Texan Wes
Johnston in the opening round of the Battle for the Belts to determine
this year’s champion.
On Friday night (Oct. 24), the 4th annual LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals will open with the ADRL’s unique Battle for the Belts, which pits the top eight points earners in each of four professional classes against each other in single-elimination playoffs to determine the series 2008 world champions. Just like last year, Saturday’s action will actually usher in the next season as points earned in qualifying and elimination rounds will count toward the 2009 Battle for the Belts.
The ADRL’s all-pro show features teams from all across the country competing in just four classes, including Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM), Extreme 10.5 (XTF), Pro Nitrous (PN) and Pro Extreme (PX), all racing from a standing start over an eighth-mile distance (660 feet). Each class in the Battle for the Belts features first-round match-ups that would be more than worthy of final rounds at any race in the country, leaving many Belts contenders feeling nervous.
Pro Nitrous veteran Billy Harper won a record-tying three races in a
row earlier this year and heads into the ADRL’s 2008 Battle for the
Belts with the points lead and a first-round appointment with Burton
Auxier on Friday night at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas.
Hernandez initially will face off against fellow Texan Wes Johnston, who earned the number-one qualifying position in Georgia early in the season. Mississippi’s Bubba Stanton, the series most recent race champion and second-place points finisher, will battle former event winner Brian Daniels in the opener, while defending series champ Jason Scruggs will go up against veteran Bil Clanton, a three-time former ADRL winner. The last first-round Belts pairing will feature number-four finisher Travis Swearingen against Texan Frankie Taylor, after both notched career-first ADRL victories this summer.
Despite missing the first three points-paying events, second-generation
star Billy Glidden finished the ADRL’s 2008 points chase in first place
after winning three of the five Extreme 10.5 races he entered. Glidden
will take on defending class champ Steve Gorman in the season-ending
Battle for the Belts.
It’s no different in Pro Nitrous, where Billy Harper finished number one after a record-setting romp through the class that included three consecutive event wins mid-season. In round one of the Battle, Harper has to take on Burton Auxier, a recent addition to the powerhouse Al Anabi Awesome Motorsports team, while his teammate, Dennis Radford, in second and the defending Ennis event winner, will have the always formidable Rickie Smith, who also won his first ADRL race earlier this year. Number-three seeded Randy Weatherford and number-six Stan Allen, both still seeking that elusive first win, are destined to meet in the opening round, as are series superstars Shannon Jenkins and Jim Halsey, both of whom secured ADRL race titles in 2008.
“[The Battle for the Belts] is my kind of racing,” Harper said at a recent event. “I think my team is the best there is at going over the car and making sure everything is as perfect as it can be and that’s what it’s going to take to win in Dallas, perfection.”
Ronnie Procopio took over the Pro Extreme Motorcycle points lead and
secured the number-one position for the ADRL’s championship-deciding
Battle for the Belts with his win last month at Rockingham, NC.
Procopio’s first-round opponent will be T.T. Jones.
With three wins in the last five events, it’s easy to believe points leader Billy Glidden has the hot hand going into the Extreme 10.5 (named for the cars’ relatively narrow 10.5-inch-wide rear slicks) Battle for the Belts, but he’s certainly not taking his first-round pairing with defending class champion Steve Gorman lightly.
“Some people don’t believe it, but I’m pushing my car really hard,” Glidden said of his Ford-powered GTO after winning the most recent ADRL event last month in North Carolina. “Anything could break at any second, so it doesn’t matter who I’m racing, I have to take them all seriously. To do anything else would just be foolish.”
Looking to avenge his loss in the Battle for the Belts final last year will be this year’s Georgia winner Mike Hill, going up against Texas racer Michelle Wilson, the lone female driver making a championship charge in the ADRL. Also squaring off in the Belts’ first round are Todd Moyer, also from Texas, against David Janes, the class winner in Ohio this year, and Gary White, the winner in Michigan, against former elapsed time record holder Steve Kirk Jr.
The ADRL’s two-wheeled warriors will be led into the Pro Extreme Motorcycle Battle by Ronnie Procopio, who backed up his Houston win in March with last month’s race title at Rockingham to become the first-ever, two-event PXM winner in one year. Procopio will open his championship bid against T.T. Jones, one of the larger riders in the series.
“Just like everyone else, you can’t take T.T. for granted. Despite his size, he can throw down a 4.20 at any time, so you have to be ready. Your bike is going to have to be running in top condition, so we’ll be going out testing a lot before the race. I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got. We won’t be holding anything back,” Procopio promised. “I’m excited, but I’ll be honest, I’m nervous, very nervous. You’ve got to be on top of your game because any one of the eight (qualifiers) are capable of winning and you can get taken out any round.”
No doubt feeling much the same way will be rookie rider Matt Prophit, with three runner-up finishes, as he goes up against Scott Gray, who won his first ADRL event this summer. Defending class champ Billy Vose, also a winner in Ohio, has former ADRL winner Jack Young in round one of the Battle, while Nikie Corley and Charlie Prophit, both event winners this season, round out the first-round pairings.
Past editions of the ADRL’s Battle for the Belts have produced both expected champions and underdog triumphs. With the tightest fields ever, the 2008 version of the greatest playoff in motorsports will undoubtedly continue the drama. All that remains to be seen is who will turn on the win lights this Friday night at the Motorplex.
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