ADRL PRO STOCK: HAPPENING OR NOT?
Thu, 2008-12-18 12:29
Nowling Offers Opportunity for Racers to Race for Modest Championship Fund …
ADRL President Kenny Nowling issued the challenge. The question now, will anyone answer it?
Nowling told a group of mountain motor Pro Stock racers and members of the classes infrastructure if at least ten teams will commit to a full National Guard ADRL tour in 2009 that he’ll field an Extreme Pro Stock division, even if the sanctioning body has to foot the bill for an unsponsored class.
“I’ll pay for it out of my pocket if I have to,” Nowling said during the annual ADRL press conference in Orlando, Fla. “I did that a few years ago for the Pro Nitrous class because I feel these Pro Stock racers that supported our deal last year deserve a place to race where they can perform on a grand stage for doorslammer racing, and there’s no grander of a stage than the ADRL.”
Nowling Offers Opportunity for Racers to Race for Modest Championship Fund …
ADRL President Kenny Nowling issued the challenge. The question now, will anyone answer it?
Nowling told a group of mountain motor Pro Stock racers and members of the classes infrastructure if at least ten teams will commit to a full National Guard ADRL tour in 2009 that he’ll field an Extreme Pro Stock division, even if the sanctioning body has to foot the bill for an unsponsored class.
“I’ll pay for it out of my pocket if I have to,” Nowling said during the annual ADRL press conference in Orlando, Fla. “I did that a few years ago for the Pro Nitrous class because I feel these Pro Stock racers that supported our deal last year deserve a place to race where they can perform on a grand stage for doorslammer racing, and there’s no grander of a stage than the ADRL.”
Nowling has offered to match $10,000 to win and $1500 as a qualifying bonus. The ADRL, according to sources in a meeting with series management and the Pro Stock drivers, offered a $50,000 championship fund to be dispersed as the racers see fit.
The size of the fields remains to be seen with the level of participation mandating the size of the fields. If there are eleven cars or less, the ADRL will have eight-car fields. Twelve or more will contest a sixteen car field.
The ADRL contested two exhibition Extreme Pro Stock events in 2008, one in Budds Creek, Md., and the other Rockingham, N.C.
Past IHRA Pro Stock world champion Robert Patrick won the first event and hopes more of his associates step up to accept Nowling’s challenge.
Patrick believes Nowling and the ADRL has a golden opportunity for those who race mountain motor Pro Stocks.
“I think Kenny sees the importance of a Pro Stock class as far as drawing hardcore fans to his venues that follow Pro Stock that normally wouldn’t come to watch the Pro Mods,” Patrick said. “I think he realizes a Pro Stock class could be very good for his sanctioning body. I think [bringing us in] it’s a good thing he’s doing considering, the financial shape the IHRA was in with Torco reneging on some of their contracts, not to mention the uncertainty of where the IHRA is as a whole now.
“If the IHRA Pro Stock class goes away then the investment all of us have made in mountain motor Pro Stock racing is for naught. We wouldn’t have a place to race so I applaud him and I’m really appreciative for he’s trying to do. I’m committed to supporting him one hundred percent. My heart is still with IHRA. I started racing IHRA Pro Stock in 1991. I would surely race some IHRA Pro Stock events for next year but my main focus would be to support this deal with Kenny on an eighth mile for what he’s offered us.”
Four events on the ADRL schedule conflict with the IHRA schedule including the season-opening races on both tours.
“There are some tough decisions that are going to have to be made,” Nowling said.
John Montecalvo has raced IHRA Pro Stock since the early 1990s and finds himself at a crossroads regarding his future.
“If I started new today … I’d pick ADRL because it has larger arenas and bigger crowds,” Montecalvo admitted. “My heart has always been with the IHRA. It’s my family. No one has ever invested the time and money to get it to where it needs to be. We’re hoping and crossing our fingers that Mr. Feld will do that.
“Of course, there are no guarantees. The whole IHRA/ADRL controversy was brought on by the threat to cancel Pro Stock. If it wasn’t for that statement we wouldn’t even be talking to Kenny.
“Kenny provided that alternative for us. I feel an allegiance to him also. If that had happened where would we be? We would have to sell our stuff.”
Montecalvo would like to see both the management of IHRA and ADRL reach a compromise on a schedule so teams could run a full schedule of both. At least four events in 2009 have conflicting dates, namely the first and last races of the season.
“A little compromise could help grow the class on both sides,” Montecalvo added.
Sources close to the situation say such a “sit-down” is unlikely to happen.
“Kenny and Aaron need to leave their pride and ego at home and work to resolve the conflicting dates,” Montecalvo said.
Patrick believes support might wane in the early going but as the season progresses, more of his constituents will become regulars at the ADRL events.
“My true feeling is if the IHRA Pro Stock guys stick around there and keep the class afloat and try and build it for them, once the IHRA signs a new sponsor -- they are going to take the money and try to bring nitro Funny Car back,” Patrick said. “Or they will take the money into the Top Fuel class, so it will be the same old, same old.
“I see the growth potential in the ADRL. They are getting 20 to 30,000 people on their second tier events and their first tier events they’re getting 50,000 spectators. That’s where I want to market our business in front of that many fans that’s a real blessing not to mention we’re also running on the best tracks the IHRA has, Martin and Rockingham. To me it’s a no brainer.
“Just look at it this way, this man has, out of the kindness of his heart, opened his home and wallet for us and the least we can do is to support him. He never told us we could put our junk on eBay and sell it because we had no other place to go.”
ADRL President Kenny Nowling issued the challenge. The question now, will anyone answer it?
Nowling told a group of mountain motor Pro Stock racers and members of the classes infrastructure if at least ten teams will commit to a full National Guard ADRL tour in 2009 that he’ll field an Extreme Pro Stock division, even if the sanctioning body has to foot the bill for an unsponsored class.
“I’ll pay for it out of my pocket if I have to,” Nowling said during the annual ADRL press conference in Orlando, Fla. “I did that a few years ago for the Pro Nitrous class because I feel these Pro Stock racers that supported our deal last year deserve a place to race where they can perform on a grand stage for doorslammer racing, and there’s no grander of a stage than the ADRL.”
Nowling Offers Opportunity for Racers to Race for Modest Championship Fund …
ADRL President Kenny Nowling issued the challenge. The question now, will anyone answer it?
Nowling told a group of mountain motor Pro Stock racers and members of the classes infrastructure if at least ten teams will commit to a full National Guard ADRL tour in 2009 that he’ll field an Extreme Pro Stock division, even if the sanctioning body has to foot the bill for an unsponsored class.
“I’ll pay for it out of my pocket if I have to,” Nowling said during the annual ADRL press conference in Orlando, Fla. “I did that a few years ago for the Pro Nitrous class because I feel these Pro Stock racers that supported our deal last year deserve a place to race where they can perform on a grand stage for doorslammer racing, and there’s no grander of a stage than the ADRL.”
Nowling has offered to match $10,000 to win and $1500 as a qualifying bonus. The ADRL, according to sources in a meeting with series management and the Pro Stock drivers, offered a $50,000 championship fund to be dispersed as the racers see fit.
The size of the fields remains to be seen with the level of participation mandating the size of the fields. If there are eleven cars or less, the ADRL will have eight-car fields. Twelve or more will contest a sixteen car field.
Past IHRA Pro Stock world champion Robert Patrick won the first event and hopes more of his associates step up to accept Nowling’s challenge.
Patrick believes Nowling and the ADRL has a golden opportunity for those who race mountain motor Pro Stocks.
“I think Kenny sees the importance of a Pro Stock class as far as drawing hardcore fans to his venues that follow Pro Stock that normally wouldn’t come to watch the Pro Mods,” Patrick said. “I think he realizes a Pro Stock class could be very good for his sanctioning body. I think [bringing us in] it’s a good thing he’s doing considering, the financial shape the IHRA was in with Torco reneging on some of their contracts, not to mention the uncertainty of where the IHRA is as a whole now.
Four events on the ADRL schedule conflict with the IHRA schedule including the season-opening races on both tours.
“There are some tough decisions that are going to have to be made,” Nowling said.
John Montecalvo has raced IHRA Pro Stock since the early 1990s and finds himself at a crossroads regarding his future.
“If I started new today … I’d pick ADRL because it has larger arenas and bigger crowds,” Montecalvo admitted. “My heart has always been with the IHRA. It’s my family. No one has ever invested the time and money to get it to where it needs to be. We’re hoping and crossing our fingers that Mr. Feld will do that.
“Of course, there are no guarantees. The whole IHRA/ADRL controversy was brought on by the threat to cancel Pro Stock. If it wasn’t for that statement we wouldn’t even be talking to Kenny.
“Kenny provided that alternative for us. I feel an allegiance to him also. If that had happened where would we be? We would have to sell our stuff.”
Montecalvo would like to see both the management of IHRA and ADRL reach a compromise on a schedule so teams could run a full schedule of both. At least four events in 2009 have conflicting dates, namely the first and last races of the season.
“A little compromise could help grow the class on both sides,” Montecalvo added.
Sources close to the situation say such a “sit-down” is unlikely to happen.
“Kenny and Aaron need to leave their pride and ego at home and work to resolve the conflicting dates,” Montecalvo said.
Patrick believes support might wane in the early going but as the season progresses, more of his constituents will become regulars at the ADRL events.
“My true feeling is if the IHRA Pro Stock guys stick around there and keep the class afloat and try and build it for them, once the IHRA signs a new sponsor -- they are going to take the money and try to bring nitro Funny Car back,” Patrick said. “Or they will take the money into the Top Fuel class, so it will be the same old, same old.
“I see the growth potential in the ADRL. They are getting 20 to 30,000 people on their second tier events and their first tier events they’re getting 50,000 spectators. That’s where I want to market our business in front of that many fans that’s a real blessing not to mention we’re also running on the best tracks the IHRA has, Martin and Rockingham. To me it’s a no brainer.
“Just look at it this way, this man has, out of the kindness of his heart, opened his home and wallet for us and the least we can do is to support him. He never told us we could put our junk on eBay and sell it because we had no other place to go.”
Categories:
