:::::: News ::::::

ROUND-BY-ROUND PRO RESULTS FROM READING

Final round-by-round results from the 25th annual Toyo Tires NHRA
Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the 17th of 24 events in the NHRA
Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:

BOB GLIDDEN RETURNS TO COLUMBUS AS HERO

Bob Glidden was having the time of his life Saturday afternoon. The ten-time NHRA Pro Stock

glidden.JPG
Bob Glidden's presence at the ADRL Ohio Drags was welcomed by a
legion of race fans. He spent most of the day in his son Billy's pits
and on the starting line.

world champion walked the grounds of National Trail Raceway meeting and
greeting fans who clamored to be in his presence, and somewhere along
the line, he took the opportunity to hang out with his son, defending ADRL Extreme Ten Five champion Billy Glidden.

If the kid is a chip off of the old block it’s because he learned the
intricacies of being solid from the old man. If his performance during
this weekend provided the appearance that Billy had an edge, it very
well could have been because of his familiarity to the facility.

Simply put, if Indianapolis Raceway Park was his elder’s primary playground, National Trail Raceway was the satellite version.

GOFORTH TAKES TOUGH ROAD TO WIN

Sometimes the path to victory runs directly through your kid’s pit area. That’s what Dean Goforth found

pro_stock.JPG
Dean Goforth had a tough run to his first ADRL win. He beat his son
in the first round and then faced three consecutive former IHRA world
champions.

out on Saturday at the ADRL Ohio Drags in Columbus, Ohio.

Goforth used a first round victory over Cary Goforth to set up wins
over Pete Berner, Brian Goforth and red-lighting Doug Kirk in the final
round. Ironically, the aforementioned three competitors are former IHRA
Pro Stock champions.

It was that kind of a day for Dean Goforth.

DETERMINATION LEADS MYERS TO FIRST WIN

Thomas “Slick” Myers had different visions of his first ADRL Pro Nitrous victory and Saturday’s triumph at the

myers.JPG
Thomas Myers traveled an improbably pathway to the winner's circle.

Ohio Drags didn’t fit the template. Regardless of how many style points
he gained, Myers triumph at the ADRL Ohio Drags is one he will cherish.

Throw out the calamities he’s endured this season and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more gracious winner.

THE SHOE FITS FOR BARKLAGE

The stunningly attractive blonde walking around National Trail Raceway looking for her glass slipper was shocked to

barklage.JPG
Cody Barklage takes a Gatorade bath in the winner's circle.

see a gentleman donning a firesuit wearing it. Cinderella might have
sported the iconic shoe in fantasy land, but for Lake Ozark, Mo.-based,
Pro Extreme racer Cody Barklage, he wasn’t about to hand it over.

In the face of the larger financed teams, Barklage ran just enough to
win each round. A likely bridesmaid in the final, he was nearly
two-tenths behind Josh Hernandez, his final round opponent all night
long.

The clock struck midnight for Hernandez and that was the break Barklage
needed to capitalize. Hernandez crossed the centerline while Barklage
thundered to a 3.912 elapsed time, 190.48 mph.

PAPPAS DELIVERS THE BIG ONE

Billy Glidden brings out the best in the Extreme 10.5 competition, just ask Spiro Pappas. The hard-charging driver

pappas.JPG
Spiro Pappas is all smiles after scoring his first ADRL win.

from Glenview, Ill., brushed aside the hardships of arguably a tough
run of bad luck in the weeks leading into the event to get the break
he’s needed.

Pappas scored his first ADRL title in impressive fashion by running
into the three-second zone en route to beating the defending world
champion in the final. Glidden rolled a -.01 foul start.

Whether Glidden was trying to push the tree in the finals remains to be
seen, but what was clearly visible was that Pappas has the car to beat.
From his 4.039 (Jeff Paulk) to his 3.992 (Chuck Ulsch) in the semis,
Pappas was relentless in his pursuit of the revered ADRL Minuteman
trophy. As he limped his turbocharged Pontiac across the finish line 
with smoke trailing, he was never happier.

LOW FUNNY CAR BODIES QUESTIONED IN BRAINERD

There is a benefit to running a body low in Funny Car. The rule book says the body on a Funny Car must be tasca_notes.jpgno
lower than three inches off the ground from the nose to 12 inches past
the center of the front spindle. Past that point the body can be no
lower than two inches off the ground. This distance gives the timing
light the space it needs to properly record when the car leaves the
starting line.

Two cars failed to meet that criteria in Brainerd during a round of
qualifying – the cars of Bob Tasca III and John Force. Subsequently,
all the Funny Cars making passes in the second session of qualifying on
Saturday were stopped at the scales and measured. Four additional cars
were found to be low.

HANCE OKAY, CAR, FEELINGS HURT

hance.JPGThe look on Dave Hance’s face told the story.

The Inwood, N.Y.-based, drag racer who also promotes the popular
Shakedown at E’Town event in Englishtown, N.J., dinged his turbocharged
Extreme 10.5 1957 Chevy during the final qualifying session.

Hance didn't suffer any physical injuries in the accident. What he did hurt was his feelings.

FIRST TIME WINNERS DOMINATE ADRL OHIO DRAGS

In
a remarkable turn of events, all professional class winners at the Aug.
21-22, ADRL Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags III had px.JPGnever before
visited a National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) victory
lane. Even more remarkable, four of the five were up against their
class wins leader in the final round at National Trail Raceway, near
Columbus, Ohio, with the fifth also facing a former race victor.

Young Cody Barklage defeated Joshua Hernandez, the Pro Extreme wins
leader at six, while Thomas “Tom Slick” Myers took down Shannon
“Iceman” Jenkins, who leads the Pro Nitrous division with seven prior
event titles. In Flowmaster Extreme 10.5, Spiro Pappas broke through
over eight-time race winner and defending series champion Billy
Glidden; Paul Gast got past Scott Gray, who leads all Pro Extreme
Motorcycle riders with three victories; and Dean Goforth downed Doug
Kirk, winner of the season opener at Houston this year in the National
Guard ADRL’s new Extreme Pro Stock class.

READING SATURDAY QUALIFYING

antron_brown.jpgAntron
Brown raced to his sixth No. 1 qualifying position of the season
Saturday in a rain-delayed day at the Toyo Tires Oil NHRA Nationals at
Maple Grove Raceway.

NHRA officials were forced to set the field after two complete
qualifying sessions for the weekend when persistent showers moved into
the area during Friday’s qualifying and persisted through Saturday’s
sessions. The amount of rain overnight caused a water seepage problem
on the racing surface, further delaying qualifying. NHRA and track
officials worked throughout the day to keep the track dry for the
safety of the drivers and riders.

Ashley Force Hood, Mike Edwards and Hector Arana also will lead their
categories into Sunday’s 11 a.m. eliminations as the No. 1 qualifiers
at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, the 17th of 18
races in the NHRA regular season.

Pages