ADRL HOUSTON - EVENT NOTEBOOK
Sun, 2010-03-21 04:01
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - FINISHED RACING FOR THIS WEEKEND
ONE RAIN EVENT LEADS TO ANOTHER - Mother Nature has blessed the ADRL with a 10th event on the 2010 schedule.
Rain, cooling temperatures, and the prospect of strong crosswinds on Sunday forced the postponement of the season-opening ADRL Universal Technical Institute Dragpalooza VI at Houston Raceway Park. And, brought about the inclusion of a tenth event to be run July 23rd and 24th, which will include the final qualifying for the Pro Extreme class and eliminations for all classes.
Kenny Nowling, President and CEO of the ADRL, announced to a gathering of drivers the ADRL's plans. In previous years, when the final day of an event was postponed it was completed at the next regularly scheduled event.
Working for the owner's of Houston Raceway Park, Nowling was able to put together the extra event giving teams already on property the chance to make the tow back to HRP more palatable.
“I have such an admiration for our competitors and the sacrifices that they make, to have them tow all the way back across the country to finish up a race – we have obligations to the sponsors, to our track partner – but our obligations to our racers supercede all that. To bring them back here, now they have financially twice the incentive. The beauty of it is they are not traveling any extra. It is no different than if we had already scheduled a second event at Houston Raceway Park on July 23rd and 24th.”
Nowling got together with Seth Angel in his motorhome and worked out the deal Saturday morning before making the announcement. They looked at a calender, found a date and the deal was done on a handshake.
While there was some grumbling during the announcement, the same drivers who grumbled the loudest thanked Nowling for the decision before leaving the meeting.
“We've paid out debt to Mother Nature here in Texas so hopefully she will smile on us in July.”
Tickets from the current event will be honored in July and those who paid for parking on this Saturday can use the parking pass for either Friday or Saturday in July. Additionally new tickets will be handed out for the July event and the nice thing about an ADRL ticket – they're free.
RECORDS TO THE EXTREME - Cary Goforth is now the holder of both the national time and speed records in the ADRL Extreme Pro Stock class.
It almost didn't happen.
“I just about tried to give it away,” revealed Goforth, taking a break from turning clutch discs. “I rolled the lights. I short shifted. I don't know what the heck was going on. I guess I was jacked up and I didn't do as good a job driving as I should have. Luckily, we got enough power to run a 4.07.
“I need to shape that up!”
Goforth needed a 4.088 pass to back up his 4.048 from Friday. He now holds both ends of the record at 4.048 seconds and 179.04 miles per hour.
Now the bad news. It will be Goforth versus Goforth in the first round as Cary, the son and pole sitter, goes up against Dean, the father and final driver to make the 16-car field.
“The thing is, his car has more power than my car. If he cuts a good light, he'll outrun me. If I'm not on my game I'll be on the trailer and he'll be going on to the second round. So, I've got to be on my toes.”
When the two roll into the staging box, the son will block out who the opponent is in the next lane. Until then, Goforth is well aware of who he is lining up against.
“You're racing your dad, your friend and your hero. You just have to go up there.”
IMPORTANT RUN ON SATURDAY - “Every run is important,” responded Jason Scruggs Saturday morning when asked about his late night third qualifying attempt in the ADRL Universal Tech Institute Dragoalooza VI at Houston Raceway Park.
Earlier in the day on Friday Scruggs '68 Camaro had gone up in flames when a fuel pressure issue detonated the engine, blowing off the blower, burning the electrical wiring and damaging the body.
Waiting in the lanes to make his final qualifying attempt, Scruggs was hesitant to discuss his Friday night run. “The car cut off right after the hit,” Scruggs said after loosening up just a bit. “We were going for it and something just went wrong in the ignition.”
Even though he is qualified fourth, Scruggs is still a bit anxious. He admits getting a solid run in his final qualifying attempt is important to his chances through the eliminations.
“We hope we have it all worked out,” said Scruggs before turning away to go back to his car.
PARTY-TIME, ARUBA STYLE - They were celebrating in the Team Aruba pit Friday night.
It wasn't a celebration of Trevor Eman's eighth place qualifying effort in his Extreme Pro Stock '06 Ford Escort for the ADRL Universal Technical Institute at Houston Raceway Park. This was a celebration of the March 18, 1986 independence of the island country from the Netherlands.
“It's like the U.S. Independence. March 18th is the same for us,” said Eman. “We decided to have a little cook-out and invited everyone to come celebrate with us.”
Eman is a native of Aruba studying mechanical engineering at the University of Central Florida. Once he graduates, Eman has his sights set on a career in drag racing.
Running the ADRL fits Eman's plans perfectly. The family has located the race team in Union, South Carolina. When it comes close to race time, Eman's father flies up from Aruba, joining his son and together they head off to the next ADRL event, of which there are nine scheduled in 2010. The family is serious about their drag racing. Eman's father has a long history in local drag racing and the current crew chief is Carl Baker, a former mountain motor frontrunner in the IHRA.
Not many think of drag racing when the conversation turns to Aruba. Palm trees, sandy beaches and relaxation is the typical image conjured up at the mention of the Caribbean island which sits off the northern coast of South America.
Aruba is all those things says Eman.
“Aruba relies on tourism, it's the main economy,” explained Eman, but he added, “Drag racing is one if the biggest sports in Aruba. We have 200-300 race cars in Aruba from street cars to bracket cars with good drivers.”
Aruba could be the perfect vacation spot for a drag racing. A spot to get away from it all and be able to get a little shot of racing in between the rising and setting of the island sun.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -
HAMSTRA’S BACK ON THE HORSE AGAIN - Thirty seconds led to the longest five months of Jason Hamstra’s life.
Hamstra was crossing the finish line during the Speedtech Battle for the Belts competition last October when he lost control of his Camaro and drove head-first into the retaining wall at Texas Motorplex [Ennis, Tex.] before sliding to a stop in the shutdown area.
Hamstra was transported by helicopter to nearby Parkland Hospital, where doctors checked him and save for some bumps and bruises was given a clean bill of health.
The one area the doctor’s couldn’t check was the young driver’s psyche and the mental issues associated with a devastating high speed crash.
Hamstra returned to competition for the first time during the ADRL Dragpalooza, the first 2010 event for the sanctioning body.
“It feels good to be back out here,” Hamstra said. “I’m still getting used to driving again. That first lap I missed the shift light and that kind of messed up the whole run but I’ll get used to it again. It’s just taking some time.”
For five months, the last drag racing memory Hamstra could remember was the season-ending accident. The experience brought him to the line a bit gun-shy for Friday’s opening lap.
“You’re better off just to get the car fixed as quick as you can and go make some passes again,” Hamstra explained. “We weren’t able to do that. You just have more time to take out of it and that’s not necessarily a good thing.”
Garret Race Cars immediately went to work on a new 1969 Camaro following the accident. The car was completed weeks before the ADRL season-opener and given an inspiring paint scheme by Olson Paint & Body in Peru, Ind.
Hamstra was given the Best Appearing Award for this weekend's event.
As beautiful as Hamstra’s new Camaro is, he’s learned the Pro Extreme cars can have an ugly side. He learned the hard way last October they can go from happy to angry in 3.78 seconds.
“These cars are temperamental, they’re tough to drive,” admitted Hamstra, who was qualified fourth after three sessions on Friday. “That can happen at any time. I think that they’re about the hardest cars that there are to drive. When I wrecked the car wasn’t doing anything that was unusual.
“When it gets upset, you had better show it respect because it will come out from under you in a hurry. Once it starts walking sideways you’ve got to shut it off or you’re taking your life into your own hands.”
GLIDDEN FACING THE REALITY OF HIS CHALLENGES - Billy Glidden’s Mickey Thompson-sponsored race car has no idea its sporting a
true all-Ford combination for the first since Glidden started frequenting the ADRL series almost a year ago.Neither does the car know the pressure its under to help its driver regain a championship lost opposite higher funded and equally championship-minded teams.
This is why Glidden has been burning the midnight oil to provide the car with the weapons necessary to return an Extreme 10.5 championship to Whiteland, Ind.
“I just got all my small blocks together and actually a couple more,” said Glidden, who fell short of last year’s Battle for the Belts final round. “We spent some time with the Hemi and picked up a little bit of power. I’m kind of gathering together some parts to build another one very similar to the one in the car this weekend, and then we’ve been working with a fellow yet to be named. Looks like we might have a little different engine by about Valdosta.”
Glidden understands just to be in the ballpark he’s going to need an engine capable of producing a run quicker than he’s ever run in Extreme 10.5 trim.
“Right now looks like you better be able to go 3.92 and I don’t think it’s going to slow down,” explained Glidden. “It’s just going to take a really fast race car, you can’t make any mistakes. You just can’t make mistakes.”
Going to a turbocharger or a blower as a power adder has been a consideration but not a realistic one, he contends.
“It’s beyond our means right now just to try to pay our bills and come to these races,” said Glidden. “To make those kinds of changes would cost lots of money and a lot of time. And require probably a few extra people and since we don’t have any of it we don’t even consider it.”
At this point in the game, the dangling carrot would have to be substantial to lure him away from his nitrous and carbureted comfort zone.
“It would have to be pretty significant, it would have to be something actually worth making that change not just for ourselves to try to compete better but actually for ourselves to pay our bills better.”
Making a move of this magnitude would negate almost a decade’s worth of data and send him back to the ground floor of a new combination.
“It wouldn’t be one change, we’re talking the whole car. Gear ratios transition, rear ends, balance, settings. Just everything is different. It would require a lot of fabricating in coming up with all the tubing, the bending and the pipes, induction and exhaust. That would not be a simple change.”
GOING FORTH QUICKER - Cary Goforth knew he was on a wicked quick run in his '08 Chevy Cobalt during the second round of qualifying in the ADRL Universal Tech Institute at Houston Raceway Park Friday afternoon.
“It didn't set the wheels down until after the 300 foot mark. I was through second gear before the wheels touched down. So, I knew we were going to record down there,” said a smiling Goforth, before admitting the night was not filled with all smiles. “We still need to figure out what is wrong with the other car.”
The other car is the one driver by his father, Dean Goforth, and it's not yet qualified for the 16-car Extreme Pro Stock field.
“It was a real good day,” admitted Goforth when asked about his 4.048 second, 179.04 mile per hour pass in the second round. “I didn't expect that .04 to pop up there. I was surprised as anybody to see it pop up there. We kinda knew we had it in. I really expect .06 or .07 tonight, but I'll take it. It was just a real nice surprise.”
Goforth set a national speed record with the 179.04, eclipsing the old mark of 178.2 set by Matt Hartford at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas on October 24th of last year. Goforth will have to run a 4.08 or better to back up his 4.048 to take the record from his father. Dean Goforth set the current national E T record, 4.050, at Texas Motorplex on the same October weekend last year.
Goforth isn't sure the weather conditions on Saturday will be good enough run fast enough to get the backup run needed to set the national ET mark. It won't matter. Goforth has his sights on an every quicker number.
“We know in good air we can do it,” said Goforth of the possibility of dipping under the four second mark. “Our goal is to run a 3.99 before the year is out. It's not out of the realm of possibility and we're going to try.”
GAHM: SENDING HIS CAR A MESSAGE - Brian Gahm was understandably frustrated.
The multi-time mountain motor Pro Stock champion from Lucasville, Ohio, had performed every feat worthy of crowning a driver a world champion. Last season, he’d won four races in seven finals rounds, qualified No. 1 three times and sported an .877 winning percentage.
When his chance to validate the incredible performances, how did his car repay him?
He fell short in the championship-determining battle, his usually potent Mustang outrun by a car he’d out-qualified all season.
A disgusted Gahm refused to speak to his Mustang all winter save for a few chaste remarks.
“When we got home I just elected to put it on jack stands and leave it all bolted together and would go in and talk kind of nasty to at times,” said Gahm with a smile. “I can’t remember that I’ve ever had a race car sit all winter with a motor in it.”
Four months after putting the Mustang into “time out” he brought it to Valdosta for a sink or swim outing.
“I couldn’t tell you to this day what the issue was,” said Gahm, discussing what made his otherwise pace-setting car miss a beat repeatedly on championship weekend. “We changed some stuff and unloaded over there at Valdosta. The first hit it was clean and I was just happy. It could have been the other way. I told them, I said, 'if we go to Valdosta and this thing misses in I’m going back to the Buckeye [Ohio]. I’m not going to Texas with this thing like this.'”
Gahm led two of Friday’s three sessions during the ADRL Dragpalooza event with a strong 4.099 elapsed time. Even though he improved to a 4.077 in the third session, he fell to the second position, behind Cary Goforth.
Gahm could be disappointed but he’s not. He’s just glad his Mustang understands his needs and the message he sent.
“It seems to have a different attitude,” Gahm admitted. “It better have.”
FIRED UP - Jason Scruggs was powering down the track in his '68 Camaro on a monster run before his effort went up in flames during the second round
Joe McHugh
As the crew worked to repair the race car, Scruggs took time to talk about reason for the fire and the damage done to the race car.
“We just have a full pressure problem,” said Scruggs. “The motor leaned out all at once and blew the blower off and caught on fire – it burned some wires and detonated the motor.”
The damage was not limited to the motor as evidenced by the front hood and fender section sitting upside down just the front and right of the race car. It was easy to see the team had already started to patch areas around the blower area and the left wheel well.
“It messed the cap up. It burned the cap and busted it a little bit in the explosion.”
Had the action not been delayed as the evening grew long, the damage would have ensured the team wouldn't answer the call for the third round of qualifying.
With only an exhibition run by a jet car left on the schedule, Scruggs showed up on the line just in time to make a third pass down the track. Scruggs blasted to an extremely impressive .939 60 foot time but then lost the track and had to get out off the throttle.
Scruggs will get one more chance to grab the top spot from Cary Goforth on Saturday morning.
ME AND 'OLE ELVIS - Mitchell Scruggs, father of Pro Extreme driver Jason Scruggs, grew up the son of a poor sharecropper in Tupelo Ms, in a
Mitchell Scruggs, father of Pro Extreme racer Jason Scruggs, has history with the King of Rock and Roll - Elvis Presley. (Stan Creekmore)
Today, Scruggs builds the engines for his son's Pro Extreme Camaro while Elvis rests in eternity at Graceland.
The two men share more than just a hometown. There will always be Mrs. Oleta Grimes, the fifth grade teacher in high heels, to both Elvis and Scruggs.
“When I was in the fifth grade,” started Scruggs, “I had the same teacher as Elvis. Elvis has already started making it big. In 1960, he came to visit her in his long pink Cadillac. He came to the room. She was in the back of the room and she took off running to the front with those high heel shoes – I will never forget it. They were hugging and kissing on each other.”
Mrs. Grimes, childless, had helped Elvis and his mother during hard times.
“Mrs. Pressley ironed for Mrs. Grimes and Elvis cut her grass and washed her windows.”
It was as if Elvis was the son Mrs. Grimes never had, explained Scruggs. When the hugging and kissing was over, Elvis sung for his favorite teacher, singing her favorite song, Red Foley’s Old Shep, and sang for the entire class.
“I will always remember that because it was something really special for a fifth grade kid to see a famous star like that and Elvis, he and all his cousins they were a good bunch of people. They were just like us – they were real poor.
“They were always really good people, just poor. Of course, Elvis made it out of all that with his singing. But, he came back and he would give his cousins guitars and instruments. There were some of his cousins that were talented just like Elvis.”
One of those cousins, remembered Scruggs, became the sheriff of Lee County. Unfortunately, the cousin met an untimely demise when a rapist he was chasing shot him through the chest.
Telling his story, Scruggs suddenly remembered another fact about the fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Grimes.
“One thing I remember about her and I am sure if Elvis was living he would too – you had to stay in at recess until you learned the Presidents in order.”
Scruggs learned well, a smile coming across his face as he recited, “Washington Adams Jefferson Madison Monroe Adams Jackson Van Buren Harrison Polk Taylor Fillmore Pierce Buchanan Lincoln Grant Taylor Hayes … when you stay in for recess for six months you don't forget ‘em and Elvis didn't forget ‘em either.”
UNDERDOGS BITE BACK - They are drag racing’s version of Appalachia On Steroids.
Not many people would write those words in black marker on hunks of tape slapped on the front fenders of a race car, nor would they be likely to later paint that car a brilliant shade of construction-barrel orange and adorn it with Barney-the-dinosaur-purple flames. But not many people are Arthur Camp Stanley III.
Unless one of them is his son John, of course.
These audacious competitors from northwestern Maryland have long been recognized as under-funded racers who have made careers out of doing the most with the least.
And this is a perception that Camp Stanley savors – one that he has craftily nurtured since he began racing with cast-off cars and scavenged and recycled parts. He'll tell you with a broad grin that this little bit of psychological strategy has served him well for many years.
“We love to play the underdog role, but of course in a lot of ways it's the truth,” Camp said. “I fund this team out of my own pocket, with help from my partner Axle Weiss, and that's it. We couldn't do this without the help of a lot of manufacturers who have supported us for years. We love the fact that we have always been able to do a lot with a little – that's something we're well known for because we've made it work.”
John Stanley, 37, began his own professional driving career in 2003 after spending his life working with and learning from his father.
“Dad likes to tell people that his goal was to bring me along slowly and have me move up in power a little at a time,” John said. “But that's only partly true – I went from running 8.80s to 6.70s in about a year, and that's not exactly taking baby steps.”
“I have taught racers in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and I treated them all just like I treated John,” Camp said.” I was never a hard taskmaster where John was concerned. Just learning to do things the right way was the hard task – I just guided him along the way. He took his time and learned – he didn't change out of his tuxedo after the high school prom and jump into a Pro Mod car.”
After several successful seasons in street-legal competition, the Stanley & Weiss team is preparing to embark on a full schedule of competition in the ADRL's Pro Extreme class, once again bucking tradition by running a blown wedge combination in John's Camaro.
“We have always said that we don't need no stinkin' Hemi, and that still goes today,” said Camp. “I feel the wedge can still be competitive.”
“Yes, we've managed to be competitive with the wedge combination, but we know that the top dogs can pull away from us again at any time,” said John. “Already in testing this winter some guys have dipped into the 3.60s, and the best we've run is 3.76. It seems that every year we fall half a step behind, and we have to play catch-up. I think we'll have to lighten up the car, lighten up the driver, and figure out how to add some nitrous to the mix, and see where we go from there.”
An underdog's work is never done.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES - After clawing his way back into contention at the end of 2009, Pro Nitrous pioneer Charles Carpenter is aiming to remain near the top of the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) points standings in 2010.
That mission begins this weekend at Houston Raceway Park with the ADRL’s season-opening Universal Technical Institute Dragpalooza VI presented by Safety-Kleen, where Carpenter will combine his vast experience with an upgraded combination under the hood of his iconic ’55 Chevy to take on the incredibly tough Pro Nitrous division.
After a brief session of preseason testing, Carpenter is ready to get back to racing action.
“I’ve never been one for testing,” admitted the 37-year drag racing veteran. “I’m all about the pressure of the race environment. I’m not even that excited about qualifying usually. But when it comes time for eliminations, my whole mindset changes and I can’t think of anything but winning the next round and winning the race. Winning is everything for me.”
ADDITIONAL BACKING - When Magnolia, Texas ADRL Pro Extreme driver Don Wootton debuted his injected-nitro 1969 Chevrolet Camaro last year, competitors, race officials and fans knew it was only a matter of time before the uniquely entertaining show-stopper became a threat to capture a race win.
This weekend March 19-20 at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas when the ADRL kicks off their 2010 campaign with the Universal Technical Institute Dragpalooza VI event presented by Safety-Kleen, Wootton and crew chief Joe Monden will begin their quest to compete with the best-of-the-best assisted by the teams newest marketing partner, Clean Boost Performance Motor Oils.
“We are honored and excited to support Don Wootton’s ADRL Pro Extreme nitro-burning Camaro for the 2010 ADRL season,” noted Tim Charlet, Director of Sales and Marketing for Clean Boost’s parent company, Combustion Technologies USA (http://www.combustionusa.com). “Just like his Injected-Nitro set up; our unique “METTLE-ARMOR”™ Racing Oil and Metal Conditioner with Z-Alt™ Infuzed-Moly™ technology is revolutionary. Teaming up with arguably the most entertaining car in drag racing and a very marketable personality such as Don Wootton was an easy decision for us. We look forward to establishing a great partnership with Mr. Wootton’s team in the ADRL for several years.”
READY TO BE BACK - Quain Stott concluded his 2009 ADRL campaign with a runner-up finish last fall in the ADRL World Finals at the Texas Motorplex, near Dallas, which actually served as the first points-paying event toward this year’s ADRL Speedtech Battle for the Belts, the championship-determining shootout for the top eight points earners in each pro class each year.
“We start the season the same weekend we run the Battle for the Belts in Dallas Texas, in October, and then we have a five-month off season before we run again.” Stott explained. “During that time we try to catch up on all the things at home that we don’t get to pay attention to during the race season.”
Based on his finish at the Motorplex, Stott sits in the second-place points spot heading into this weekend’s ADRL event at Baytown, Texas.
“I look forward to returning to the track and running some great numbers,” he said, although it will be with a somewhat unknown tune-up. “Usually in the off season we take the car out and do some testing in late February or early March, (but) unfortunately the weather has been very unpredictable in the Carolinas and we were never able to make it to the track.”
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