EVENT RESULTS EVENT NOTEBOOK ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS			THURSDAY GALLERY FRIDAY GALLERY SATURDAY GALLERY LIVE VIDEO

 SATURDAY -

Mick Snyder could do no wrong on Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway and he left with his second American Drag Racing League (ADRL) win.

Snyder, a Pro Extreme standout, had a Saturday he will always remember as part of the ADRL’s Northeast Drags II presented by Penske.

Snyder claimed the No. 1 qualifying spot during the final session with a 3.64 and then finished off a terrific day at the historic track, running a 3.648 at 207.46 miles per hour to beat Tommy D’Aprile under the lights.

“To qualify No. 1 and then win at an event like this and at a place like this, it’s just great. My dad (Larry) had this car tuned up like a bracket car today and it was just outstanding,” Snyder said. “There’s not a bad car out here in Pro Extreme and this has just been awesome.”

Joining Snyder in the winner’s circle at was Robert Patrick Jr. (Pro Nitrous), Billy Glidden (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Eric McKinney (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), Dean Goforth (Extreme Pro Stock), Mike Castellana (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified), Chip Forman (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman) and Chris Holbrook (SuperCar Showdown).

Snyder’s win capped off a spectacular day at Maple Grove Raceway, where terrific runs, car counts and fan turnout summed up the ADRL’s second event at Maple Grove and third race in 2012.

Snyder and his Powersource Transportation car went as quick as 3.636 – the quickest run in Pro Extreme in 2012 – during eliminations en route to the win against D’Aprile, who made his second straight finals appearance.

“This car is just something else. It truly is an amazing car. I’m just so happy that Jason (Scruggs) let me drive it,” Snyder said.

Robert Patrick’s foray into Pro Nitrous is off to a fine start after a fantastic all-around performance on Saturday. He beat Burton Auxier with a 4.25 in the finals, but the rest of his day in his 2012 Jerry Bickel Race Cars Mustang was filled with runs in the 3.80s, including a great 3.811 in an outstanding semifinal duel with Jim Laurita.

“I had a lot of faith in my crew. They’ve been working their butt off and I couldn’t be any happier with this Jerry Bickel Race Car,” Patrick said. “I’m just so happy to be racing in the ADRL and to be part of this. This is my roots and this where I love racing.”

Billy Glidden delivered what was arguably the best run of his career in the Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 finals, beating Chuck Ulsch on a holeshot in an unbelievable side-by-side race.

Ulsch went 3.855 at 202.82, but Glidden’s .028 and massive career-best 3.862 was enough for his 13th career ADRL win.

“That was awesome. When I got this thing into third gear and the front tire finally sat down, I figured it was on a good run,” Glidden said. “Going against Chuck, I knew I had to run well, and I had to do everything right.

“This was very satisfying and a very gratifying win for us.”

Mike Castellana remained perfect in Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified, going 3.847 at 195.42 mph to chase down Mike Janis in an excellent final for his third win in three events.

Castellana’s 2012 RJ Race Cars Camaro was remarkably consistent, as the Al-Anabi Racing driver backed up his record pass of 3.845 earlier on Saturday, going 3.854 to reach the finals.

“It just goes to show what a great job the crew does and how they make it work,” Castellana said. “We had a good handle on the car and track and it just all clicked.

“We’ve already surpassed our expectations for this year. There’s not much more you could expect.”

Dean Goforth was dynamite throughout eliminations on the starting line in Extreme Pro Stock, capping it off with an .011 reaction time in the finals to hold off Brian Gahm with a 4.083 at 177.20 mph.

“Honestly, me winning is good for everyone because it shows it doesn’t make any difference how old you are,” Goforth said. “This means a lot to me. I’m just happy to be part of the ADRL and I love the people in this class.”

Goforth’s third career XPS win will surely be one he will treasure after battling back from a near-fatal illness this past winter. To win on Saturday, Goforth won by holeshots in his Jerry Haas Race Cars GXP against No. 1 qualifier John DeFlorian in the semifinals and then Gahm in a memorable finals.

“(The holeshots) are probably cooler than winning the race,” Goforth said. “This was just a huge blessing tonight.”

Eric McKinney went nearly three years without a win in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, but the wait was worth it after going 4.099 at 173.96 mph to beat Ronald Procopio in the finals.

“I’m just on cloud nine right now. This is awesome and I’m just having a blast,” McKinney said. “I’m tickled to death to do this. It’s just some incredible racing in this class.”

McKinney was involved in a wild semifinal race against Scott Gray, who went 4.091 and appeared to win on a holeshot against McKinney’s 4.089. But Gray’s bike hit the center cone to disqualify him, sending McKinney to the finals.

“I knew he had beat me but then I heard on the radio that I had won,” McKinney said. “That round win was all luck, but I’ll take it.”

Chip Forman was the latest first-time winner in Summit Racing Equipment in Top Sportsman, running a 4.155 at 174.05 mph to beat Ray Bamond.

Both were making their first appearance in a final round, and Forman was beyond thrilled after tracking down Bamond just before the finish line.

“This is my first national event win anywhere, so this is just amazing,” Forman said. “In Bristol, we broke a crankshaft in qualifying, so we went from an extreme low to an extreme high. The car was dead on, I was good on the tree and everything came together.”

In the SuperCar Showdown finals, Chris Holbrook won for the first time, going 5.881 at 119 mph.

In Pro Junior Dragster, Morgan Benfield knocked off Jackson Core with a 7.94 at 77.21 mph. Benfield had a terrific .006 reaction time to win by a mere six inches.

The fourth stop on the 2012 ADRL Tour takes place on June 1-2 as the ADRL returns to St. Louis for the Gateway Drags IV presented by CarSafe at Gateway Motorsports Park.

 

FINAL QUALIFYING SESSION

FRIDAY - TAYLOR RETURNS TO TOP FORM IN MAPLE GROVE

After not qualifying for the first two events of the 2012 season, Frankie Taylor got the run he was looking for on Friday during the American Drag Racing League’s (ADRL) Northeast Drags II presented by Penske at Maple Grove Raceway.

Switching back to a blower, supercharger set-up after not qualifying the first two races with a turbocharger combination, Taylor delivered a classic run in his Jeffers Pro Cars Corvette, running an outstanding 3.653 at 207.85 miles per hour to leap to the top of Pro Extreme.

“It’s coming back around. That’s not too bad for our first lap in a blower in (6 months),” Taylor said. “To finally get in the field felt really good. It was great to get that one under our belt.”

A steady rain wiped out Friday’s third qualifying session.

Other No. 1 qualifiers through Friday include Burton Auxier (Pro Nitrous), Chuck Ulsch (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Casey Stemper (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), John DeFlorian (Extreme Pro Stock), Mike Castellana (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified), Chuck Mohn (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman) and Chris Holbrook (SuperCar Showdown).

The final qualifying session for the Northeast Drags II presented by Penske takes place at 12 p.m. on Saturday with eliminations to follow.

Taylor provided the final highlight on a memorable day, which started with Ray Commisso’s explosive crash during the first qualifying session in Aeromotive Pro Modified. His Camaro got loose and took a hard left, crashing into a concrete barrier and even breaking the barrier free. A huge fireball then shot up from the high-speed crash and oil spill.

Commisso got out of the car almost immediately and under his own power and suffered no serious injuries.

“I took my foot off the gas when I felt the car start to get into trouble, but the automatic shifter shifted and the car just jumped and took off on me,” Commisso said. “There was nothing I could do about it at that point and I was just along for the ride.”

Taylor’s final ride on Friday was the conclusion to a scintillating series of runs in Pro Extreme. Von Smith started it with a 3.682 to momentarily move into the top spot. A run later, Mick Snyder jumped up with a 3.673, only to be outdone moments later by Taylor’s 3.65.

To conclude the second session, Todd Tutterow went an impressive 3.672 at 206.42 mph to move into the No. 2 position.

“We’re right where we wanted to be,” Taylor said. “This is a different blower for us and our first time with it. We didn’t want to hurt it, but hopefully this is a good sign.”

Burton Auxier got his best sign to the young 2012 season, driving his Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro to the No. 1 spot in Pro Nitrous with a 3.825 at 194.66 mph.

Robert Patrick and his JBRC 2012 Mustang became the first PN driver to reach the 3.80s (3.895) during the weekend, but Auxier topped him to easily become the quickest driver in the class at Maple Grove.

“We still had it pretty soft. We’re trying to get down the track right now, but it wasn’t a bad run by any means,” Auxier said. “This car is always capable of running good numbers. It’s a great car.

“They’re finicky cars, so you have to be careful of where you put the power. We’re still capable of going quicker (Saturday), even in the heat.”

In Extreme Pro Stock, John DeFlorian wouldn’t have expected to be a No. 1 qualifier in the class so soon. Now, he’s on the verge of his second straight race in the position, driving his Jerry Haas Race Cars 2012 Black Diamond Motorsports Camaro to the No. 1 spot with an incredible 4.074 at 177.65 mph.

Cary and Dean Goforth were the only other drivers to reach the 4.00s in XPS, running a 4.095 and 4.098, respectively. Dean was on top after the first round, but DeFlorian upped the stakes once the sun started to set.

“When I made that first gear change, it felt really good and I knew it was on a run,” DeFlorian said. “When I crossed the finish line, I was real anxious to see what it went and when it said 4.07, that was just awesome.

“Everyone is doing an incredible job and I’m just very, very happy. I could never thank (team owners) Karen and Kevin Bealko enough for this opportunity. They’re the reason I’m out here and it’s just turned into a wonderful deal.”

Mike Castellana turned in the quickest run in the short history of the Aeromotive Pro Modified class and he did it right off the bat, going 3.845 at 194.72 mph.

Looking to stay undefeated in his Al-Anabi Racing 2012 RJ Race Cars Camaro, Castellana inched closer to his third straight ADRL win in 2012 with a phenomenal qualifying run.  

“We know the car is capable of doing that, but that first round you just want to get everything right,” Castellana said. “Shannon (Jenkins) and the crew made the right calls and they’re just doing a great job with the car right now.”

Jeff Naiser is currently second with a 3.913.

Casey Stemper turned things up during the second qualifying session in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, running 4.11 at 170.92 mph. Scott Gray is second with a 4.141, but Stemper looks on pace for his second No. 1 qualifier in 2012.

“That second pass, it came around. We stepped on the nitrous a little bit and the bike woke up,” said Stemper, who won his first ADRL race in March. “As soon as I hit the button, I knew it was on a good pass.

“We always try to start pretty safe and keep building it up. Our main goal is to be consistent and get our set-up going into eliminations.”

Chuck Mohn continued his qualifying dominance in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, shooting again to the top spot with a 4.093 at 174.30 mph right off the trailer.

Mohn, whose Fountainville, Pa. residence is less than an hour from Maple Grove, was the No. 1 qualifier for the first two events in 2012, and appears to be the heavy favorite to win a third straight Tim McAmis Performance Parts Low Qualifier award. Driving a Pat Musi-powered, Jerry Bickel Race Cars ’69 Camaro, Mohn has consistently gone in the 4.00s in qualifying.

Ronnie Davis made a strong pass on his final run on Friday, going to No. 2 with a 4.122 at 177.16 mph.

In Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5, Chuck Ulsch impressed immediately and is the current No. 1 qualifier with a blistering 3.903 at 200.02 mph.

Alan Pittman, undefeated in 2012 after winning the first two events in the class, came back with a spectacular run in the second qualifying session, running a 3.905 at 196.85 mph. Billy Glidden squeaked into the 3-second zone with a 3.996 at 187.16 on his final run of the day.

Chris Holbrook is the No. 1 qualifier after two sessions in the SuperCar Showdown, running a 5.827 at 118.46 mph. Bo Butner, winner of the first two events in the new class, ran 5.828 at 118.08 mph to sit in second.

In Pro Junior Dragster, J.C. Gloyd is qualified No. 1 through Friday, running a 7.909 on a 7.90 Index. Jackson Core is right behind with a 7.912.

SESSION ONE