2012 ADRL DRAGSTOCK - RESULTS
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SATURDAY - WINNERS CROWNED UNDER LIGHTS IN CHARLOTTE
Shannon “Iceman” Jenkins has been a staple at the American Drag Racing League’s (ADRL) prestigious Dragstock race, first appearing at the event in 2005.
At the ninth rendition of the race on Saturday, Jenkins delivered another trademark performance in Pro Nitrous, this time at the ADRL’s first appearance at zMAX Dragway.
Jenkins won for the first time in 2012 as well, running 3.87 at 194.02 mph to beat Doug Riesterer and add another chapter to his unbelievable legacy.
“It’s a great feeling to win here and it’s great to see the sport healthy,” Jenkins said. “Racing at a track like this and being fortunate enough to win it is the greatest feeling you can ever have.”
Other winners included Tim Tindle (Pro Extreme), Brad Brand (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Eric McKinney (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), Cary Goforth (Extreme Pro Stock), Mike Janis (Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified) and Ronnie Davis (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman).
The memorable finals wrapped up an incredible ADRL debut at zMAX Dragway, as fans flocked to the state-of-the-art facility and racers praised zMAX at the latest and one of the greatest Dragstock events.
Jenkins’ run on Saturday was one of the many highlights, as the Al-Anabi Racing driver was in classic form in the heart of doorslammer country. In picking up his 11th Pro Nitrous win in 12 final appearances, both ADRL bests, Jenkins got better as the day progressed. It started with taking the No. 1 spot in qualifying with a 3.934 in his 2012 RJ Race Cars Camaro, continued with a 3.893 in the semifinals and concluded in the finals, which was his sixth impressive run on Saturday.
“We’ve got a good hot rod now and it’s going to be good from here on out,” Jenkins said. “We got in that race mode today and I like it that way. We were able to get our rhythm going and we weren’t thinking about anything but going rounds.”
Tim Tindle’s first ADRL win couldn’t have happened at a much better location, as his Jeffers Pro Cars Corvette went 3.647 at 208.36 mph to beat Quain Stott. The blower blew off Tindle’s car before the finish line, but it couldn’t stop a weekend-best pass and a winner’s circle celebration.
“What more could you ask for? It’s a big race and to get that first win here is amazing. This is the place you would want to do it,” Tindle said.
After teammate and No. 1 qualifier Frankie Taylor had car trouble and had to bow out in the first round, the focus turned to Tindle, and he was terrific. He went 3.688 to beat points leader Mick Snyder in the quarterfinals and was even better in the finals against Stott.
“We had some electrical issues, but we got it straightened out and this was the result,” Tindle said. “We were focused and we came up here to win.”
Cary Goforth and his Jerry Haas Race Cars GXP got better in every round of eliminations, and was at his best in the Extreme Pro Stock finals, winning for the second time in 2012 by going 4.108 at 176.49 mph to beat Richie Stevens Jr. and his 4.16.
“I’m lucky enough to win at the two tracks we’ve never raced before,” said Goforth, referencing his wins at Bristol and zMAX Dragway this year.
It was a huge win for the points leader, as Goforth put some space between him and Stevens, who is second in points. The standout showing in eliminations was also the type of performance Goforth, who won for an XPS-best eighth time, had been waiting the entire season to see.
“We’ve been trying to get our power back and this is what we’ve been looking for,” Goforth said, who also thanked Sonny’s Racing Engines. “But I don’t think this (points race) is over. There’s going to be a lot of these types of races.”
With a final that lived up to its billing, Eric McKinney inched past Casey Stemper in a thriller, running 4.083 at 176.56 mph to beat Stemper for the first time in the finals this year after two previous defeats. It was a battle of the top two riders in the points race, and with his fourth win in 2012, McKinney inched closer to a championship thanks to a victory he quickly deemed special.
“This is better than the first one. I don’t know how to explain it. Dragstock was my first ADRL win (in 2009) and (Saturday) was just unbelievable,” McKinney said. “When we came through the tunnel before the final and I saw the crowd, it was a little overwhelming. My mom had to tell me to calm down.”
McKinney qualified No. 1 with a 4.074, but deemed his effort on the tree not up to his usual standards before he and Stemper both had .007 reaction times in an outstanding final.
“I’m just fortunate enough to ride this bike. I was struggling on the tree all day and I was a little worried about that, but to get that .007 was just great,” McKinney said.
Ronnie Davis’ late-season turnaround in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman was in full force at Dragstock, as he won for the first time in the class with an impressive 4.085 at 162.98 mph.
Chip Forman had an excellent .009 reaction time, but nobody could match Davis and his weekend-long consistency. It adds another first-time winner to the list in the class that had its E.T. and speed records re-set this weekend, along with a record qualifying field.
“I normally don’t dial it in this quick, but it was a lot of fun going that quick,” Davis said. “It was a good race car and this was a very meaningful win.
“I’ve struggled here in the ADRL and it’s been disappointing. I really wanted to do good here. I had to get one of these things and I’m not going to stop now.”
It might not have been a dominant performance, but Brad Brand’s workmanlike effort in Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 gave him his second victory in 2012. Driving his RJ Race Cars Mustang, Brand went 4.069 at 195.28 mph to beat Dan Myers in the finals.
Brand went as quick as 3.984 in qualifying, but had to grind out wins against Billy Glidden and Todd Moyer to reach the finals, dialing it back even more to advance to the winner’s circle.
“This is a killer facility and this was pretty incredible,” Brand said. “We struggled all day and I was having to tune it down every run. It was just a struggle to get down the track. But all of these guys are good racers. If you beat them, you’ve done a good job.”
Mike Janis picked the perfect time to run his best time of the event, going 3.895 at 193.28 mph to beat first-time finalist Dave Roemer in the Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified final.
It was an especially satisfying win for Janis, who recovered after an early-season crash to win for the second time in his ADRL career.
“It was so consistent this weekend. It was like the car was on a string. We knew we had a good car; it was just a matter of getting some breaks. Getting a win here, it’s one of the biggest I’ve had,” Janis said.
“We were all on the same page today and I’m just proud of this.”
Bo Butner went 5.782 at 121.31 mph to beat Chris Holbrook in the SuperCar Showdown, winning for the fifth time in the class.
In Pro Junior Dragster, Robert Vogler was the winner of the 32-car Pro Junior Dragster Shootout, running a 7.91 at 81.04 mph to beat Noah Strickland. Vogler, who was also the No. 1 qualifier, won nearly $2,000 in what was the most lucrative Pro Junior Dragster race in ADRL history.
The eighth race on the 10-race 2012 ADRL Tour takes place on Sept. 7-8 with the Memphis Drags III at Memphis International Raceway.
FINAL QUALIFYING
SATURDAY FINAL SESSION
FRIDAY QUALIFYING: RAIN SHORTENS FRIDAY ADRL QUALIFYING
At another new track on the 2012 American Drag Racing League (ADRL) schedule, Pro Extreme driver Jason Scruggs turned in another impressive performance.
After winning at the ADRL’s debut at Bristol Dragway in April, the two-time world champion is off to a fine start at the ADRL’s first visit to the incredible zMAX Dragway in Charlotte for Dragstock IX.
Scruggs went 3.677 at 206.67 miles per hour on a rain-soaked Friday, jumping to the No. 1 spot in Pro Extreme during the ADRL’s most prestigious event at a track that drew rave reviews across the board.
“This is the nicest facility I’ve ever been to,” Scruggs said. “Hopefully this will turn out as well as Bristol. I’d like to go out and run well every round and hopefully still have that same outcome.
“There’s a lot of great fans out there and that’s pretty neat to see. I always like racing in this area. It’s in the heart of racing country.”
Other provisional No. 1 qualifiers include Stan Allen (Pro Nitrous), Alan Pittman (Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5), Eric McKinney (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), Richard Penland (Extreme Pro Stock), Adam Flamholc (Aeromotive Pro Modified) and Travis Harvey (Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman).
Rain wiped away the third qualifying session for a number of classes on Friday.
The third qualifying session for Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5, the SuperCar Showdown, Pro Nitrous and Pro Extreme will now start action at 10 a.m. on Saturday at zMAX Dragway, with the fourth and final qualifying session to follow.
Eliminations for Dragstock IX are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
Tommy D’Aprile trails Scruggs with a 3.706 and Frankie Taylor is currently No. 3 after his 3.713.
Scruggs struggled during the first qualifying session, but made rapid improvements before becoming the only driver on Friday to reach the 3.60s.
“I didn’t want to get behind the eight-ball and it ended up running a little better than I thought,” Scruggs said.
Stan Allen hasn’t been a No. 1 qualifier in Pro Nitrous since 2006, but he’s currently on top after two sessions with a 3.905 at 194.97 mph. Randy Weatherford (3.913) and Pat Stoken (3.914) followed closely behind.
“We slowed the car down a little bit and the car liked it. We’ve got a good hold on it and we’re lining up to do well,” Allen said.
The Bankston Boyz team has also made significant strides in recent weeks, and Allen praised the job the team has done to make those improvements.
“As far as the team, (team owner) Mike (Bankston) has this deal coming together. Everyone is meshing together and doing their jobs,” Allen said. “We’ve gone through the car front to back and things are coming together.”
For the first time in his ADRL career, Richard Penland can say he’s a provisional No. 1 qualifier, thanks to his outstanding 4.107 at 176.12 mph. Racing less than an hour from home, Penland was thrilled about his debut performance at zMAX Dragway.
“This just took everything work correctly,” Penland said. “We’ve had good power this season, but everything came together on that run. It was great.”
Doug Kirk followed with a 4.110 and both Cary Goforth and Pete Berner ran 4.111, but Penland also had to overcome some adversity after his top engine didn’t arrive until early Friday morning.
“The motor came in at 2:30 a.m. and we were panicking about even getting to race,” Penland said. “I’m pretty sure a run like that will stand up.”
McKinney overcame serious crank problems for a pair of strong passes in PXM, with his 4.119 at 174.71 mph currently holding onto the top spot after two sessions.
That run came with his backup motor, a good sign for the points leader who came to Charlotte with three wins in 2012. Ron Procopio is currently second with a 4.14.
“That’s what we were hoping to do right out of the trailer,” McKinney said.
McKinney also came away thoroughly impressed with zMAX Dragway.
“This was one of the smoothest tracks I’ve ever been down,” McKinney said. “This place is awesome. I’ve never been any place like this.”
Harvey and Ronnie Davis put on an incredible show in the final qualifying session in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, which already has its quickest qualifying field in ADRL history (4.305).
Harvey, who won Dragstock in 2011 in Summit Racing Top Sportsman, put together a marvelous pass in the third session, going 4.016 at 185.23 mph for the quickest and fastest pass in the history of the class.
“This is a great facility and a great track, and I was real happy with that. It was one of the smoothest passes I’ve made in the car this year. It was a really good run,” Harvey said.
“Running that kind of makes we want to try to back it up, but I really want to win. That’s my main focus. I’d rather have that winner’s trophy than anything else.”
Davis finished Friday as the No. 2 qualifier, but his 4.075 and 183.05 mph ended up as world E.T. and speed records in the class, as Harvey did not get a chance to back up his pass.
It was a thrilling moment for Davis, who set the speed record on his second pass and ended up with the E.T. record on his final run of the night.
“I went back to the way I normally race and I’m happy with that,” Davis said. “When I don’t go right, it’s my fault. It’s fast over here and you have to go fast to get in. There’s some hitters out here for sure.”
Flamholc was thrilled with his No. 1 qualifying spot in Aeromotive Pro Modified after running 3.891 at 193.54 mph. If it holds, it will be his first No. 1 qualifier in the ADRL.
Mike Janis jumped Rickie Smith’s 3.93 with a 3.902 at 191.76 mph in the final qualifying session, but Flamholc, who flew in from his native Sweden a day early to work on the car, made a near career-best pass moments later.
“We made close to a perfect run under these conditions. I was very happy with that,” Flamholc said. “We found a lot of small issues on the car that we were able to fix and it really paid off. I’m really glad for my crew.”
Alan Pittman was the only driver in the 3-second zone in Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 through two qualifying rounds, running a solid 3.981 at 195.65 mph as he tries to close in on his fourth win of 2012.
Chris Holbrook was the No. 1 qualifier in the SuperCar Showdown with a 5.931 at 119.03 mph.
In Pro Junior Dragster, Robert Vogler grabbed the top spot in the 32-car field with a 7.90.
THIRD SESSION
SECOND SESSION
FIRST SESSION
