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

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - NO SINGING THE BLUES IN RETURN TO INDY

SOLO FOR SUCCESS - The Pro Extreme (PX) class was getting progressively quicker with each passing round of eliminations at the ADRL Memphis Drags III, but in the end it was a tire-rattling solo pass that sealed the victory for two-time world champion Jason Scruggs.

“I don’t know what happened to him (Brandon Pesz),” Scruggs said upon exiting his screw-blown ’63 Corvette after arriving alone at the top end of Memphis International Raceway. “All I know is that he staged—and then I took off.”

Scruggs left with a stellar .008 reaction time, but quickly had to pedal in order to regain traction before posting a winning 3.736-seconds pass at 207.34 mph.

It was, indeed, Pesz who staged in the right lane beside Scruggs for the PX final, but his ’58 Corvette barely moved off the starting line before pitching its blower belt from the pulleys.

“It didn’t break or anything; it just came off,” team owner Todd Martin explained. “We have to take it back to the shop and figure out what that happened because it’s never done anything like that before.”

After four rounds of qualifying, 2010 class champion Frankie Taylor paced the field with a 3.643 at 209.23 mph, the first of six drivers to run in the .60s, including Scruggs in third (3.654) and Pesz in fifth place (3.660).

In round one of racing, 10 of the 16 starters ran 3.60 laps, with Taylor again the quickest of the bunch at 3.621 seconds and 210.11 mph in beating Art McMahan, while Scruggs went 3.639/208.59 in his win over Randell Reid and Pesz put fellow Texan Richard Holt on the trailer with a 3.681 pass at 206.86 mph.

Round two saw another slew of 3.60s, with only Scruggs’ teammate and current points leader Mick Snyder left out (9.345) when the shift timer on his ’63 Corvette malfunctioned while Von Smith advanced with a 3.697/206.42 combination. Remarkably, Taylor, Scruggs and Pesz all ran 3.61 seconds in wins over Bubba Stanton (3.662/208.33), Tim Tindle (3.649/210.08) and Tommy D’Aprile (3.641/207.69), respectively.

“That round was incredible,” Scruggs observed later. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a round where everybody ran that fast. You had guys losing with ETs that would be track records at most other places.”

Scruggs advanced to the final with a 3.633 run at 209.10 in the semis over the 3.744 at 199.67 by Smith, who nevertheless was encouraged by his best ADRL showing of the year after reaching the final at the season opener in March at Houston.

“We needed this; our morale was down a little after so many tough losses this year,” admitted Smith, who is a past NHRA and Arabian Drag Racing League champion. “My guys work so hard and put so much into this that I’m glad they got to go a few rounds. We all need that little shot of adrenaline sometimes, but really, this team has been a dream since 2008 when (team owner) Khalid (Al-Thani) came along.”

On the opposite side of the ladder, Pesz posted a .031 holeshot that allowed his 3.620 at 207.37 package to get around an impressive 3.600 at 211.20 by Taylor.

“We were going for a .58 and if it would’ve worked, we’d have won. But we had a .917 sixty-foot time; that’s what killed us,” Taylor lamented. “But I can’t complain too much; we’re lucky we were racing at all.

“I have to thank Todd Tutterow for lending us his blower. Tim (Tindle, Taylor’s teammate) broke his blower on the first qualifying pass, so we took the one off my car and put it on his—it was only fair—and then Todd lent us his to use on my car. Does that make sense? Anyway, if it wasn’t for Todd I wouldn’t even have been out there, so big thanks to him for helping us out.”

Scruggs, from Saltillo, MS, considers Memphis International Raceway his “home track” on the ADRL trail and had several friends and family members, including his wife, Alice, and young daughters along with him to enjoy the victory. It was his second Memphis Drags win after he also prevailed in 2009, the last time the ADRL visited before the track was temporarily closed, then reopened this year.

“But it’s the first time I’ve actually won here,” he pointed out in victory lane. “That race got rained out and we finished it up in Martin, Michigan, so this is the first time I’ve actually got to celebrate a win here.”

The win also significantly tightened the points chase for the 2012 Pro Extreme championship as Scruggs left Memphis just one round’s worth of markers behind Snyder.

“Yeah, that’s important, but I also want to say it wouldn’t even have happened if those guys (Snyder and his crew chief/father Larry Snyder) hadn’t come over this morning and helped us figure out our engine,” Scruggs stressed. “We had changed motors last night, but this morning it wouldn’t start and it didn’t even sound right turning over, but Larry, he really helped us out. We’re teammates and today that really showed, so whoever ends up winning this thing we’ll all be happy for each other.”

It was the third win this season for Scruggs and the ninth of his ADRL career, making him now the winningest driver in the class.

RAHAIM DELIVERS - After recovering from a major motor meltdown in the opening round of Pro Nitrous qualifying, Doug Riesterer began putting together impressive run after impressive run that looked destined to end in a visit to victory lane at Memphis International Raceway. A brief lapse of attention at the most crucial moment, however, resulted in a runner-up finish for him at the ADRL Memphis Drags III.

Running alongside Bob Rahaim—whom Riesterer trailed at the head of the PN points standings by just 57 heading into Memphis—the Victoria, TX, racer laid down a then-track-record 3.823-seconds pass at 193.60 mph to take over the number-one spot with his ’68 Camaro, while Grosse Point, MI’s Rahaim slotted into second with a 3.848 at 195.51-mph effort.

With only 15 entries in the class, Riesterer earned a solo pass for round one of eliminations and remained consistent with a 3.826 at just 178.76, as he had to back off at the last second to avoid crossing the center line. No matter, he improved to a new record 3.788 at 194.24 to defeat a game Johnny Pilcher in round two, then had a fortuitous 4.244 single in the semis after Burton Auxier’s car caught on fire during its burnout.

Meanwhile, Rahaim and his ’69 Camaro made it past John Hall with a 3.865 at 195.03 in round one, posted another solid 3.851 at 195.59 against a redlighting Robert Mathis in round two, and then caught a break of his own in the semis when Pat Stoken threw away a sure 3.812 win with a stunning -.245 red-light start while Rahaim suffered through a traction-challenged, 5.153-seconds pass.

That left only the final, where if he won Riesterer would pass Rahaim for the points lead (though after missing one race earlier this year, Riesterer is not eligible for a 250-point, end-of-year “perfect attendance” bonus).

The two Camaros staged, the green lights came on, and Rahaim left with a .085 light while Riesterer remained static for .242 before moving. That huge delay negated another track record 3.772 pass at 194.74 mph and allowed Rahaim to take the win and extend his points advantage with a 3.834-seconds pass at 196.30 mph.

“I was dead-a** late,” Riesterer fumed after the run, later explaining he made a mistake during his staging procedure that threw off his concentration. “I forgot to hit the transbrake and just when I was trying to get it the lights came down. It was a stupid mistake that never should’ve happened, but all we can do is move on from this and see what happens in the next two races. We’re not done yet.”

Rahaim said he was thrilled to pick up his second win of the year—and of his ADRL career—but also realized it came with a bit of good fortune.

“Sometimes it just works out,” he said. “I got lucky in the semis and again in the final, but it’s really great to get this win with my crew chief Kevin Bowen here with me. You know, Kevin had some health problems and couldn’t be with us when we won up in Michigan, so I’m just happy that he’s here with us today and made some great calls to help get us here.”

Rahaim also revealed his crew found and repaired a broken rearend housing on his car in their race-day morning inspection at Memphis that he said made the car drive much better.

“I had been feeling something weird, especially when I was backing up, it wouldn’t track straight,” he said. “So I’m glad we got that sorted out and maybe it’ll help us go faster.

“Right now, though, I couldn’t be happier. I really feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

SECOND THOUGHTS - After a season of disappointments and underperforming results, John Montecalvo was almost ready to give up on the 2012 Camaro he debuted in competition early this year. But winning the ADRL Memphis Drags III gave the 2010 Extreme Pro Stock (XPS) world champion reason to reconsider.

“I’ve got a brand-new Bickel car sitting in the trailer right now,” Montecalvo revealed after beating a redlighting Pete Berner in the XPS final Sep. 8, at Memphis International Raceway. “It’s gotten so bad my friends are giving me race cars to try out in the hope that we can turn this ship around.”

With a 4.136-seconds pass at 175.16 mph, Montecalvo started from deep in the field at 12th place after four rounds of qualifying. He improved to a 4.123 at 175.48 to edge out Dean Goforth in the opening round of eliminations, though, and followed up with an even better 4.089 at 177.37 to beat Todd Hoerner and his EFI-equipped machine. That sent “Monte,” as his friends all call him, to the semis, where he again stepped up with a 4.056 effort at 178.50 mph to oust Goforth’s son and the reigning class champion, Cary Goforth, from competition and earn lane choice for the final.

On the other side of the ladder, Berner, who qualified second behind only Cary Goforth, started with a 4.116/176.17 win over Richard Penland, followed by a 4.075 at 177.21 against John Pluchino and a 4.077 win at 176.90 against David Schorr in the semi-finals.

The final round was over, unfortunately, before it even started, as Berner left .021 early and handed the event win to Montecalvo, who coasted to a 5.541 pass at just 91.76 mph after shutting off early.

“It started carrying the wheels pretty good and drifted over toward the left wall, so I just got out of it. Then my guys were on the radio telling me we’d won and I couldn’t believe it,” the Center Moriches, NY-based driver said.

Montecalvo said he wanted to dedicate the win in honor of Bert Jackson, the XPS driver who lost his life in a qualifying accident at Rockingham Dragway exactly one year ago to the day. “Bert was a great guy and he was on our minds all day long.”

Suddenly feeling a little more connected to his RJ-built Camaro, too, Montecalvo pointed out it’s still a new piece and perhaps just needs more testing to make it work.

“We’ll see; I haven’t made my mind up yet, but it’ll be a lot easier to decide if we can win again with it,” he said.

“We needed this. Last year we went to four finals and didn’t win once and this year has been just terrible so far. The year we won the championship we won four races in a row! Maybe this is the start of a new streak; there’s still a couple of races to go, so it could happen.”

FIRST TIME IS CHARMING - A pair of unlikely combatants settled the Extreme 10.5 final Sep. 8, at Memphis International Raceway, where ADRL rookie Dennis Sugrue defeated Lamar Swindoll Jr. to take the Memphis Drags III title home to Austin, TX.

“I really don’t know what to say other than it was all about these guys,” Sugrue said in victory lane, gesturing toward crew chief Craig Pullin, chassis specialist Bill Buck and first-time helper Johnny Mueller. “They got me here, it’s all about them.”

Former class champion Billy Glidden clearly was the class of the field in Memphis, qualifying in first place with a track record 3.937-seconds at 188.15 mph in his nitrous-boosted 2010 Mustang.

Swindoll qualified his twin-turboed ’68 Camaro fourth with a 4.118 at 193.16 pass and Sugrue started sixth of just seven entries with a 4.198 at 189.31 in his twin-turbocharged ’04 Cavalier.

Swindoll, from Pasadena, TX, narrowly defeated teammate Todd Moyer with a .014 holeshot in round one, going 4.068 at 200.86 against Moyer’s 4.058 at 200.35 mph, while Sugrue opened with a 7.378 win over California’s Dan Myers, who redlighted away his chances in his supercharged ’57 Chevy.

Glidden opened with a 3.969-seconds solo pass at 187.50 mph, but his day ended with traction woes in round two against Swindoll, who ran 4.075 at 195.82. Sugrue advanced to the final with a 4.410 solo pass after points leader Alan Pittman’s screw-blown ’09 Mustang broke on the line.

In the final, Swindoll left first with a solid .027 light, but slowed to a 5.380 run at just over 95 mph, while Sugrue had a dismal .166 reaction, but made his best run of the weekend at 4.029 seconds and 192.93 mph.

“This is a great feeling. We have to remember it and internalize it,” Sugrue said. “This is the big leagues and to win something like this is amazing for us; really, really special.”

MMM = MASTERING MEMPHIS MOTORCYCLE - With five wins in eight ADRL Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM) races held so far this year, Eric McKinney is running out of superlatives to describe his team—but he’s not yet ready to stop trying.

“I mean, what can I say, they’re just awesome,” he said after defeating Paul Gast Sep. 8, in the PXM final at Memphis International Raceway. “My dad, my mom, my Uncle Steve, and of course, Ashley Owens, what more can you say about him?”

McKinney qualified on top of the 16-bike field with a 4.079-seconds pass at 173.03 mph, closely followed by a 4.087 from Casey Stemper, his closest but now distant challenger in the season-long points chase and the only other rider to record a 4.0 pass at Memphis.

In eliminations, McKinney mowed through the competition, running 4.073 at 174.01 against TT Jones in round one; 4.048 at 175.46 to beat Dave Norris in round two; and setting new track records of 4.028 and 176.05 mph against Terry Schweigert in the semis.

Gast, meanwhile, started from the third-place slot with a 4.119 at 175.89 qualifying run, then took out Derrick Holloway before earning a holeshot win over Ron Procopio. In a rare double disqualification when both riders moved before the tree was activated, both Stemper and opponent Charlie Prophit were tossed from round two, giving Gast a free pass from the semis to the final.

It was all McKinney when it counted, however, as he left first with a .023 light, then ran 4.052 at 175.57 to easily handle Gast’s off-the-pace 5.218 at 112.26 mph.

“We gave it what we had today,” said Gast, the owner of last year’s championship-winning bike with Owens aboard. “We caught a couple of breaks, but those guys (McKinney and team) are running great.”

Even after making a couple of engine changes and continuing to fight nagging crankshaft problems all weekend, McKinney insisted riding his nitrous-boosted, 1800-cc Suzuki “is a dream.”

“Ashley makes it that way,” he stated. “He sits there in the corner studying his computer then comes over, turns a few knobs and sends me out there. I’m loving it!”

Leaving the ADRL Memphis Drags III, McKinney held an almost insurmountable lead in the championship chase and said he’d like nothing better than to clinch the 2012 title in his home state when the ADRL visits Norwalk, OH, late this month.

“We’ll have a lot of friends and family up there with us and I’d love to get it wrapped up there,” he said. “It’d be a big party, for sure.”

TOP SPORTSMAN TWO-TIMER - In 13 previous events the ADRL had failed to produce one repeat Top Sportsman (TS) winner, but Marco Abruzzi broke the streak Sep. 8, with his second race title of the year at the ADRL Memphis Drags III. Abruzzi won the 2012 season opener in March at Royal Purple Raceway, near Houston.

“It’s so hard to win one of these things,” Abruzzi said after this time beating first-time finalist Rick Corn at Memphis International Raceway. “The car’s got to be perfect, the driver’s got to be perfect and there’s so many little things that can go wrong that neither one of those things can affect.”

If not perfect, Abruzzi was either fortunate or good all day long after qualifying with a 4.287 at 170.02 mph to start his Warren, OH-based ’68 Camaro from the 14th position in the second-quickest ADRL Top Sportsman field ever.

He caught a break in round one when Bob Gulitti went -.002 red off the start and Abruzzi broke out with a 4.265 pass against his 4.28 dial. Round two went almost exactly to plan, as Abruzzi ran 4.255 against a 4.25 dial in to beat Aaron Glaser and set up a semi-final match against his good friend and racing partner Glenn Butcher.

“It’s always tough when you race your friends, but especially with Glenn because we even carry our cars together when we come to these races,” Abruzzi admitted. “I mean, we’d be happy no matter who won, but you still want it to be you that keeps going and not him.”

As it turned out, Butcher broke out by one-thousandth of a second, running 4.229 after dialing in at 4.23, while Abruzzi put together a 4.257 at 171.03 package against his 4.24 dial in.   

That set up the final against number-nine qualifier Corn, who scored preliminary wins over then-points leader William Brown III (who broke on the starting line), top qualifier and winner of the previous ADRL race Ronnie Davis, and veteran Earl Folse.

After each finalist posted identical .022 lights, Abruzzi ran 4.247 at 166.09 against a 4.24 dial and Corn went 4.340 at 163.26 against a 4.33 dial, giving Abruzzi a three-thousandths of a second margin of victory.

“That was a great race; Rick did a great job,” Abruzzi said. “I’ve been struggling a bit these last two or three races and we worked on the car quite a lot before coming here, so it feels good to see some good results.”

In addition to scoring a significant race title, the win also unofficially vaulted Abruzzi back into the points lead he enjoyed for much of the season.

“We’ll try to build on that when we get to (the ADRL’s next race in) Norwalk (OH), which is our home track, so it would be great to do his again up there.”

And despite the final-round loss, Corn still went home to Benton, IL, a winner, as ADRL officials presented him with a “Best Use of Color” award for his new 2010 Dodge Avenger.

WIN A RACE, MAKE A JOURNEY - Todd Tutterow had little time to enjoy the accolades Sep. 8, after winning the Pro Modified title at the ADRL Memphis Drags III, as his twin-turbocharged ’70 Duster went straight to the trailer and his crew loaded up for a 500-mile, on-through-the-night dash to Indianapolis where they were already qualified to race in the rain-postponed U.S. Nationals.

Still, the 2009 ADRL Pro Extreme champ did say he’s gradually learning how to run turbocharged combinations after managing nitrous and supercharged engines for many years.

“Yeah, I think we’re getting a handle on it,” the Yadkinville, NC-based veteran allowed after nearly matching his top qualifying time of 3.906 seconds with a 3.909 victory at 199.02 mph against Swedish racer Adam Flamholc in the Pro Mod final at Memphis International Raceway.

With only an eight-car field, Tutterow beat Dave Roemer and Mike Janis to reach the final, while Flamholc, who also headed to Indy right after the Memphis final, handled Rick Stivers with a holeshot win and beat Pat Musi in the semis.

NOW THAT'S A FIRE - Pro Nitrous racer Burton Auxier experienced a fuel leak and fire during the Pro Nitrous semi-finals Saturday evening at the ADRL Memphis Drags III. He was uninjured but the race car suffered some cosmetic damage. (Roger Richards photo)

MAD MAN STORMS BY - Several drivers stepped up on Saturday in the Pro Extreme qualifying session, led by 2010 class champ Frankie Taylor, who made the quickest and fastest doorslammer pass ever on the Memphis eighth mile with a 3.643 run at 209.23 mph. Current points leader Mick Snyder jumped up from fifth to second (3.650), former two-time series champion Jason Scruggs held on to the third position (3.654), Tommy D’Aprile went quicker but actually dropped from second to fourth (3.658), and Friday’s qualifying leader, Brandon Pesz, did not improve and saw his then-track-record 3.660 drop down to fifth place.

BURTON DID SAY HE WAS UNIMPRESSED - Burton Auxier, the 2010 Pro Nitrous champion, held sway with a 3.890 when Friday’s qualifying ended, but after Saturday’s session he’d been knocked down to fourth, as Doug Riesterer took over the top spot with a 3.823-seconds pass at 193.60 in his ’68 Camaro. Bob Rahaim and Pat Stoken also got around Auxier to place second and third, respectively.

THREE-FEAT - Former class champion (2008) Billy Glidden sat out the second round of Extreme 10.5 qualifying in the heat of the day on Friday, but his 3.991 from the first round stood up to the end of the day as the quickest pass of seven entries. On Saturday, only Glidden and seventh-place starter Bill Devine went quicker, with Glidden’s nitrous-fed 2010 Mustang making only the second three-second run on the Memphis eighth mile with a 3.937 at 188.15 mph.

HOLDING UP - Pro Extreme Motorcycle points leader Eric McKinney held the lead through all three of Friday’s qualifying rounds and improved again on Saturday to 4.079 at 173.03 to retain the position. Casey Stemper, McKinney’s closest rival in the points chase, also improved in the final session as the only other rider to post a 4.0 pass with a 4.087 at 171.82 mph.

HEALED UP AND READY TO GO - In Extreme Pro Stock, defending class champion Cary Goforth made the big jump up from seventh to first place with a 4.079 pass at 177.67 mph in his 2010 GXP. Meanwhile, John DeFlorian, who held the number-one position with a 4.105 after Friday’s three sessions, did not improve on Saturday and was pushed all the way down to ninth place for the start of eliminations.

MR. SPEED - Todd Tutterow overtook Pat Musi for the top spot in Pro Mod with a 3.906-seconds run at a class record 204.23 mph in his twin-turboed ’70 Duster. Tutterow later backed the speed up for an official record with a 203.68-mph win in round one of racing.

THEY CALL HIM THE KING - In all but one of seven classes for the ADRL Memphis Drags III, the number-one qualifying time at Memphis International Raceway was lowered during Saturday’s fourth and final qualifying session, with the top spot exchanging hands in four categories. Only the 4.074 set by Ronnie Davis in Friday’s opening round of Top Sportsman qualifying stood up as an official top starting time.

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - UNDERWAY IN THE LAND OF GRACELAND

NO KRYPTONITE HERE - Brandon Pesz, from The Woodlands, TX, introduced new sponsor Kryptonite Kustomz to the ADRL experience in the best possible way Sep. 7, with a track record-setting performance during qualifying for the ADRL Memphis Drags III at Memphis International Raceway.

Driving a screw-blown ’58 Corvette for team owner Todd Martin, Pesz was fast straight off the trailer with a 3.689 at 207.21-mph pass that took the top spot in the opening round of qualifying and also held up as number one through the second session.

Jason Scruggs stepped up to second place with a 3.694 effort in round two, but a recurring valve-train problem forced an engine change on the former two-time class champion and Scruggs missed out on the day’s third and final qualifying opportunity.

After watching Tommy D’Aprile take over the top spot with a 6.684 in the third round, but knowing Scruggs was no longer a lead-threatening factor on Friday night, Pesz said he actually backed down a little on his tune-up before unleashing a 3.660-seconds pass at 206.99 mph to break Scruggs’ three-year-old ET record from the last time the ADRL visited the Memphis eighth mile.

“I was actually going to go for a .61 or a .62, but I knew for sure the track would hold a .66, so that’s what I went for,” Pesz said. “The track is good, very good; the Traction Twins (ADRL’s two-man track grooming crew) have done a great job here.  

“I have a bad hot rod in the heat,” said Pesz, referring to the 100-degree temperatures and high humidity that prevailed throughout the day. “It’s supposed to cool down quite a lot for tomorrow, though, and that’s going to tighten up the field. I like it better when I’ve got that little cushion.”

Following D’Aprile and Scruggs on the provisional list were Tim Tindle, winner of the most recent ADRL event a month ago at Charlotte, NC, and current points leader Mick Snyder. Clint Thompson heads into Saturday’s lone qualifying round in the 16th and final qualifying position after posting a 3.890 run at 197.68 mph.

Pesz serves as the lead tuner on both his car and Martin’s ’68 Mustang, which finished Friday in 12th place with a 3.773 at 200.71 mph.

“We’ll be stepping it up Saturday; there’s going to be bottom .60s run tomorrow for sure,” Pesz said. “I’m in a position now with my car that I can really get after it, but we have to work on getting Todd’s car a little better.

“I’m just glad we could show the people from Kryptonite a good time. After we went that .68 in round one they got so excited and said, ‘We’re here to stay now; this is too much fun to leave.’ Hopefully we’ll be able to keep them around until the final round tomorrow.”

 UNIMPRESSED - Burton Auxier was not at all satisfied with the 3.890 at 195.08 he ran in round two of qualifying despite it sending him to Saturday’s fourth and final qualifying opportunity with the lead over 15 Pro Nitrous entries at the ADRL Memphis Drags III.

“I would be a lot happier if everything would’ve worked the way it’s supposed to that last round. We had it pretty tuned up, but right when it made the one-two gear change the timer didn’t work and all the nitrous came on at once,” the 2010 class champion explained. “That just goes right through the clutch and messes it up for the whole pass. If everything had worked it would’ve been a good one—of course ‘if’ is a big word.”

Right behind Auxier was Stan Allen at 3.893, Jason Harris with a 3.899 and Robert Mathis at 3.902 seconds. Doug Riesterer filled out the top five with a 3.910 in the third session after missing the second round for repairs following a first-round meltdown of his motor.

Regardless of whom he eventually faces, Auxier is looking forward to racing.

“We know enough from what we did today that we should be able to go fast tomorrow,” said Auxier, who after reaching three final rounds in 2012 with his Reher & Morrison-powered ’68 Camaro is yet to secure his first win of the year. “This told us we’re going in the right direction, so we’re expecting some good numbers. I know it’s in the car.”

MAKING IT COUNT - Billy Glidden was impressive in his first run down the Memphis International Raceway eighth mile, going 3.991 at 186.79 mph in his nitrous-boosted 2010 Mustang to secure the top qualifying position in Extreme 10.5 (XTF) for the ADRL Memphis Drags III. The run set a new class record for the track, breaking Glidden’s own mark of 4.07 seconds from the ADRL’s last visit in 2009. 

It turned out to be Glidden’s only solid run of the day, however, after he sat out the second session and ran an off-the-pace 4.203 at 152.51 in Friday evening’s third round of qualifying.

Season points leader Alan Pittman finished Friday in second place with a 4.008 at 203.77 in his screw-blown ’09 Mustang, with Dan Myers and his ’57 Chevy third at 4.015 and 192.96 mph.

KEEPING HIS EDGE - With four wins this season, including the last two at Martin, MI, and Charlotte, NC, Eric McKinney has established a commanding points lead in Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM). The Hamersville, OH-based rider continued his dominating performance in qualifying number one for the ADRL Memphis Drags III with an off-the-trailer 4.106 at 172.06 mph aboard his 2012 Suzuki.

“We left everything exactly the same as we had it in Charlotte, but this was a better track. Then we changed motors for the third round, put a 1640 (cc) in and it only ran a .16, so we’ll be putting the big motor (1800 cc) back in for tomorrow,” McKinney said. 

Last year’s championship team owner Paul Gast ran a near-career-best 4.119 to place second after three of four qualifying sessions, with Canada’s Terry Schweigert third, second-in-points Casey Stemper fourth and Dave Vantine fifth. 

“If it cools down like they say it’s going to tomorrow I think that 4.10 run is in danger,” McKinney admitted. “This kind of weather tightens up the field, but I think we can go an .07, which I think will be hard to beat, but who knows? I actually like this, for the field to be close. I want to be the guy in front, of course, but it’s good when there’s a lot of close racing.”

WANTING MORE - The 4.131 that John DeFlorian posted in the opening round of Extreme Pro Stock (XPS) qualifying would’ve been good enough to hold the lead going into Saturday’s fourth and final opportunity, but the professional chassis builder stepped it up to a 4.105 at 176.14 in Friday’s third session.

“Conditions were a little better tonight, but not a whole lot,” said DeFlorian, who built the 2012 Camaro he drives at Jerry Haas Race Cars. “I think the big difference for us was the new clutch hat we had to install just before that last round.”  

DeFlorian explained that just as his XPS competitors were beginning to migrate toward the staging lanes his Black Diamond Racing team discovered a broken pin on one finger of their clutch. A mad thrash to remove the transmission and replace the clutch hat followed and the team barely finished in time before the first pair of third-round XPS qualifiers fired up.

“It was a big break for us that it worked right away; usually you have to run these things at least a couple of times just to get them dialed in,” DeFlorian said. “You can be sure it’ll be in there tomorrow, though.”

John Pluchino stepped up in round three to place a provisional second with a 4.135 run, while Richie Stevens Jr. ran 4.138 to secure third just before getting in a car bound for a seven-hour haul to Indianapolis in order to attempt qualifying in Pro Stock for the rain-postponed NHRA U.S. Nationals.

Prior to Friday night’s qualifying round in Memphis, Stevens said the plan called for him to rush to Indy, qualify there, then fly back to Memphis in Alan Johnson’s private plane in time for ADRL eliminations. However, he added, the ADRL effort would take precedence if any unforeseen delays cropped up along the way.

“I owe it to these guys and (team owner and sponsor) Mark Eckman to do that,” Stevens stressed. “I mean, without them and Mark’s support I wouldn’t even be in this position anyway. Plus, we’re in the middle of a championship battle here and you know I don’t want to jeopardize that. It’s just too bad that the rain last week (at Indy) messed everything up so much.”

Defending champion Cary Goforth, who led Stevens by just over two rounds in the points heading into Memphis, was qualified in seventh place. DeFlorian’s teammate, Kevin Bealko, was 14th and Aruba’s Trevor Eman was holding on to the 16th-place bump spot with a 4.175 at 175.16 going into Saturday’s lone qualifying round.

After a major storm front moved through Memphis on Friday night, weather conditions for Saturday’s qualifying were predicted to be close to those in St. Louis earlier this year when DeFlorian ran 4.01 seconds to set the official XPS elapsed time record.

“If that happens we’ll put our St. Louis set-up in the car and it could get interesting,” DeFlorian hinted. “I think a lot of guys will go a lot quicker.”

MUSI MAKES IT HAPPEN IN PRO MOD QUALIFYING - In the third of three scheduled qualifying rounds for the ADRL Memphis Drags III, Carteret, NJ’s Pat Musi improved from third to first with a 3.936-seconds effort at 192.56 mph, pushing Swedish racer Adam Flamholc and his 3.976 run back to second.

Veterans Mike Janis and Todd Tutterow ran identical 3.979s, but Janis got the third-place nod due to running just over half-a-mile-an-hour faster at 189.52 mph.

Eleven drivers made qualifying attempts at getting into the eight-car field

DAVIS TOPS IN TOP SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING - A 4.074-seconds pass at a class-leading 179.61 mph in the first round of qualifying for the ADRL Memphis Drags III put Ronnie Davis on top of the Top Sportsman qualifying list, but it also proved costly to the Suwanee, GA-based golf cart dealer who won the most recent ADRL event last month at Charlotte, NC.

“We hurt the number-two cylinder on that pass and had to spend all afternoon fixing things. You can run on one or two (nitrous) stages all day long, but when you run these things on three or four stages like I was there you’re going to tear up some parts sometimes,” Davis said. “We had it set up exactly the same as it was at Charlotte, but we’ll be on two systems instead of four tomorrow, so we won’t be going near as fast.”

Keith Raftery went nearly as quick as Davis when he stepped up to second on the list with a 4.087 in Friday’s last chance, while Bob Gulitti’s 4.167 from the opening session placed him third. Jim Sakuvich held onto the 16th-place spot ahead of five non-qualifiers with a 4.349 at 164.81 that already made the Memphis Top Sportsman field the second-quickest in history with one qualifying round to go.

“I was surprised that 4.07 held up (as number one) all day,” Davis admitted. “If I went that fast right off the bat I just figured someone else would go quicker, especially at night. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

MAKING IT COUNT - Billy Glidden was impressive in his first run down the Memphis International Raceway eighth mile, going 3.991 at 186.79 mph in his nitrous-boosted 2010 Mustang to secure the top qualifying position in Extreme 10.5 (XTF) for the ADRL Memphis Drags III. The run set a new class record for the track, breaking Glidden’s own mark of 4.07 seconds from the ADRL’s last visit in 2009. 

It turned out to be Glidden’s only solid run of the day, however, after he sat out the second session and ran an off-the-pace 4.203 at 152.51 in Friday evening’s third round of qualifying.

Season points leader Alan Pittman finished Friday in second place with a 4.008 at 203.77 in his screw-blown ’09 Mustang, with Dan Myers and his ’57 Chevy third at 4.015 and 192.96 mph.

KEEPING HIS EDGE - With four wins this season, including the last two at Martin, MI, and Charlotte, NC, Eric McKinney has established a commanding points lead in Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM). The Hamersville, OH-based rider continued his dominating performance in qualifying number one for the ADRL Memphis Drags III with an off-the-trailer 4.106 at 172.06 mph aboard his 2012 Suzuki.

“We left everything exactly the same as we had it in Charlotte, but this was a better track. Then we changed motors for the third round, put a 1640 (cc) in and it only ran a .16, so we’ll be putting the big motor (1800 cc) back in for tomorrow,” McKinney said. 

Last year’s championship team owner Paul Gast ran a near-career-best 4.119 to place second after three of four qualifying sessions, with Canada’s Terry Schweigert third, second-in-points Casey Stemper fourth and Dave Vantine fifth. 

“If it cools down like they say it’s going to tomorrow I think that 4.10 run is in danger,” McKinney admitted. “This kind of weather tightens up the field, but I think we can go an .07, which I think will be hard to beat, but who knows? I actually like this, for the field to be close. I want to be the guy in front, of course, but it’s good when there’s a lot of close racing.”

WANTING MORE - The 4.131 that John DeFlorian posted in the opening round of Extreme Pro Stock (XPS) qualifying would’ve been good enough to hold the lead going into Saturday’s fourth and final opportunity, but the professional chassis builder stepped it up to a 4.105 at 176.14 in Friday’s third session.

“Conditions were a little better tonight, but not a whole lot,” said DeFlorian, who built the 2012 Camaro he drives at Jerry Haas Race Cars. “I think the big difference for us was the new clutch hat we had to install just before that last round.”  

DeFlorian explained that just as his XPS competitors were beginning to migrate toward the staging lanes his Black Diamond Racing team discovered a broken pin on one finger of their clutch. A mad thrash to remove the transmission and replace the clutch hat followed and the team barely finished in time before the first pair of third-round XPS qualifiers fired up.

“It was a big break for us that it worked right away; usually you have to run these things at least a couple of times just to get them dialed in,” DeFlorian said. “You can be sure it’ll be in there tomorrow, though.”

John Pluchino stepped up in round three to place a provisional second with a 4.135 run, while Richie Stevens Jr. ran 4.138 to secure third just before getting in a car bound for a seven-hour haul to Indianapolis in order to attempt qualifying in Pro Stock for the rain-postponed NHRA U.S. Nationals.

Prior to Friday night’s qualifying round in Memphis, Stevens said the plan called for him to rush to Indy, qualify there, then fly back to Memphis in Alan Johnson’s private plane in time for ADRL eliminations. However, he added, the ADRL effort would take precedence if any unforeseen delays cropped up along the way.

“I owe it to these guys and (team owner and sponsor) Mark Eckman to do that,” Stevens stressed. “I mean, without them and Mark’s support I wouldn’t even be in this position anyway. Plus, we’re in the middle of a championship battle here and you know I don’t want to jeopardize that. It’s just too bad that the rain last week (at Indy) messed everything up so much.”

Defending champion Cary Goforth, who led Stevens by just over two rounds in the points heading into Memphis, was qualified in seventh place. DeFlorian’s teammate, Kevin Bealko, was 14th and Aruba’s Trevor Eman was holding on to the 16th-place bump spot with a 4.175 at 175.16 going into Saturday’s lone qualifying round.

After a major storm front moved through Memphis on Friday night, weather conditions for Saturday’s qualifying were predicted to be close to those in St. Louis earlier this year when DeFlorian ran 4.01 seconds to set the official XPS elapsed time record.

“If that happens we’ll put our St. Louis set-up in the car and it could get interesting,” DeFlorian hinted. “I think a lot of guys will go a lot quicker.”

MUSI MAKES IT HAPPEN IN PRO MOD QUALIFYING - In the third of three scheduled qualifying rounds for the ADRL Memphis Drags III, Carteret, NJ’s Pat Musi improved from third to first with a 3.936-seconds effort at 192.56 mph, pushing Swedish racer Adam Flamholc and his 3.976 run back to second

DAVIS TOPS IN TOP SPORTSMAN QUALIFYING - A 4.074-seconds pass at a class-leading 179.61 mph in the first round of qualifying for the ADRL Memphis Drags III put Ronnie Davis on top of the Top Sportsman qualifying list, but it also proved costly to the Suwanee, GA-based golf cart dealer who won the most recent ADRL event last month at Charlotte, NC.

“We hurt the number-two cylinder on that pass and had to spend all afternoon fixing things. You can run on one or two (nitrous) stages all day long, but when you run these things on three or four stages like I was there you’re going to tear up some parts sometimes,” Davis said. “We had it set up exactly the same as it was at Charlotte, but we’ll be on two systems instead of four tomorrow, so we won’t be going near as fast.”

Keith Raftery went nearly as quick as Davis when he stepped up to second on the list with a 4.087 in Friday’s last chance, while Bob Gulitti’s 4.167 from the opening session placed him third. Jim Sakuvich held onto the 16th-place spot ahead of five non-qualifiers with a 4.349 at 164.81 that already made the Memphis Top Sportsman field the second-quickest in history with one qualifying round to go.

“I was surprised that 4.07 held up (as number one) all day,” Davis admitted. “If I went that fast right off the bat I just figured someone else would go quicker, especially at night. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

HAVE A QUESTION? ASK FACEBOOK - Mike Janis asked and his friends answered.

Debating on whether to stay in Indianapolis this weekend for the U.S. Nationals or journey to Memphis and run Pro Modified at the ADRL’s Memphis Drags III, Janis posed the question to his 5,000 Facebook friends.

His statement was simple: “What a decision at hand! A re-run of NHRA Indy next Saturday and Sunday and ADRL Memphis is the same weekend! … We have over 5000 friends on here, surely somebody can help!”

Well, they certainly did help, with an impressive 118 comments. Janis wasn’t sure what to expect, but the vast majority urged him to race in Memphis.

That’s where he's going and will now still have an outside shot at a championship in ADRL Pro Modified.

“That was pretty neat to see. There were a lot of fans on there and almost all of them wanted us to go to the ADRL (in Memphis),” Janis said. “To see that support makes you want to keep going.

“Facebook has done a lot for us, even business-wise. It really allows you to interact with a lot of people. It’s just amazing how many people follow it and interact with us.”

Of course, there was a little more to the choice for Janis, who had a world of trouble during the only Pro Mod qualifying session before rain wiped out the rest of the weekend in Indianapolis.

But, it wouldn’t have mattered had the rain stopped because Janis broke a motor on his very first pass.

Had he qualified on that pass, Janis would likely be racing this weekend at Lucas Oil Raceway.

But nothing is concrete in drag racing and now Janis is in Memphis with a new motor and a chance to make a serious move in the ADRL points standings.

Janis, who is currently fifth in points, also has plenty of ADRL momentum after running as quick as 3.89 en route to a victory at the most recent ADRL event, Dragstock IX last month in Charlotte.

“We still have a chance to move up in the points and the 1/8-mile is a little more favorable to us,” Janis said. “It was kind of a no-brainer for us.

“It’s going to be a real longshot for us to win a championship, but we can move up quite a bit in points.”

The unbelievable turn of events has an extra chapter, too.

After breaking the engine on Friday, Janis and his team started the journey home. But while Janis was sleeping, his son, Mike Janis Jr., was contacting CN Blocks out of Fort Worth to get a new engine built.

“I’m sound asleep in the back when this was going on. They were working on the block on Sunday or this wouldn’t have happened,” Janis said.

What is normally a two-week deal turned into a 3-day deal and the Pro Extreme team of Brandon Pesz added a major assist by hauling the engine to Memphis.

Janis and his team spent Thursday putting the engine together and now he is looking forward to a weekend in Memphis.

After all, he has a lot of Facebook friends to make happy.

COUNTING POINTS - Jeff Naiser isn’t quite sure who will show up in the Pro Modified class at the ADRL’s Memphis Drags and who will stay in Indianapolis at the U.S. Drags.

But, driving a car which has struggled in recent races, while in the midst of an ADRL championship chase, Naiser isn’t paying attention to anyone else.

“Who knows who is going to show up? As a team, we just have to stay focused on our deal and show up and make a good showing. It’s not about who is showing up and who isn’t, we have to do a good job ourselves and focus on what we’re doing,” Naiser explained.

“There’s nine total rounds of racing left this season. It’s down to nine rounds and who’s going to get the most rounds wins from here on out. That’s how I’m looking at it. You can forget everything else and just look at it as a three-race deal. We have to concentrate on our deal. It’s no big deal who shows up. We can’t worry about that. We have to qualify and go some rounds.”

As this weekend’s Memphis Drags at Memphis International Raceway kicks off a busy six-week stretch, it is most definitely the stretch run in the ADRL.

It’s also one of the most meaningful stretches in Naiser’s career, which is saying something after a successful career which spans a number of platforms, including the NHRA’s Pro Stock Truck class.

Naiser is within grasp of ADRL Pro Modified points leader Mike Castellana, who enters the weekend with a 274-point lead. But Castellana is also chasing a championship in the NHRA Pro Modified class and could stay in Indianapolis this weekend to complete the U.S. Nationals.

Staying on Indy would give Naiser a golden opportunity to take the points lead; however, there’s at least one more layer to consider in his decision.

Naiser has raced at every ADRL event and plans to make the final three, which would give him 250 bonus participation points, a new ADRL regulation instituted in 2012 to award drivers who make all 10 events.

Castellana has already missed one race, meaning the race for first in ADRL Pro Modified is suddenly much tighter.

While Naiser is only worried about himself, he’s ready to do everything possible over the final three races.

“We’re trying to do as much as we can because this would be the biggest accomplishment in my racing career to win a championship,” Naiser stated.

“It’s exciting because we have a chance to win a championship. We struggled at the start of the season and Mike won three races in a row, and that was tough. We were getting far behind, but then we won a race that he skipped, and we’re right back in it.”

Naiser is more than in it. He could likely be viewed as the favorite, especially when another ADRL race – the Ohio Drags on Sept. 28-29 in Norwalk is the same weekend as the St. Louis NHRA Pro Mod event.

Still, to get the championship, Naiser will have to overcome some recent adversities.

Since running a season-best 3.86 in the finals to win in St. Louis in June, Naiser has struggled mightily, causing him to run a gamut of emotions over the last few months.

“In St. Louis, we had a new manifold and new nitrous. It ran so well, we were like, ‘Man, this is killer.’ Then we go to the next race, turn it down a little bit for the first run and hurt a piston. Ever since then, we’ve been struggling and trying to find what’s going on. We just can’t put our finger on it. That’s part of racing,” Naiser admitted.

“We have to get to Memphis and be ready. You have to qualify for one thing and you’ve got to make it down the track. We’re really pushing these things hard.”

Naiser was frustrated after Dragstock IX last month when he lost to eventual winner Mike Janis in the semifinals. He regrets not changing a hurt engine before the run, a mistake he won’t make this weekend in Memphis.

After all, a championship is at stake.

“We’re just going to do the best we can. We’ve got the right stuff and we’ve just got to put it all together and make the right calls,” Naiser said, the urge to win the title clearly in his voice.

ADRL AT MEMPHIS UNDER WAY— In the ADRL’s first appearance at Memphis International Raceway since 2009, Top Sportsman drivers Jim Sakuvich (near lane) and Don Klooster were the first pair to hit the track in qualifying for the ADRL Memphis Drags III. Sackuvich, from Raymore, MO, ran 4.417 at 162.76 mph in his ’68 Camaro to take the 16th and final position after one session, while Kalamazoo, MI’s Klooster slotted his ’63 Corvette into fourth with a 4.249 at 170.43 mph. Leading the way over 21 entries was Ronnie Davis with a 4.074 at 179.61 in his Suwanee, GA-based ’63 Vette, followed by Bob Gulitti and Keith Raftery.

‘OLD SCHOOL’ APPEARANCE—Multi-time ADRL Extreme Pro Stock winner Brian Gahm brought a brand-new Jerry Haas-built 2012 Mustang to the Memphis Drags III with perhaps its most noticeable feature being the retro graphics adorning its carbon-fiber bodywork.

“This is an exact copy of the paint on my Pro Mod Camaro from 1994,” said Gahm, who more recently became known for having elaborate and highly detailed murals painted on his race cars. “I just wanted to keep things more simple this time. I told my dad that and he went straight to a filing cabinet at the shop and pulled out an old IHRA Drag Review magazine from back then that had our car on the cover; he knew exactly where it was.

“So I sent that cover to Larry Williams to design it for the Mustang and then Dave Roemer at R&R Auto Body in Cleveland painted it. I think it came out great, it looks perfect on the car,” Gahm said.

After picking up the car from Haas in Fenton, MO, on Wednesday, Gahm made a quick side trip to Gateway Motorsports Park, near St. Louis, where he performed just a couple of burnouts “just to make sure everything worked,” before continuing on for the car’s competition debut this weekend at Memphis International Raceway.

In its first qualifying pass, Gahm ran the new Mustang to an early shutoff 5.791 at just 83.79 mph to place 18th of 20 entries after the first of four scheduled qualifying rounds.

CROSSED UP—Lee Adkins Jr. got a little out of shape during the burnout for his first qualifying attempt in Tom Smith’s brand-new, Garret-built ’68 Camaro. In the car’s first time on a race track it recorded a 4.584 pass at exactly 154 mph that left Adkins 18th of 21 entries in the opening round of qualifying.

WHEELY EXPENSIVE— While checking out Brian Gahm’s new Extreme Pro Stock Mustang, we noticed these trick, new Weld wheels supporting the Hoosiers out back. Made from a solid block of billet aluminum the wheels truly represent one-piece construction. When asked, Gahm declined to say exactly how much they cost. “Really expensive,” he said. “But everything’s really expensive on these things,” he added.

HITCHIN’ A RIDE—Did Pro Extreme Motorcycle racer Dave Vantine (right) purchase Paul Gast’s Suzuki at the ADRL Memphius Drags III? That is Gast’s bike strapped into Vantine’s trailer at Memphis International Raceway, and that is Vantine and crewman Bob “U.B.” Smith sporting big smiles beside it, but the bike actually made the trip in there from Gast’s shop at Grand Island, NY, at Gast’s request.

“Paul had some engine trouble with his tow vehicle, so he called me about a week ago and asked if we could bring his bike down here for him,” Vantine explained. “We’re always happy to help out a fellow competitor.

“I just hope Paul remembers the favor if we have to line up against him (in eliminations) on Saturday!”