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SATURDAY - D'APRILE HEADLINES X-DRL WINNERS ON THE BAYOU

Tommy D’Aprile now has his first X-treme Drag Racing League (X-DRL) win.

The Pro X-treme standout put together one impressive performance after another during Saturday’s Bash On The Bayou at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, La., finishing off his memorable day and the X-DRL’s third-ever event with a 3.673 at 207.34 mph in the finals against Quain Stott.

“I’m so grateful to have won this race and I’m so blessed to be here,” D’Aprile said. “To win for these guys, it’s just awesome and just to race someone like Quain in the finals, it’s great.”

Other Bash On The Bayou winners included Robert Mathis (Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous), Dean Goforth (X-treme Pro Stock), T.J. Tindle (X-treme Pro Mod), Todd Moyer (Precision Turbo & Engine Pro Turbo), Keith Raftery (Top Dragster), Bert Prejean (Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman) and P.B. Candies (Supercar Showdown).

Eliminations began with an adventure for D’Aprile, as he had to peddle several times en route to a 4.391 and a narrow win against Shawn Jones. From there, the Mel Bush Motorsports driver never left the 3.60s, going 3.685 to advance to the finals.

Stott went 3.743 in the semifinals and used a massive holeshot to beat Frankie Taylor and his 3.64, but D’Aprile left first in the final and won for the fourth time since October.

“For me, we all work together and enjoy each other and that’s what makes it all work. We are hard to beat because we’re preparing to win,” said D’Aprile, who dedicated the win to Elizabeth Landry, who recently passed away after battling cancer.

“We wanted to be a part of the (X-treme Shootout) and we’re happy to be in that as well. It was just a great weekend.”

Robert Mathis claimed his first-ever victory in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, running 3.868 at 194.18 mph in the finals to beat Jeff Naiser. It was a welcome moment for Mathis, who has made impressive strides over the past two years in the class.

“It’s about time,” Mathis said. “It hasn’t quite hit me, to be honest.”

Mathis and his Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro qualified No. 4 with a 3.877 and then knocked off Billy Glidden and No. 1 qualifier Jim Laurita.

Neither of those runs were standout passes, but Mathis put it together in the finals with his best pass of the weekend, claiming a major win and taking a huge step in his Pro Nitrous career.

“Everybody’s working hard and everybody is working together,” Mathis said. “Jeff is a good racer and hard to beat. He got a little sideways, but my last (nitrous) system came on and it just started pulling. I had made it this far, I might as well end it like I’m supposed to.”

Dean Goforth finished off his incredible turnaround following his crash at Bristol three weeks ago with a weekend-best 4.121 at 174.57 mph in his brand new 2013 Jerry Haas Race Cars Camaro, knocking off first-time finalist Rick Cowger.

Goforth debuted the new car this weekend in Belle Rose after the crash in Bristol, and even he was blown away with the incredible results in its first race.

“It’s just a good crew with sharp guys working with us,” Goforth said. “This is the best car I’ve ever been in and there’s no comparison. The Haas bunch just did an excellent job.”

Goforth qualified No. 6 with a 4.23 and then knocked off Todd Hoerner and crew chief Brian Self to reach the finals. Cowger immediately had trouble in the finals, but Goforth had an adventurous run, nearly crossing the center line before taking the victory, his fourth in XPS.

“Rick was having a great day, but when you’re 68 years old, all the guys are tough,” Goforth said. “I was nervous about all of them, but the car felt good.

“It was close to the center line and I was scared to death I crossed it. But it was an awesome run.”

T.J. Tindle claimed his first professional win in just his fifth official race, running 3.992 at 186.54 to beat Kevin Rivenbark, who ran a quicker 3.964.

But the 18-year-old Tindle was quicker off the line thanks to a .071 reaction time, concluding his memorable weekend.

“This is pretty exciting. It’s a big moment,” Tindle said. “I was skating out there a little bit, but he was too close so I didn’t want to lift. It was an exciting moment crossing that finish line.”

Bert Prejean might not have raced at all over the past year, but that wasn’t noticeable this weekend, as he finished off his day with a 4.328 at 142.29 mph in the finals against a red-lighting Earl Folse.

Driving a ’68 Camaro from Jerry Haas Race Cars, Prejean qualified No. 4 with a 4.30 and posted a number of strong reaction times en route to the win at his home track.

“I haven’t raced in a year, but Jerry Haas builds a fine race car and it was flawless this weekend,” Prejean said. “We came back with a vengeance and it couldn’t have went any better.

“I was worried I would be a little rusty. It’s pretty much like riding a bike, I guess.”

Keith Raftery got a solo run in the Top Dragster finals after Laramie Reid crashed during his winning semifinal run. Raftery, who also advanced to the semifinals in Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman, coasted down the left lane for the victory, claiming his first X-DRL victory.

Reid braked hard at the finish line during the semifinals, crashing into the right wall, tipping on his side and touching the left wall. He was uninjured, but Raftery claimed the victory a round later.

“It was so fast-paced racing in two different classes, but we were excited to be here. I’ve always had good luck at No Problem Raceway,” Raftery said.

The Supercar Showdown final came down to brothers P.B. and Brett Candies, with P.B. taking the victory by running a 5.753 at 120.53 mph in his 2013 Mustang Cobra Jet.

P.B. ran in the 5.70s all weekend, wrapping up his ideal weekend at his home track in style.

“This is wonderful. We had a great time. To be at your home track and run against your brother in the final, it’s a great experience to have,” Candies said. “The car was flawless all weekend. These Cobra Jets are just great.”

Todd Moyer won the final in Precision Turbo & Engine Pro Turbo, running 3.892 at 202.91 mph to beat teammate Mike Murillo.

In Pro Junior Dragster, Morgan Torres ran 7.94 at 81 mph to beat Darian Boesch in the finals.

The next and fourth race during the X-DRL’s nine-race 2013 season is the X-treme Gateway Showdown, which takes place June 14-15 at Gateway Motorsports Park in St. Louis.

The following are Saturday's final results from the 2013 X-Treme Drag Racing League Bash on the Bayou:

Pro Junior Dragster -- Morgan Torres, Halfscale, 7.940, 81.12 def. Darian Boesch, Half Scale, 7.960, 80.91.

FRIDAY - TAYLOR LEADS THE DOORSLAMMERS INTO SATURDAY

Frankie Taylor once again found himself at the top of Pro X-treme qualifying in the X-treme Drag Racing League (X-DRL), this time in its debut at No Problem Raceway for the Bash On The Bayou.

Hot conditions didn’t bother Taylor during Friday’s qualifying, as the Pro X-treme standout went 3.70 at 206.45 mph, putting him at No. 1 through three qualifying sessions in Belle Rose, La.

“That would be real cool to be No. 1 again,” Taylor said. “We were pretty happy with that pass, especially doing that in some pretty hot conditions. Just getting down the track with a good run like that is what matters.”

Other No. 1 qualifiers after Friday’s three sessions included Jim Laurita (Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous), John DeFlorian (X-treme Pro Stock), Bob Gulitti (Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman), Michael Kile (Top Dragster), Jeffrey Cummins Jr. (X-treme Pro Modified), Todd Moyer (Precision Turbo & Engine Pro Turbo) and Joseph Teuton (Supercar Showdown).

The final qualifying session for the Bash On The Bayou takes place at 12 p.m. local time with eliminations to follow.

Just like in Bristol, Tommy D’Aprile is right behind Taylor with a 3.713 at 200.74, while Taylor’s teammate, Tim Tindle, is third with a 3.718 at 206.20 mph in his new Mustang. Dan Millen’s new 2013 Mustang from Jerry Bickel Race Cars topped out with a 3.726.

A broken blower belt kept Taylor from making a third pass on Friday, but he has big expectations for eliminations.

“My brother (Paul) did a great job making adjustments,” Taylor said. “The first pass went good and that allowed us to step on it. This track definitely has a 3.65 in it or quicker.”

Jim Laurita appears on track for his second straight No. 1 qualifier in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, running an impressive 3.813 at 196.53 mph. The run came in the third qualifying session under the lights and was a strong improvement on Laurita’s first two runs of the day.

“It was pulling good and I knew it was on a good run. We got a good handle on the car throughout the day and it worked out really well,” Laurita said. “We wanted to turn it up for that last run and the car really responded.”

Jeff Naiser started the string of runs in the 3.80s in the night session, running a 3.86 to sit in second. Pat Stoken also ran in the 3.80s, running a 3.87 right after Naiser, but Laurita followed that with another strong pass in his Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro that features a Switzer Dynamics EFI set-up.

“Things are really coming together. I had never run a clutch car before Bristol and it was a little bit of a challenge, but it’s worked out really well,” Laurita said.

“I got comfortable really fast and I’m really tickled with how it’s worked out. I’m really looking forward to eliminations.”

John DeFlorian’s struggles on Friday were wiped away with one tremendous pass in X-treme Pro Stock, as he jumped to the No. 1 spot with a 4.096 at 177.39 mph.

It was his first full pass after a day filled with problems and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Black Diamond Motorsports XPS points leader.

“It was a soft set-up, but when the car left, I knew it was on a pretty good run,” DeFlorian said. “I was ecstatic because I knew a 4.09 was a great run in these conditions. It was a pretty frustrating day.

“The first run we blew the tires and when I hit the starter button on the second run, the battery went dead. That really put us behind the 8-ball, so it was good that we were able to come back from that.”

In Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman, Bob Gulitti overcame nearly crashing into the wall on his first qualifying pass to become the No. 1 qualifier in the class with a 4.137 at 175.18 mph.

Gulitti got sideways at the finish line of his first run, let the parachutes out and darted back the opposite way, but somehow saved it from crashing into the wall.

Despite that, he ran a 4.24 for the top spot during that session, though Earl Folse took it over by running a 4.20 in the second round.

Folse finished third with a 4.209, and Keith Raftery posted a solid 4.17 in the final session, but Gulitti stepped it up even more, putting him in line for the $1,500 prize for the No. 1 qualifier in the class.

Local sponsor Garrison Construction is offering an additional $1,000 top qualifier bonus on top of the $500 bonus Tim McAmis Performance Parts offers to the No. 1 qualifier in Mickey Thompson Top Sportsman at each race.

"It was going to the center line and I just tried to hang with it,” Gulitti said of his first run. “Right before the finish line, I let out the chute and it was a good thing I did because once the chute hit, it straightened me up. That really made the difference because I had the wheel cranked.

“It rattled me for a second, but we made an adjustment going into that third pass. Jeff Pierce made a great call, we got it adjusted and the car straightened out. We saw turned on that third stage and it worked out really well. The car went right down the track for me. I wanted that No. 1 qualifier spot and we went after it, so that was pretty exciting.”

Michael Kile was one of two Top Dragsters to reach the 3-second mark in a huge field, and he ended up as the No. 1 qualifier with a 3.947 at 183.57 mph.

A total of 28 cars made up the field, and Coby Jones was the first to get in the 3-second zone, running 3.963 at 182.13 mph.

Kile, though, responded moments later with an incredible pass, putting together the quickest time and speed of the day. X-DRL sponsor Vicari Auctions added an additional $1,000 to the Top Dragster purse for the Bash On The Bayou, adding even more incentive for Kile and the other 27 cars in the field.

Jeffrey Cummins Jr. took the top spot in X-treme Pro Mod, running 4.052 at 187.47 mph. Kevin Rivenbark ran a 4.057 at 182.23 mph.

Todd Moyer finished as the No. 1 qualifier in Precision Turbo & Engine Pro Turbo, running 3.889 at 202.36 mph.

Joseph Teuton put on a show for the fans in the Supercar Showdown class and finished as the No. 1 qualifier in the process, running 5.732 at 118.28 mph in his 2011 Dodge Challenger.

Teuton displayed two impressive wheelstands during the day, adding a bit of flair to his strong runs in the Challenger.

In Pro Junior Dragster, Tia Tutterow is currently No. 1 with a 7.901.

SECOND SESSION

FIRST SESSION