2009 ROCKINGHAM SPRING BLAST NOTEBOOK

Keep up with this weekend's Spring Blast Testing in Rockingham, N.C., by reading our behind-the-scenes event notebook. We bring you the stories behind the scenes throughout the course of the weekend. Tune in daily for the latest news from the pits.

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PREVIEW NOTEBOOK - JENSEN BRINGING HIS TURBO CAMARO TO ROCKINGHAM

BACK WITH A VENGEANCE - Andy Jensen, the man who last year turned the Pro Modified world upside-down before ADRL officials banned his single turbo 1967 Chevrolet Camaro from the Pro Nitrous class, is back this year with something even more radical, something he’ll debut at this week’s Rock Batteries Spring Blast.

The Nescopeck, Pa., driver returns this week to Steve Earwood’s Rockingham Dragway, where he was runner-up in last fall’s Dragstock V event, with a turbocharged small block in the engine compartment of his early model Camaro, a revamped entry in which he hopes this year to challenge for the ADRL’s Pro Extreme title.

After Jensen lowered the Pro Nitrous national record to 3.87 at Rockingham last year, his twin turbo was legislated out of the ADRL’s nitrous class. The question this year is will the same thing occur now that Jensen has swapped categories and combinations?

“I think the turbo small block is going to be very popular with the fans,” Earwood said, “and with Andy shaking out the combination this week, we get the first hard look at what it can do. It’s pretty exciting for our Spring Blast to have been designated the official spring training for the ADRL and attracting cars like this one is the payoff.”

ENTRY LIST GROWS - Also already committed to the event, which begins with open testing on Thursday and Friday, are Michael Moran of Taylor, Mich., whose Chevy Monte Carlo has been clocked at 250.88 miles per hour, the fastest speed in Pro Modified history, former IHRA Pro Stock champions Robert Patrick of Fredericksburg, Va., and Brian Gahm of Lucasville, Ohio, Spring Nationals Pro Stock Champion Elisha Morton of Jacksonville, N.C., and Pro Mod motorcycle standouts Ronnie Procopio of Wake Forest, N.C., and Rob Hunnicutt of Youngsville, N.C.

DASHIN' FOR CASH - Highlight of the Spring Blast will be the race for the Carolina Outlaw Doorslammers title which will be determined in a four-car runoff on Sunday. The participants will be the drivers of the two quickest cars from each of two Saturday qualifying sessions in an all-run format.

That means the quickest among all the Pro Mods, Pro Stocks, 10.5 Outlaw, Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous categories. The four drivers who qualifying will compete for a $3,000 top prize with $1,000 to the runner-up and $500 to each of the two drivers eliminated in the first round.

MAJOR LEAGUE ENDORSEMENT - Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood confirmed that Kenny Nowling, president and CEO of the American Drag Racing League, has certified the Rock Batteries Spring Blast as the official spring training event for participants in the National Guard ADRL Tour.

The National Guard ADRL, which produces a 10-race national series that includes Rockingham’s wildly-popular Dragstock event in the fall, crowns season champions in five professional divisions including Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Extreme 10.5, Pro Nitrous and Pro Extreme, the quickest and fastest full bodied class in all of drag racing.

New for 2009 in the ADRL is Extreme Pro Stock which debuted as an exhibition category at the 2007 Rockingham event.

“We’ve got a great relationship with Kenny and the ADRL,” Earwood said, “so it made sense for the Rock Batteries Spring Blast to be designated as the series’ official spring training event. The track will be prepped to national event standards so we’re offering the opportunity to test under actual race conditions.

“Dragstock has become one of our major destination events,” Earwood continued. “Fans already are inquiring about this year’s race and the Spring Blast will give them a preview of what to expect when the ADRL returns on Sept. 11-12.”

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