Hernandez, Pilcher Lead, But ADRL's PX, PN Races Both Wide-Open

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (May 30, 2007) - As the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League's two "original" classes head into the halfway points of their seasons this weekend at the AMS Staff Leasing Summer Drags, the question hovering over both the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous classes is whether or not anyone can actually take control of either category.

The last seven ADRL Pro Extreme events have featured seven different winners, with only one driver - 2005 ADRL world champion John Lynam -able to reach more than one final round in that span. On the Pro Nitrous side, the last nine ADRL national events have produced eight different winners, with only defending Summer Drags champion Terry Housley able to win twice in that more than year-long span.

The AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts points standings reflect the wide-open nature of both classes, as no driver has yet been able to distance himself from his foes. In Pro Extreme, Joshua Hernandez holds down the top spot (992 points), thanks to his much-delayed, long-anticipated win in the rain-delayed 2006 ADRL World Finals (which were finally completed earlier this month at Valdosta). He leads by a little more than one full round over Houston winner Mike Bell (868) and by more than two rounds over Lynam (788).

Valdosta winner Joe Baker is fourth (663), leading a tight grouping of 10 or so drivers who are within 300 points of each other. The all-important gap between eighth place (Bobby Booth) and ninth (Dwayne Watkins) is a mere 10 points. The top eight drivers in each class at the conclusion of September's Eastern Race Fuels Dragstock IV event will qualify for the Battle for the Belts championship eliminators.

The situation is much the same in Pro Nitrous, where Valdosta winner Johnny Pilcher (981) leads Terry Housley (869) by one-plus round and Shannon Jenkins by (782) by essentially two rounds. Further down the list, the fifth- through seventh-place drivers (Keith Baker, Dennis Radford, and Charles Carpenter) are separated by a mere seven points, while the pivotal gap between eighth and ninth is a negligible 12 points.

Housley and Brian Daniels are the event's defending champions. Daniels took a sensational event win last year when he was inserted into the field as an alternate, then beat four straight higher-qualified drivers to score his first career ADRL national event title.

Following open testing throughout Friday, action in both Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous gets under way Friday evening with a single qualifying session at 8 p.m. (local time). Two more qualifying sessions on Saturday will determine the 16-car fields for Saturday evening's eliminations.

For more information, including live, round-by-round coverage of the AMS Staff Leasing Summer Drags, visit ADRL.us :: Home.

AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts points standings

PRO EXTREME
1. Josh Hernandez 992
2. Mike Bell 868
3. John Lynam 788
4. Joe Baker 663
5. T. Swearingen 574
6. Bubba Stanton 573
7. Jason Scruggs 481
8. Bobby Booth 473
9. Dwayne Watkins 463
10. Brandon Pesz 435
11. Bil Clanton 383
12. H. Sheppard 356
13. Tommy D'Aprile 338
14. Todd Tutterow 266
15. Frankie Taylor 263

PRO NITROUS
1. Johnny Pilcher 981
2. Terry Housley 869
3. Shannon Jenkins 782
4. Thomas Myers 764
5. Keith Baker 678
6. Dennis Radford 676
7. C. Carpenter 671
8. Burton Auxier 585
9. Rickie Smith 573
10. Harold Martin 565
11. Stan Allen 478
12. R. Weatherford 359
13. Billy Harper 344
14. Mike Castellana 282
15. Rod Houck 261

(through 3 of 8 events)
The top eight points-earners in each class at the completion of the ADRL Eastern Race Fuels DRAGSTOCK IV event, Sept. 14-15, qualify for the AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts championship eliminators, Oct. 12 at the AlphaTrade ADRL World Finals.

About the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League
Based in O'Fallon, Mo., the American Drag Racing League is the nation's premier sanctioning body for the sport of eighth-mile drag racing. The professional categories featured in the ADRL are Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Extreme 10.5, Pro Nitrous, and the quickest doorslammer class in all of drag racing: Pro Extreme. The 2007 Flowmaster ADRL series will consist of eight events run throughout the United States. For more information on the ADRL, visit ADRL.us :: Home. For more information on Flowmaster, visit Flowmaster, Inc..