ADRL Chevy Drags Overcome Mother Nature
Norwalk, Ohio (August 25, 2007) - Mother Nature tried her best Saturday, but the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League's inaugural ADRL Chevy Drags were eventually able to crown four champions to conclude a spectacular weekend of eighth-mile racing.
The ADRL's first trip to Summit Motorsports Park - and first trip into the northern part of the country - ended early Sunday morning with Bubba Stanton (Pro Extreme), Charles Carpenter (Pro Nitrous), David Janes (Extreme 10.5), and Eddie Gonder Jr. (Pro Extreme Motorcycle) claiming event titles in their respective classes. The event was plagued by three rain delays Saturday, beginning just before the scheduled start of eliminations, but the track was dried and prepped in good order each time.
Stanton, the 2006 ADRL world champion and the incoming Battle for the Belts points leader, made it two consecutive event wins after claiming a bizarre Pro Extreme final. Stanton's crew had to thrash just to make the call, but final-round opponent Dwayne Watkins' crew turned out to be having even more problems. After not being able to start their '57 Chevy, Watkins' crew actually attempted to push-start the vehicle, but to no avail. Stanton was able to get down the track with a 5.641 to claim the event win.
Carpenter joined Johnny Pilcher as a two-time winner this season in Pro Nitrous. He qualified No. 8, but then put everything together in eliminations, beating Stan Allen, No. 1 qualifier Doug Riesterer, and Greg Godwin to reach the final. In that race, he outran Rod Houck, 4.05 to 4.08, to add the Norwalk title to his win earlier this season in Houston.
Janes, driving the AlphaTrade.com-backed Grand Am, scored his first career ADRL event win with a clear final-round victory over Bill Jewett, 4.52 to 4.95. Janes won from the bump spot, qualifying No. 8 and then upsetting top qualifier Steve Gorman in the first round.
Gonder also won his first career ADRL title, outlasting a deep Pro Extreme Motorcycle field and eventually beating T.T. Jones in the final, 4.396 to 4.605. The ADRL's two-wheeled class put on a great show all weekend, with Billy Vose becoming the first rider to reach the 4.20s in the eighth-mile (4.293 in the quarterfinals) and Scott Valitti putting together consecutive passes of 4.383 and 4.354 to establish a new e.t. record for the class.
Next up for the ADRL is the Eastern Race Fuels Dragstock IV event, which will set the fields for the AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts world championship eliminators.
