The American Drag Racing League Gets Set to Rock Memphis
(5-16-2006) MEMPHIS, TN - The FLOWMASTER American Drag Racing League will make its debut in the Memphis area Friday and Saturday for a pivotal event that is expected to draw the largest ADRL field ever to one of the nation's premier racing facilities, Memphis Motorsports Park.
The O'Reilly Memphis Drags presented by racensur.com begins Friday with gates opening at 2 p.m. local time and professional testing from 2-8 p.m. The first round of qualifying in both the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous classes will begin at 8:30 p.m., followed by exhibition runs from both a jet funny car and wheelstander. Gates open at 9 a.m. on Saturday for a full day of racing featuring two more professional qualifying rounds (noon and 2 p.m.), followed by 16-car eliminators in both classes. A Super Pro race is also scheduled, as well as a number of runs by the jet funny car and wheelstander.
Fans at the O'Reilly Memphis Drags will also get an unexpected bonus when they become the first witnesses of the rain-delayed Fatheadz.com Gateway Drags final rounds. That event, held in April at Gateway Int'l Raceway, was nearly completed in its entirety before impending rain showers and the late hour conspired to keep the finals in both Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous from being completed. The postponed finals will be made up Friday night, immediately following round one of professional qualifying, with 2005 ADRL world champion John Lynam facing Quain Stott for the Pro Extreme title and Burton Auxier meeting Todd Tutterow for the Pro Nitrous honors. Stott and Tutterow will each have lane choice.
"The entire ADRL family could not be more excited to be bringing the best eighth-mile racing in the world to the Memphis area," said ADRL President Kenny Nowling. "We are thrilled to have O'Reilly Auto Parts on board as a marketing partner. They, along with the entire staff at Memphis Motorsports Park and the city of Memphis, have welcomed us with open arms."
The O'Reilly Memphis Drags is the fourth of seven events on the 2006 ADRL schedule, and is the fifth event in terms of the all-important 2006 Battle for the Belts points competition, which began at last year's season-ending event in Kennedale, Texas. Only the top eight points-earners in each ADRL class following September's Eastern Race Fuels DRAGSTOCK III event are guaranteed spots in the Battle for the Belts world championship eliminators.
Heading into the O'Reilly Memphis Drags, battles are brewing up and down the ADRL points standings. In Pro Extreme, Valdosta winner Mike Neal leads by the rough equivalent of one round-win over Jason Scruggs, Joshua Hernandez, Quain Stott, and John Lynam, with another pack of drivers further back also fighting for the vital seventh and eighth spots and a place in the Battle for the Belts eliminators. Despite not winning yet this season, Keith Baker leads the Pro Nitrous points standings by roughly one round over Johnny Pilcher and Terry Housley.
The ADRL, with its typical huge qualifying fields and new 16-car eliminations format, has been ultra-competitive this season. The first three events of the year - at Valdosta, Houston, and St. Louis - have featured a combined 12 different finalists in the two classes, the highest number possible.
FLOWMASTER ADRL points standings
(through 4 of 7 events; top eight qualify for ADRL world championship finals)
PRO EXTREME
1. Mike Neal 1,033
2. Jason Scruggs 944
3. Joshua Hernandez 939
4. Quain Stott 930
5. John Lynam 918
6. Bil Clanton 847
7. Joey Martin 826
8. Todd Tutterow 632
9. Thomas Patterson 612
10. Chip King 524
11. Eddie Ware 421
12. Toney Russell 314
13. Troy Critchley 310
14. Frankie Taylor 219
Bennie McDonald 219
PRO NITROUS
1. Keith Baker 1,039
2. Johnny Pilcher 942
3. Terry Housley 931
4. Burton Auxier 842
5. Harold Martin 728
6. Ken Thomas 715
7. Mike Castellana 631
8. James Hancock 524
9. Rex Kelley 432
10. Randy Weatherford 428
11. Shannon Jenkins 416
12. Todd Tutterow 414
13. Rickie Smith 409
14. Thomas Meyers 310
15. Kenny Rucker 302
Photos courtesy of Jeff Helmkamp/ ProModSource.Com
www.OutlawProMods.com
