[coverattach=1]O’FALLON, MO (July 15, 2009) — With five events in the record books, the National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) has passed the halfway point of its 2009 season leading up to the championship-deciding Speedtech Battle for the Belts this October at Ennis, Texas.
The Speedtech Battle for the Belts pits the top eight points earners in each of the National Guard ADRL’s five professional classes against each other in a winner-take-all, end-of-season playoff. The Battles are held on the Friday night preceding each year’s National Guard ADRL World Finals at the Texas Motorplex, near Dallas. National Guard ADRL teams actually begin accumulating points toward the next year’s Speedtech Battle for the Belts during Saturday’s World Finals eliminations.
Reigning National Guard Speedtech Battle for the Belts World Champions include Jason Scruggs for the second-straight year in Pro Extreme (PX); Billy Harper, absent from the Pro Nitrous (PN) chase this year; Billy Glidden in Flowmaster Extreme 10.5 (XTF); and two-time winner Billy Vose in Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM). New this year to the National Guard ADRL is the naturally aspirated Extreme Pro Stock (XPS) class.
Scruggs currently enjoys a comfortable lead over the Pro Extreme crowd after debuting a new car for the second-straight season, resetting his own performance records with it (3.66 seconds at 207.43 mph), going to four straight final rounds and winning the rain-delayed Memphis event, his first race win in the ADRL’s National Guard era. Engine trouble at the most recent two events ended his final-round streak, but expect the man from Saltillo, Mississippi, to remain strong in his pursuit of an unprecedented third-straight world championship.
Close behind the head of the class are Quain Stott, National Guard driver Joshua Hernandez and Todd Tutterow, each with one win, as is veteran racer but ADRL rookie Mike Janis, the most recent event winner on the ’09 tour. Barring exceptionally bad luck, at least the top three frontrunners (and probably more) can be expected to be around for the Speedtech Battle for the Belts, though none have so far clinched a top-eight finish.
The current remainder of the second half of PX Belts contenders are Georgia winner Jason Hamstra, Brian Daniels and Cody Barklage. Well within striking distance, however, are strong runners like 2006 class champion Bubba Stanton, Travis Swearingen in the second National Guard entry and Wes Johnston, runner-up to Scruggs in last year’s Belts final.
Like Scruggs, Jim Halsey went to each of the first four finals counting toward 2009 Speedtech Battle for the Belts qualifying, winning twice and placing him firmly atop the Pro Nitrous points standings. He, too, exited early from the most recent pair of events, but should rebound with a strong effort in his drive for dominance at Dallas.
He’ll have to contend with the likes of second-place man Shannon Jenkins, though, suddenly the hottest driver on the circuit, scoring the rain-postponed Ford Drive One Summer Drags V title and the Hardee’s Independence Drags III win over the course of two days earlier this month at Heartland Park Topeka (KS).
Despite suffering a DNQ and still winless so far in ’09, Johnny Pilcher holds the number-three position based on consistently going deep in eliminations at nearly every event, while Stan Allen in fourth and Mike Castellana in fifth each have one race victory this year. Pro Nitrous rookie and current Pro Nitrous elapsed time record holder Khalid Al-Balooshi is sixth and may be the series most-improved driver to this point, while veteran Steve Vick has been solid all year after debuting a new car at the season opener to hold the seventh spot.
Rounding out the top eight is Pat Stoken, also in a new car for ’09, who has climbed from near-obscurity to contention in just the last couple of races. He’ll be pressed the rest of the way, however, by the likes of Tim Savell, Burton Auxier and Ed Burnley, who has quietly mounted a campaign that has seen him qualify for every race held so far in 2009. Even Charles Carpenter, who missed three events after crashing at Houston in the season opener, still has a legitimate shot at the elite eight as he’s less than six rounds out of a Speedtech Battle for the Belts qualifying spot.
With only four National Guard ADRL events left in which to gather points toward earning a coveted top-eight finish, the 2009 Speedtech Battle for the Belts is quickly tightening up, giving some teams a measure of confidence, some a sense of urgency, and still others perhaps hoping for a miracle.
Still to come: Extreme 10.5, Pro Extreme Motorcycle and Extreme Pro Stock halfway summaries.
The Speedtech Battle for the Belts pits the top eight points earners in each of the National Guard ADRL’s five professional classes against each other in a winner-take-all, end-of-season playoff. The Battles are held on the Friday night preceding each year’s National Guard ADRL World Finals at the Texas Motorplex, near Dallas. National Guard ADRL teams actually begin accumulating points toward the next year’s Speedtech Battle for the Belts during Saturday’s World Finals eliminations.
Reigning National Guard Speedtech Battle for the Belts World Champions include Jason Scruggs for the second-straight year in Pro Extreme (PX); Billy Harper, absent from the Pro Nitrous (PN) chase this year; Billy Glidden in Flowmaster Extreme 10.5 (XTF); and two-time winner Billy Vose in Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM). New this year to the National Guard ADRL is the naturally aspirated Extreme Pro Stock (XPS) class.
Scruggs currently enjoys a comfortable lead over the Pro Extreme crowd after debuting a new car for the second-straight season, resetting his own performance records with it (3.66 seconds at 207.43 mph), going to four straight final rounds and winning the rain-delayed Memphis event, his first race win in the ADRL’s National Guard era. Engine trouble at the most recent two events ended his final-round streak, but expect the man from Saltillo, Mississippi, to remain strong in his pursuit of an unprecedented third-straight world championship.
Close behind the head of the class are Quain Stott, National Guard driver Joshua Hernandez and Todd Tutterow, each with one win, as is veteran racer but ADRL rookie Mike Janis, the most recent event winner on the ’09 tour. Barring exceptionally bad luck, at least the top three frontrunners (and probably more) can be expected to be around for the Speedtech Battle for the Belts, though none have so far clinched a top-eight finish.
The current remainder of the second half of PX Belts contenders are Georgia winner Jason Hamstra, Brian Daniels and Cody Barklage. Well within striking distance, however, are strong runners like 2006 class champion Bubba Stanton, Travis Swearingen in the second National Guard entry and Wes Johnston, runner-up to Scruggs in last year’s Belts final.
Like Scruggs, Jim Halsey went to each of the first four finals counting toward 2009 Speedtech Battle for the Belts qualifying, winning twice and placing him firmly atop the Pro Nitrous points standings. He, too, exited early from the most recent pair of events, but should rebound with a strong effort in his drive for dominance at Dallas.
He’ll have to contend with the likes of second-place man Shannon Jenkins, though, suddenly the hottest driver on the circuit, scoring the rain-postponed Ford Drive One Summer Drags V title and the Hardee’s Independence Drags III win over the course of two days earlier this month at Heartland Park Topeka (KS).
Despite suffering a DNQ and still winless so far in ’09, Johnny Pilcher holds the number-three position based on consistently going deep in eliminations at nearly every event, while Stan Allen in fourth and Mike Castellana in fifth each have one race victory this year. Pro Nitrous rookie and current Pro Nitrous elapsed time record holder Khalid Al-Balooshi is sixth and may be the series most-improved driver to this point, while veteran Steve Vick has been solid all year after debuting a new car at the season opener to hold the seventh spot.
Rounding out the top eight is Pat Stoken, also in a new car for ’09, who has climbed from near-obscurity to contention in just the last couple of races. He’ll be pressed the rest of the way, however, by the likes of Tim Savell, Burton Auxier and Ed Burnley, who has quietly mounted a campaign that has seen him qualify for every race held so far in 2009. Even Charles Carpenter, who missed three events after crashing at Houston in the season opener, still has a legitimate shot at the elite eight as he’s less than six rounds out of a Speedtech Battle for the Belts qualifying spot.
With only four National Guard ADRL events left in which to gather points toward earning a coveted top-eight finish, the 2009 Speedtech Battle for the Belts is quickly tightening up, giving some teams a measure of confidence, some a sense of urgency, and still others perhaps hoping for a miracle.
Still to come: Extreme 10.5, Pro Extreme Motorcycle and Extreme Pro Stock halfway summaries.
