ADRL Winner’s Circle Features First Timers
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<br><font color="Navy">Tommy Gray’s brand-new “Undertaker” Camaro earned the Pro Extreme race win in its debut July 26, in the inaugural 1-800-GO GUARD.com U.S. Drags at Maryland International Raceway.</font>
<p> (7-27-08) BUDDS CREEK, MD — A record-sized crowd at Maryland International Raceway watched first-time winners prevail in four out of five professional racing classes July 26, in the inaugural 1-800-GO GUARD.com U.S. Drags. The eighth-mile drag racing event, staged by the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard, drew more than 20,000 fans to the track, which has been in continuous operation for more than 40 years.
Only Extreme 10.5 star Billy Glidden had visited victory lane before, as he won his second-straight event in record-setting fashion. Baltimore’s Tommy Gray made the most of his debut with a new car in the unlimited Pro Extreme class; veteran Rickie Smith finally scored a win in his fourth trip to a Pro Nitrous final round; Nikie Corley continued a streak of first-time winners in Pro Extreme Motorcycle; and, Robert Patrick made a little history as the winner of the first-ever ADRL Extreme Pro Stock event.
Glidden, from Whiteland, Indiana, started his small-block, Ford-powered 2006 GTO from the top qualifying position and beat Ellis Vial Jr., Matt Suite and Todd Moyer before taking on Georgian Steve Kirk Jr. in the Extreme 10.5 final for the second time in as many events.
The result was the same, as Glidden won with a record 4.22-seconds elapsed time at 169.53 mph, eclipsing the record time set by Kirk at Valdosta, Georgia earlier this year.
“It’s always a lot of fun to race in front of a crowd like this,” Glidden said during his winner’s circle celebration. “The ADRL puts on a great event and this is a great track. I’m very happy here.”
Gray picked up his supercharged 1968 Camaro from Vanishing Point Race Cars in Pennsylvania just three days before the race and said his team was still putting the finishing touches on it Thursday night before heading to the track.
With no prior testing, it ran well enough to qualify 13th for the 16-car Pro Extreme field, then carried Gray past defending series champion Jason Scruggs, number-five qualifier Bil Clanton, current points leader Joshua Hernandez and former ADRL event winner Brian Daniels in the final round.
“Obviously, we’re absolutely thrilled with the car,” Gray said after his tire-smoking win over Daniels, whose engine broke on his launch in the final. “We should have left it alone for the final, but being boys we just couldn’t and tuned it up a bit. That’s why it lost traction there, but I’m always ready for that.”
Smith qualified his 1963 Corvette third in Pro Nitrous and opened eliminations with a win over the turbocharged Camaro of Pennsylvania’s Andy Jensen. He received a fortunate bye run with a tire-shaking win in round two after Texan Thomas Myers was unable to make repairs to his car and beat new teammate Shannon Jenkins in the semi-finals.
In the big-money round, Smith turned back fellow North Carolinian Charles Carpenter, appearing in his second consecutive final with a freshly-built ’55 Chevy.
“I knew Charlie didn’t have the power to beat me in a heads-up race where everything went right, so I just had to do my job,” Smith said after going 3.95 seconds at 187.65 mph. “It was my race to lose, but anything can happen when you’re racing these cars, so I just made sure I took care of business in my lane.”
Corley became the 10th different winner in the 10th Pro Extreme Motorcycle race run since the class joined the ADRL raceday mix early last year. The Jacksonville, Florida-based rider steered his ’07 Suzuki past Eddie Gonder Jr., Jack Young, Scott Gray and finally Matt Prophit to secure the win in his first trip to a final round.
A slim .021 advantage off the starting line against Prophit held up to the finish line 4.25 seconds later at 173.61 mph, which was also the quickest and fastest pass of the weekend.
“This feels good. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Dan Carver at DTM and Walt Timblin at Timblin Chassis. They’re just as important as me in getting this,” Corley said while holding the coveted National Guard Minuteman trophy that signifies an ADRL national-event win.
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<br><font color="Navy"> The late-model Mustangs of Robert Patrick (near lane) and Kelly Martin squared off in the inaugural ADRL Extreme Pro Stock Challenge, with Patrick taking the win at Maryland International Raceway.</font>
<p> The special, two-race Sonny’s Extreme Pro Stock Challenge presented by Purvis Ford-Lincoln-Mercury made its debut in Maryland with the second leg to be held in September at Rockingham, North Carolina. The new class drew rave reviews from fans, ADRL officials and competitors alike.
Patrick started his 2007 Mustang from the sixth position and easily handled Frank Snellings in the opening round before narrowly winning with a holeshot over Pete Berner in round two and edging Troy Henderson in the semis. The Fredericksburg, Virginia driver took on Kelly Martin in a 2008 Mustang in the final round and ran 4.14 at 174.08 mph to become the ADRL's first Extreme Pro Stock winner.
“I’ve heard a lot about the ADRL for quite some time now and it’s great to finally experience it for myself,” Patrick said. “I’ve been coming to this track for probably 25 years and I’ve never seen it look like this before. This is very impressive and I hope we can work something out where we can do even more races next year.”
The ADRL returns to action Aug. 22-23, with its 2nd annual Gatorz Eyewear Ohio Drags at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
ABOUT FLOWMASTER
Flowmaster, Inc. is housed in two ultra-modern facilities in Santa Rosa and West Sacramento, California, together totaling over 400,000 square feet. Flowmaster employs over 250 workers dedicated to building the highest quality U.S.-made exhaust products available. Flowmaster’s product line includes exhaust products for Performance Street, Muscle Cars, Trucks, Street Rods, RVs, Motorhomes, and all types of race applications. With more than 400 different muffler models, 370-plus exhaust systems and numerous exhaust accessories available, Flowmaster offers the choice to fit your specific vehicle needs, or your sound preference from "wild to mild."
ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD
The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation’s longest enduring institutions. The National Guard operates in all 50 states, three territories (Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia.
ABOUT THE ADRL
Based in O’Fallon, Missouri, 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 Pro Extreme, the quickest doorslammer class in all of drag racing. The 2008 Flowmaster ADRL series presented by the National Guard consists of nine national events run throughout the United States.
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<img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b72/Deby706/PX_Winner_Gray1.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy">Tommy Gray’s brand-new “Undertaker” Camaro earned the Pro Extreme race win in its debut July 26, in the inaugural 1-800-GO GUARD.com U.S. Drags at Maryland International Raceway.</font>
<p> (7-27-08) BUDDS CREEK, MD — A record-sized crowd at Maryland International Raceway watched first-time winners prevail in four out of five professional racing classes July 26, in the inaugural 1-800-GO GUARD.com U.S. Drags. The eighth-mile drag racing event, staged by the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League (ADRL) presented by the National Guard, drew more than 20,000 fans to the track, which has been in continuous operation for more than 40 years.
Only Extreme 10.5 star Billy Glidden had visited victory lane before, as he won his second-straight event in record-setting fashion. Baltimore’s Tommy Gray made the most of his debut with a new car in the unlimited Pro Extreme class; veteran Rickie Smith finally scored a win in his fourth trip to a Pro Nitrous final round; Nikie Corley continued a streak of first-time winners in Pro Extreme Motorcycle; and, Robert Patrick made a little history as the winner of the first-ever ADRL Extreme Pro Stock event.
Glidden, from Whiteland, Indiana, started his small-block, Ford-powered 2006 GTO from the top qualifying position and beat Ellis Vial Jr., Matt Suite and Todd Moyer before taking on Georgian Steve Kirk Jr. in the Extreme 10.5 final for the second time in as many events.
The result was the same, as Glidden won with a record 4.22-seconds elapsed time at 169.53 mph, eclipsing the record time set by Kirk at Valdosta, Georgia earlier this year.
“It’s always a lot of fun to race in front of a crowd like this,” Glidden said during his winner’s circle celebration. “The ADRL puts on a great event and this is a great track. I’m very happy here.”
Gray picked up his supercharged 1968 Camaro from Vanishing Point Race Cars in Pennsylvania just three days before the race and said his team was still putting the finishing touches on it Thursday night before heading to the track.
With no prior testing, it ran well enough to qualify 13th for the 16-car Pro Extreme field, then carried Gray past defending series champion Jason Scruggs, number-five qualifier Bil Clanton, current points leader Joshua Hernandez and former ADRL event winner Brian Daniels in the final round.
“Obviously, we’re absolutely thrilled with the car,” Gray said after his tire-smoking win over Daniels, whose engine broke on his launch in the final. “We should have left it alone for the final, but being boys we just couldn’t and tuned it up a bit. That’s why it lost traction there, but I’m always ready for that.”
Smith qualified his 1963 Corvette third in Pro Nitrous and opened eliminations with a win over the turbocharged Camaro of Pennsylvania’s Andy Jensen. He received a fortunate bye run with a tire-shaking win in round two after Texan Thomas Myers was unable to make repairs to his car and beat new teammate Shannon Jenkins in the semi-finals.
In the big-money round, Smith turned back fellow North Carolinian Charles Carpenter, appearing in his second consecutive final with a freshly-built ’55 Chevy.
“I knew Charlie didn’t have the power to beat me in a heads-up race where everything went right, so I just had to do my job,” Smith said after going 3.95 seconds at 187.65 mph. “It was my race to lose, but anything can happen when you’re racing these cars, so I just made sure I took care of business in my lane.”
Corley became the 10th different winner in the 10th Pro Extreme Motorcycle race run since the class joined the ADRL raceday mix early last year. The Jacksonville, Florida-based rider steered his ’07 Suzuki past Eddie Gonder Jr., Jack Young, Scott Gray and finally Matt Prophit to secure the win in his first trip to a final round.
A slim .021 advantage off the starting line against Prophit held up to the finish line 4.25 seconds later at 173.61 mph, which was also the quickest and fastest pass of the weekend.
“This feels good. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Dan Carver at DTM and Walt Timblin at Timblin Chassis. They’re just as important as me in getting this,” Corley said while holding the coveted National Guard Minuteman trophy that signifies an ADRL national-event win.
<p style="width:300px;float:left;font-weight:bold;padding-right:0px;">
<img src="http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b72/Deby706/XPS_final1.jpg"
<br><font color="Navy"> The late-model Mustangs of Robert Patrick (near lane) and Kelly Martin squared off in the inaugural ADRL Extreme Pro Stock Challenge, with Patrick taking the win at Maryland International Raceway.</font>
<p> The special, two-race Sonny’s Extreme Pro Stock Challenge presented by Purvis Ford-Lincoln-Mercury made its debut in Maryland with the second leg to be held in September at Rockingham, North Carolina. The new class drew rave reviews from fans, ADRL officials and competitors alike.
Patrick started his 2007 Mustang from the sixth position and easily handled Frank Snellings in the opening round before narrowly winning with a holeshot over Pete Berner in round two and edging Troy Henderson in the semis. The Fredericksburg, Virginia driver took on Kelly Martin in a 2008 Mustang in the final round and ran 4.14 at 174.08 mph to become the ADRL's first Extreme Pro Stock winner.
“I’ve heard a lot about the ADRL for quite some time now and it’s great to finally experience it for myself,” Patrick said. “I’ve been coming to this track for probably 25 years and I’ve never seen it look like this before. This is very impressive and I hope we can work something out where we can do even more races next year.”
The ADRL returns to action Aug. 22-23, with its 2nd annual Gatorz Eyewear Ohio Drags at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.
ABOUT FLOWMASTER
Flowmaster, Inc. is housed in two ultra-modern facilities in Santa Rosa and West Sacramento, California, together totaling over 400,000 square feet. Flowmaster employs over 250 workers dedicated to building the highest quality U.S.-made exhaust products available. Flowmaster’s product line includes exhaust products for Performance Street, Muscle Cars, Trucks, Street Rods, RVs, Motorhomes, and all types of race applications. With more than 400 different muffler models, 370-plus exhaust systems and numerous exhaust accessories available, Flowmaster offers the choice to fit your specific vehicle needs, or your sound preference from "wild to mild."
ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD
The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation’s longest enduring institutions. The National Guard operates in all 50 states, three territories (Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia.
ABOUT THE ADRL
Based in O’Fallon, Missouri, 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 Pro Extreme, the quickest doorslammer class in all of drag racing. The 2008 Flowmaster ADRL series presented by the National Guard consists of nine national events run throughout the United States.
