[coverattach=1](7-28-09) Havre de Grace, MD - Jim Halsey regained his edge and extended his point lead in ADRL Pro Nitrous competition over the weekend, edging out #3 qualifier Khalid Al-Balooshi in the thrilling final round of the Nationalguard.com ADRL U.S. Drags II, held at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, VA on July 24-25.
Halsey qualified 4th for this event, clocking an elapsed time of 3.91 with an event high 194.27 mph. During Saturday's eliminations, Halsey stopped Charles Carpenter, John Deflorian and Burton Auxier en route to a show down with Al-Anabi Racing's Khalid Al-Balooshi. The two finalists put on a tremendous show, with Halsey getting the win light by a few inches. Halsey used a starting line advantage and an elapsed time of 3.900 to hold off Al-Balooshi's 3.908. The win came in front of a massive crowd at the south central Virginia facility.
"It's pretty comforting to get back in the winner's circle after stinking for 2 races," laughed Halsey, as he referenced a pair of poor showings at Martin, Mi and Topeka KS. The win in Virginia now extends Halsey's Pro Nitrous lead to over 1,000 points. Halsey, the only 3-time winner this season in ADRL competition has been the runaway favorite, despite a few stumbles along the way. Halsey's McAmis Race Cars Camaro, motivated with power from Fulton Competition is always a threat, but has recently gained the consistency that Halsey and crew has been striving for.
As for his formidable foes that make up Al-Anabi Racing, Halsey describes the team as "Good motivators". "It's one of those deals where the harder I work the harder they work and vice versa," says Halsey. Despite incredible competition and the constant will to win, sportsmanship usually comes shining through at the end of the day. "Me and Khalid shook hands in the shut down area and congratulated each other on a good day," says Halsey.
It's no secret that drag racing gets you wound up, and winning races has its emotional effects. "It only makes it worse when you win a couple races, because then you want to keep winning," laughs Halsey. The effects are hardly limited to Halsey though. As of yesterday, crewman, Eric Davis, still hadn't regained his voice - the result of excessive yelling in the winner's circle. The satisfaction of winning races is something Jim Halsey enjoys seeing on the faces of those he's closest to, and as always, Halsey was flooded with calls, emails and text messages from friends celebrating his latest win.
Looking ahead to the upcoming ADRL event in Madison, IL, Halsey is optimistic for another solid performance. "I believe the weather conditions will be very similar to what we just experienced in Virginia, so I think we'll have a good handle on the tune-up," says Halsey. "My concern right now is getting my teammate, Pat Stoken, back in the top 8 in points," added Halsey.
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Stoken Racing
Patrick and Constance Smith
yellowbullet.com
Halsey qualified 4th for this event, clocking an elapsed time of 3.91 with an event high 194.27 mph. During Saturday's eliminations, Halsey stopped Charles Carpenter, John Deflorian and Burton Auxier en route to a show down with Al-Anabi Racing's Khalid Al-Balooshi. The two finalists put on a tremendous show, with Halsey getting the win light by a few inches. Halsey used a starting line advantage and an elapsed time of 3.900 to hold off Al-Balooshi's 3.908. The win came in front of a massive crowd at the south central Virginia facility.
"It's pretty comforting to get back in the winner's circle after stinking for 2 races," laughed Halsey, as he referenced a pair of poor showings at Martin, Mi and Topeka KS. The win in Virginia now extends Halsey's Pro Nitrous lead to over 1,000 points. Halsey, the only 3-time winner this season in ADRL competition has been the runaway favorite, despite a few stumbles along the way. Halsey's McAmis Race Cars Camaro, motivated with power from Fulton Competition is always a threat, but has recently gained the consistency that Halsey and crew has been striving for.
As for his formidable foes that make up Al-Anabi Racing, Halsey describes the team as "Good motivators". "It's one of those deals where the harder I work the harder they work and vice versa," says Halsey. Despite incredible competition and the constant will to win, sportsmanship usually comes shining through at the end of the day. "Me and Khalid shook hands in the shut down area and congratulated each other on a good day," says Halsey.
It's no secret that drag racing gets you wound up, and winning races has its emotional effects. "It only makes it worse when you win a couple races, because then you want to keep winning," laughs Halsey. The effects are hardly limited to Halsey though. As of yesterday, crewman, Eric Davis, still hadn't regained his voice - the result of excessive yelling in the winner's circle. The satisfaction of winning races is something Jim Halsey enjoys seeing on the faces of those he's closest to, and as always, Halsey was flooded with calls, emails and text messages from friends celebrating his latest win.
Looking ahead to the upcoming ADRL event in Madison, IL, Halsey is optimistic for another solid performance. "I believe the weather conditions will be very similar to what we just experienced in Virginia, so I think we'll have a good handle on the tune-up," says Halsey. "My concern right now is getting my teammate, Pat Stoken, back in the top 8 in points," added Halsey.
Jim Halsey wishes to thank:
Cathy Crouse
Eric Davis
Allen Lay
Richard Crouse
Gene Fulton
Tim McAmis
Stoken Racing
Patrick and Constance Smith
yellowbullet.com
