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ENNIS, Texas (October 13, 2007) - In the two races contested this weekend at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, Josh Hernandez advanced to the second eliminations round in both the 2007 AlphaTrade Battle of the Belts ADRL Championship and the AlphaTrade ADRL World Finals.
In the first round of the Battle for the Belts on Friday, Hernandez, who was runner-up in points for the season, took an easy round from Dwayne Watkins who had a red light start. In round two, Hernandez found himself paired against ADRL World Record holder Jason Scruggs, and gave the round to Scruggs by making a red light start trying to gain an edge against the speed-king.
"I knew I had to try to get some time on him somehow, because we just didn’t have the car to deliver a mid-'70 time like he had been running. I pushed a little too hard, and just didn't catch the lights," Hernandez said.
"It was really disappointing, because the team worked so hard all year, and for me to lose it on the line, I really felt I let them all down. As it turns out, we would have needed a record run for us to even try to match up against the 3.76 he ran," he said.
In the World Finals, contested on Saturday, Hernandez earned the No. 3 qualifying spot based on the strength of his Friday night 3.872, and squared off against No. 14 qualifier Ken Thomas in the first round of eliminations. In the heat of the day, the Tommy Lipar-sponsored '57 Chevy ran an impressive 3.912/193.10 to Thomas' 3.999/181.76 and advanced to the next round.
On paper, Hernandez was the favorite in his second round match-up against Joey Martin, but the Conroe, Texas racer lost in a holeshot to the quicker-leaving Martin, 3.907/192.52 to Martin's slower 3.940/186.92. Martin had a .05-second advantage off the line, cutting a .042 light to Hernandez' .094
"It's not exactly what we were looking for, that's for sure" Hernandez said, "It's just one of those things - and when you've got a team like this, you've got a target on your back, and sometimes, there are days like this.
"Howard [Moon, crew chief] and the guys all work so hard, they are really professionals and deserve all the credit in the world. If it weren't for them and Tommy Lipar and Dave and Gidget Wood, I wouldn't get to do this, and I want to be sure they know how much I appreciate them all," he said.
Next up for Hernandez is quarter-mile action in the AMS Pro Mod Challenge October 25-28, where he will compete for a $25,000 payday in the ProCare Rx Pro Mod Clash at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.
Hernandez makes second round in two ADRL events in Ennis
ENNIS, Texas (October 13, 2007) - In the two races contested this weekend at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, Josh Hernandez advanced to the second eliminations round in both the 2007 AlphaTrade Battle of the Belts ADRL Championship and the AlphaTrade ADRL World Finals.
In the first round of the Battle for the Belts on Friday, Hernandez, who was runner-up in points for the season, took an easy round from Dwayne Watkins who had a red light start. In round two, Hernandez found himself paired against ADRL World Record holder Jason Scruggs, and gave the round to Scruggs by making a red light start trying to gain an edge against the speed-king.
"I knew I had to try to get some time on him somehow, because we just didn’t have the car to deliver a mid-'70 time like he had been running. I pushed a little too hard, and just didn't catch the lights," Hernandez said.
"It was really disappointing, because the team worked so hard all year, and for me to lose it on the line, I really felt I let them all down. As it turns out, we would have needed a record run for us to even try to match up against the 3.76 he ran," he said.
In the World Finals, contested on Saturday, Hernandez earned the No. 3 qualifying spot based on the strength of his Friday night 3.872, and squared off against No. 14 qualifier Ken Thomas in the first round of eliminations. In the heat of the day, the Tommy Lipar-sponsored '57 Chevy ran an impressive 3.912/193.10 to Thomas' 3.999/181.76 and advanced to the next round.
On paper, Hernandez was the favorite in his second round match-up against Joey Martin, but the Conroe, Texas racer lost in a holeshot to the quicker-leaving Martin, 3.907/192.52 to Martin's slower 3.940/186.92. Martin had a .05-second advantage off the line, cutting a .042 light to Hernandez' .094
"It's not exactly what we were looking for, that's for sure" Hernandez said, "It's just one of those things - and when you've got a team like this, you've got a target on your back, and sometimes, there are days like this.
"Howard [Moon, crew chief] and the guys all work so hard, they are really professionals and deserve all the credit in the world. If it weren't for them and Tommy Lipar and Dave and Gidget Wood, I wouldn't get to do this, and I want to be sure they know how much I appreciate them all," he said.
Next up for Hernandez is quarter-mile action in the AMS Pro Mod Challenge October 25-28, where he will compete for a $25,000 payday in the ProCare Rx Pro Mod Clash at the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals.
