HOUSTON (March 28, 2011) - At the racetrack he calls home, 2010 ADRL Pro Extreme runner-up Joshua Hernandez expected his first outing of the 2011 ADRL season to be spectacular - just like always. After all, he has won repeatedly at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas. But last weekend at the CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports, winning just wasn't in the cards.
Hernandez qualified No. 11 in the 16-car field with a 3.734-second run at 204.63 mph and was paired with No. 6-qualifying former Top Fuel standout JR Todd in round one. Hernandez delivered a psychic 0.010-second reaction time off the starting line (0.000 is perfect) to Todd's 0.056, but was afflicted with tire shake before the 330-foot mark and was forced to lift his foot from the throttle to control the car, letting Todd pass him by for the win.
"I don't know what to say, really," Hernandez tried to explain. "I'm very disappointed that we couldn't find the sweet spot on this ol' B1 Racing '57 here in Houston where we normally do so well."
In a sport measured by fractions of a mile, Hernandez suggested that his championship-winning racecar might have its best days behind it because of the miles and miles he has raced in the car.
"Sheikh Abdulla (bin Hamad al Khalifa, team owner) has another brand new car ordered and in production, and I think it's time to move to the new car. We've had a lot of success in the '57, but staying competitive and up-to-date is critical to success, and we all (his team) think it's time to make the move," Hernandez said. He said the team would announce the details about the car once they have received it from the manufacturer.
"It's like spring cleaning," he said.
The good news for Hernandez and the rest of the B1 Racing team, there's time before the second race of the season, albeit not a lot. Next up on the calendar for the Bahrain-based team is the ADRL Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II, April 15-16 at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla.
"If we have to, we can make another race in the '57, and she will most likely do fine. But, I know we all want to see the new car and get it on the track," Hernandez said.
Hernandez qualified No. 11 in the 16-car field with a 3.734-second run at 204.63 mph and was paired with No. 6-qualifying former Top Fuel standout JR Todd in round one. Hernandez delivered a psychic 0.010-second reaction time off the starting line (0.000 is perfect) to Todd's 0.056, but was afflicted with tire shake before the 330-foot mark and was forced to lift his foot from the throttle to control the car, letting Todd pass him by for the win.
"I don't know what to say, really," Hernandez tried to explain. "I'm very disappointed that we couldn't find the sweet spot on this ol' B1 Racing '57 here in Houston where we normally do so well."
In a sport measured by fractions of a mile, Hernandez suggested that his championship-winning racecar might have its best days behind it because of the miles and miles he has raced in the car.
"Sheikh Abdulla (bin Hamad al Khalifa, team owner) has another brand new car ordered and in production, and I think it's time to move to the new car. We've had a lot of success in the '57, but staying competitive and up-to-date is critical to success, and we all (his team) think it's time to make the move," Hernandez said. He said the team would announce the details about the car once they have received it from the manufacturer.
"It's like spring cleaning," he said.
The good news for Hernandez and the rest of the B1 Racing team, there's time before the second race of the season, albeit not a lot. Next up on the calendar for the Bahrain-based team is the ADRL Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II, April 15-16 at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fla.
"If we have to, we can make another race in the '57, and she will most likely do fine. But, I know we all want to see the new car and get it on the track," Hernandez said.
