ADRL Points Pursuit Intensifies
Ian Tocher - August 14, 2008
 O’FALLON, MO (Aug. 13, 2008) — The 2nd annual American Drag Racing League (ADRL) Gatorz Ohio Drags, set for Aug. 22-23, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, suddenly became much more significant in the 2008 world championship picture.
With the recent cancellation of the ADRL national event at Tulsa, Oklahoma, only two opportunities remain for competitors to earn more points and clinch a berth in the Battle for the Belts showdowns that will determine the ADRL’s 2008 world champions. The Ohio event is followed by the ADRL’s Hushpower Dragstock V at Rockingham (NC) Dragway, in September.
The Battle for the Belts pits the top eight points earners in the ADRL’s four pro racing classes against each other in Friday-night eliminations at the 2008 season ender this October at the Texas Motorplex, near Dallas. Points earned in Saturday’s race at Dallas will actually count toward the 2009 championship chase.
Everyone who makes at least one qualifying attempt at an ADRL national event receives 25 points and qualifying on top of a 16-car field earns another 16 points (15 for 2nd, 14 for 3rd, and so on). With each elimination-round win paying 100 points (500 going to the event winner) and 50-point bonuses for setting official elapsed time and speed records, each event offers the potential for 641 points. Plus, a 50-point bonus goes to every driver who attends all events in a single season.
Riding on the strength of a record-setting three consecutive ADRL race wins, only Pro Extreme leader Joshua Hernandez and his National Guard-backed crew have clinched a spot in the Battle for the Belts so far, but Billy Harper, also a three-times-straight winner this year, is very strong at the top of the Pro Nitrous list and Mike Hill has retained his season-long lead in the Extreme 10.5 class.
 Though Hernandez appears uncatchable for first, Travis Swearingen, Bubba Stanton and 2007 Pro Extreme champion Jason Scruggs will continue to jockey for position in the top half of the field at Dallas. But with less than two rounds worth of points separating fifth-place Bil Clanton from Frankie Taylor, Wes Johnston and Hugh Scott in eighth, nothing is secure in the bottom half of the current field.
And with Ohio’s own Brian Daniels only 46 points out of contention in ninth, followed closely by Dwayne Watkins and Mike Neal, not qualifying, losing early or going deep in eliminations at either or both of the remaining events could have serious implications for many of these drivers’ championship dreams.
In Pro Nitrous, Harper’s teammate Dennis Radford is a solid second, followed by Jim Halsey, Stan Allen and Randy Weatherford, all less than five rounds behind the leader. There’s a drop off to Shannon Jenkins at 872 markers behind Harper in sixth, with Rickie Smith and Charles Carpenter close behind. More importantly, though, you have to look all the way down to 14th-place Jamie Hancock, the defending Pro Nitrous champion, to find the first driver more than two rounds out of Battle for the Belts contention.
Billy Glidden is the hottest driver in the ADRL right now, winning the last two Extreme 10.5 events and vaulting himself up to second place, but still 286 points behind Hill. Last year’s Battle for the Belts winner Steve Gorman is a close third, with Steve Kirk Jr. and Michelle Wilson right behind him and all within four rounds of the top spot. Todd Moyer is sixth and with only Cory Wheat having a likely chance of ousting either Gary White or David Janes for the final Belts berth, Extreme 10.5 is by far the most stable class, points-wise.
In contrast, the Pro Extreme Motorcycle division remains wide open from top to bottom. Charlie Prophit holds a slim 32-point advantage over his brother and teammate, Matt, for first place and Ronnie Procopio is less than one round behind the leader, followed by defending class champ Billy Vose, who is less than two rounds away from regaining the lead.
Fifth-place man T.T. Jones is only 215 markers back of C. Prophit, but perhaps more significantly, positions five through 10 are all separated by less than two rounds of raceday eliminations. In fact, Coodee Thomas, currently 10th and not a Belt contender, is less than four rounds behind the current points leader.
The Flowmaster American Drag Racing League presented by the National Guard is known for putting on the quickest, fastest, wildest eighth-mile show in the world, but with so much now riding on the outcome of the 2nd annual Gatorz Ohio Drags, fans in the Buckeye State are also guaranteed to witness pivotal moments in the 2008 ADRL Battle for the Belts points chase.
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." For more information on Flowmaster, visit http://www.flowmaster.com.
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. For more information on the National Guard, visit http://www.1-800-GO-GUARD.com.
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. For more information on the ADRL, visit http://www.ADRL.us.
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