Five Impressions From CarSafe Dragpalooza VII Presented By LenMar Motorsports

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There’s always the hope of ending a year with a bang.But there’s something to be said with starting the year with one as well.The American Drag Racing League (ADRL) and its remarkable competitors fired the opening salvo over the weekend at Royal Purple Raceway, and it led to a brilliant start, a record-breaking thrill show and a sign of what is to come.The ADRL started the 2011 Tour in fine fashion with CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports, a tribute to everyone who had a hand in making it one of the smoothest and aesthetically-pleasing shows in ADRL history.That was a major success in its own right, without even taking into consideration the unbelievable racing that transpired over and over again.If the weekend was just the beginning, there’s no doubt that 2011 will be something to behold. Every class delivered something major and crowd-pleasing, turning it into a wonderful event from top to bottom.With that said, he are the top five things we learned at Royal Purple Raceway.KID DYNAMITEThe smile wasn’t there much in 2010, but it didn’t take long to see Jason Hamstra back to his beaming self in 2011.Everyone also got another glimpse of the driver who earned so many high marks in becoming the 2009 Rookie of the Year and how impressive he can be.Almost a forgotten named in the loaded Pro Extreme class heading into the season, Hamstra tossed his name back into the list of contenders after he put up back-to-back runs in the 3.60s to win the first event.With his new Andy McCoy Race Cars ‘70 Duster, Hamstra thinks the sky is the limit.“There’s a lot of potential in this car,” Hamstra said.From J.R. Todd to Frankie Taylor, the top driver on Friday, to Mick Snyder, this class was completely enjoyable. Todd Tutterow came alive during eliminations and KH Al-Thani’s return to the class came in resounding fashion as well after he went 3.66 at more than 210 miles per hour.Hamstra, though, packed the biggest punch and he delivered the first haymaker in this heavyweight division.PUTTING CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUEThere’s no doubt Brandon Switzer is among the best at what he does. With a solid team around him, Switzer has tuned Khalid Al-Balooshi’s Speedtech Camaro into something never seen before in Pro Nitrous.It’s been locked in since December and Al-Balooshi has nearly been unstoppable en route to win after win and record after record. The latest came on Saturday, as stateside fans got their first glimpse of greatness. Al-Balooshi went as quick as 3.803 and as fast as 199.35 miles per hour, running away with the first victory of the season.But Al-Balooshi has turned away credit like a child turns away vegetables. If a question is asked about his ability, he quickly deflects it all to someone else.As admirable as that is, we’re here to put some of that spotlight on Al-Balooshi. From Switzer to drivers to just general observers, all are thoroughly impressed with Al-Balooshi’s ability to drive this car.With more performances like this, it will be impossible to ignore.NOT DONE ON PAPERNeed more proof that anything can happen in drag racing?Well, exhibit A in Baytown was Dan Millen in Extreme 10.5. His 3.83 pegged the 2010 World Champion as the runaway favorite and everyone else was seemingly shooting for second.But then drag racing happened, and Millen had a red light in the opening round no less. Michelle Wilson broke, but she advanced to the semifinals, while Millen and the red light proved that nobody is untouchable.With the door wide open, Lamar Swindoll gladly stepped through and he’s now a name to watch in XTF in 2011.In his first-ever appearance in the ADRL and competing a mere two miles from his house, Swindoll showed remarkable poise even as the pressure mounted in a final against seasoned successful veteran Billy Glidden.Swindoll went as quick as 3.95 and the Cavalier once driven by team owner and teammate Todd Moyer showed incredible back-end power. But the real magic came in the moments after Swindoll beat Glidden in the final, as the huge hometown crowd came to their feet to celebrate Swindoll’s win.ONLY THE STARTA year ago, Ashley Owens worked all season to get his Fast by Gast bike to go 4.02.In 2011, it took him two days to run three straight 4.02s - on a new bike, no less.Yes, that’s the collective gulp from the rest of the Pro Extreme Motorcycle class that you’re hearing.With less than 10 passes on a new PXM monster, Owens has again put the rest of the class on notice that he may be raiser the bar even higher.A higher bar means lower times and Owens, who went a record 180 mph on Saturday, seems right on the cusp of 3-second runs.It didn’t happen this weekend, but don’t expect to wait long, especially once that bike gets more runs underneath it. Here’s what we do know, however: Owens now has six straight event wins dating back to 2010 and has now won 9 out of the last 10 events.The list of competitors continues to grow, but Owens is simply the best there is.He isn’t untouchable, but he and the entire team is special and what they are doing should be appreciated.FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIMEIn many ways, Cary Goforth said Saturday’s win in Extreme Pro Stock felt like the first win he’s ever had.In some respects, Goforth was right.There is a significant amount of new faces on the two-car team of Cary and Dean Goforth, but Cary has been blown away with the effort put in by each of the new faces.Taking that all into consideration, it was easy to see why Goforth was so excitable and emotional in the Winner’s Circle.The XPS standout’s bubbling attitude in the Winner’s Circle has always led to some of the more memorable moments before and during the trophy presentation, an obvious indication of how much that means to him.It happened three times in 2010 and now once to kick off 2011 and, like Goforth said, this one felt as good as any of them.(Photos by ADRL/Richards/Saif)

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