New-Look Team Goforth Off and Running In 2011

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For those who may have predicted early-season struggles for Cary Goforth in Extreme Pro Stock because of heavy turnover on his team, well, he had an early-season message for them.It also just so happened to be taking place from the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) winner’s circle in Baytown, Texas.“We’re back, but I don’t know if we ever left,” Goforth said with a beaming smile on his face. Well, a win in the first race of the 2011 season did more than indicate that Goforth never left.It also let everyone in the talented XPS class know that this new crop of crew members on Team Goforth seem more than ready for the challenge.The two-car team of Cary and Dean had impressive showings at CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports last weekend, though nobody stood out more than Cary.He did nothing over the top during qualifying and did just enough to advance in the early rounds at Royal Purple Raceway.But, when it mattered, Cary displayed the talent that led to three wins in 2010. He knocked off Doug Kirk in the semifinals and followed it up with his best showing of the weekend, running a 4.07 to earn a holeshot win against 2010 XPS World Champion John Montecalvo.With all that took place in the off-season, Cary wasn’t about to hold back in the winner’s circle.“There were a lot of people who wondered if we could continue our winning ways without Chris Bell. We decided to do the best we could and see what happened,” Cary said. “It takes a lot of stuff to win one of these races: crew, engine, driver and, yes, even a little luck. Everything aligned for us in Houston. We’ve got a lot of new guys and hopefully I’ll get to say their names a lot.”The new-look Goforth team includes new crew chief Brian “Lump” Self, crew members Scott Benham, Keith Harr, and Jason Roberts along with Dean’s son, Chris. Longtime crew chief Chris Bell vacated the position to become the new Director of Technical Services for the ADRL.It left plenty of questions, but Cary noticed an impressive determination from everyone in the off-season. “It’s been a long off-season and we made a lot of changes, and even we didn’t know what would happen, so it meant a lot to us that people stood by us like XS Power and LAT Oil as sponsors, and that our friend Jeff Pierce came out to help us,” Goforth said.“This was an impressive first outing for this team and we look forward to whatever the 2011 season brings. It’s a lot easier going forward knowing that we have the ability to run fast and be competitive and that we are leading the points. It’s easier to stay on top of the points than work your way from the bottom up.”Cary knew there would be doubts in the winter months, but he never stopped believing.“There were many times over the winter where we wondered if we could do it, but in our heart, we thought we could do it together,” Goforth said.That the confirmation of Cary’s beliefs came so soon made the win even sweeter for everyone on the team.Doing it in the loaded XPS division meant that much more as well, but this might only be the beginning.Dean debuted a new Jerry Haas-built 2010 GXP, going as quick as 4.08 before falling the first round.That car should get even better, while Cary’s new 2010 GXP will also be set to debut in the coming months.With generous support from a number of sponsors, the new-look Goforths appear to be in prime position early in 2011.“This feels like my first win because we have brand new guys,” Cary said. “We’ve been working so hard and the guys want to win.”(Photos by ADRL/Richards)

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