ADRL Pro Extreme Tightens Up

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O’FALLON, MO (May 17, 2010) – As the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) heads to Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) for this weekend’s (May 21-22) ADRL Speedtech U.S. Drags III, a great deal of attention will be focused on the Pro Extreme class, featuring supercharged hot rods capable of 3.6-second blasts at more than 212 miles per hour over an eighth-mile course.Among those leading the high-speed charge into the Old Dominion State will be Saltillo, Mississippi’s Jason Scruggs (below), a former back-to-back Pro Extreme world champion (2007-08) and winner of the ADRL’s previous event last month in Georgia.“Every year Pro Extreme gets a little tougher, at least as far as how fast the cars are going,” Scruggs says. “It’s unbelievable the level of competition that’s out there right now.”Reigning Pro Extreme World Champion Todd Tutterow (below) agrees, pointing out that last month’s qualifying lists represented a very tight 16-car field.“There are a lot of cars going really fast now instead of just two or three and the bump spot is getting a lot quicker, too,” the Yadkinville, North Carolina-based champ says. “It makes for a lot more close, side-by-side racing where it doesn’t matter who you are, you can’t afford to make even one mistake.”Joining Scruggs and Tutterow at the top of the Pro Extreme ranks at VMP will be the likes of Frankie “Mad Man” Taylor, whose 2005 Corvette became the quickest torque converter-equipped “doorslammer” in the world in Georgia with a 3.65-seconds qualifying pass at nearly 207 mph and eventual runner-up Quain Stott in his ’63 Corvette.No one was stronger in Georgia, however, than ADRL rookie Sheikh Khalid Al-Thani of Qatar (below), who in his first racing appearance on U.S. soil qualified in the number-one position with a stunning 3.63-seconds effort at 212.49 mph in his Al-Anabi Racing ’68 Camaro, marking the quickest and fastest pass in the world by a full-bodied drag racing car (though he was unable to back up either number within the required one percent for an official record).“Sheikh Khalid, he’s put together an awesome team with (crew chiefs) Frank Manzo, Tim and Kim Richards, and all the other great guys on that team,” Scruggs says. “For the last couple of years or so I guess it was our team that raised the bar on performance here, but now they’re raising the bar for us. But all that’s going to do is make us try harder.”He won’t be alone, as Tutterow, who also carries the Al-Anabi brand on his own ’68 Camaro, says he draws inspiration from his competitors’ performances, too.“It’s actually encouraging because it helps show us what’s out there, what’s possible if we get our stuff tuned up right,” he says.There’s more to winning than just turning in quick and fast laps, though, a lesson learned the hard way through Scruggs’ go-for-broke approach that seemed just as likely to result in an early exit from competition as a record-setting run these last few years.“We’re trying to race smarter now,” Scruggs insists. “Basically, you’ve got to run your own race and not worry about everyone else and if it’s your day, it’s your day. I think that’s how these races are going to go this year.”

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