John Decerbo was a little undecided when it came to his 2011 plans.That is, until the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) purchased its new track prep equipment late during this past year.Since that time, the Pro Nitrous competitor was impressive for the rest of the 2010 season, making a number of quality passes that were helped by a number of other adjustments as well.Taking that into account, Decerbo isn’t wavering on his 2011 racing plans. For the first time in his career, he will run a full ADRL schedule next year.“With the way the ADRL has been prepping the track, there’s no better place to race,” Decerbo said. “We’re going to get our car turned for the ADRL and just run that.“It’s a nice, safe place to race and it’s the best place to race in the world in my opinion. I’m fortunate to be running with them and to keep doing that.”The northern Ohio native made a handful of appearances in 2010, but the energetic tone in Decerbo’s voice is an obvious indication how excited he is to race a full ADRL schedule in 2011.Decerbo turned plenty of heads when he debuted his sparkling new Tim McAmis-built ‘68 Camaro in May of this past season.Decerbo was just as amped about it, giving it a glowing review as he described the incredible detail put into the car that made it one of the lightest in a deep Pro Nitrous class.He had some early success with the automatic car, too, becoming the first automatic Pro Nitrous car to make a 3-second run.But trouble was soon around the corner, as Decerbo encountered a variety of difficulties that kept him from attending ADRL races throughout the summer.“There’s no doubt we struggled this year,” Decerbo said. “We didn’t get to go as many races as we would have liked.”That shouldn’t be a problem in 2011 as Decerbo and his team solved most of the car’s troubles, turning in an impressive 3.91 at the LenMar Motorsports World Finals VI at Texas Motorplex in October.That came on the heels of a strong performance at the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags, where Decerbo found his groove at his hometown Summit Motorsports Park.“Tim (McAmis) really helped us and got the car and program turned around,” Decerbo said.“Once Tim worked on the chassis and we went to Hoosier tires, the car has really taken off.”Before that, though, frustration had set in.Decerbo admitted he wasn’t even planning on going to the Ohio Drags in Norwalk, but a testing session in Michigan with McAmis made a major difference.“We went up there and got it turned around,” Decerbo said. “Ever since Norwalk, we’ve been down the track every time. We’ve had 16 runs in the 3-second range. It’s great.”That momentum allowed Decerbo to commit to running a full ADRL season in 2011 and the excitable driver is excited about his prospects in one of the ADRL’s deepest fields.It will be an arduous task to try into the top eight and earn a spot in the Speedtech “Battle For The Belts,” but Decerbo appears to be game.“I’m really excited about it,” Decerbo said. “We’ve got another engine coming and we’re excited about stepping up the program a little bit.”(Photos by ADRL/Richards)For a detailed look at Decerbo’s stunning ‘68 Camaro, watch the video below or click on the following link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-qg9fRn19E
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