World Records Part of Ulsch’s Plan to Keep Up In Extreme 10.5

[NewsBot]

Chuck Ulsch does not want to get left behind in a rapidly improving Extreme 10.5 class.Setting world speed records is surely one way to stay ahead of the competition.Ulsch created more happy memories at Gateway International Raceway, winning the Hardee’s Gateway Drags with a new XTF world record speed of 206.55 miles per hour, bringing the capacity crowd to its feet.Ulsch reset his own speed record, which might be his way of saying he’s still to be taken seriously.“I saw the win light and that’s all I needed to see,” Ulsch said. “This was real cool because I lost this race (in the finals) last year. Anytime you can win, it’s great.”Ulsch grabbed the spotlight last year when he became the first driver to reach the 3-second mark in XTF, becoming the founding member of the Mickey Thompson 3-second club.But that celebration ended in a finals defeat against Glidden, something he reversed this year.Ulsch saved his best for last, going 3.99 at 206.55 mph to beat Glidden, with the matchup once again taking place in the finals.It was a much-needed win for Ulsch, who reaffirmed he still has to be considered one of the favorites in a class that seems to get better by the month.After a win to open the 2010 season, Ulsch had slipped to the bubble of the top eight as drivers like Gary White and Glidden got hot, while others like Todd Moyer and Jeff Naiser continued to make consistent noise.In the background, a host of others have made considerable improvements to suddenly make XTF one of the deepest classes in the ADRL.“You can’t sit idle because everyone is doing something now. They’re all working,” Ulsch said. “There’s a lot of guys coming in and coming up. You’ve got some cars coming in with the technology and the convertors and they’re all spending money on good pieces.”With the win, Ulsch moved back to the sixth position, finishing the job this time in St. Louis.Ulsch had the exact same path a year ago - Naiser in the second round, White in the semis and Glidden in the finals - and beat Glidden in the rematch.In a year’s time, three other drivers - White, Moyer and Spiro Pappas - have joined the Mickey Thompson 3-second club with Ulsch and the Maryland native predicted it wouldn’t be long until 3-second passes were the norm.“You’re going to have 30 drivers in the class before long and everyone will be knocking on that door,” Ulsch said. “If you have 20 cars, you’re going to have 8-10 heavy hitters.”Ulsch swung the biggest bat on that Saturday, going 4.03 at 205 mph en route to the finals.It wasn’t the easiest of weekends, however, as Ulsch and his crew worked nonstop between runs.“Hopefully this puts us back in the mix. Every little bit helps,” Ulsch said. “We made major changes before every run and we threw some stuff out there. We got where we want to be.”But don’t expect Ulsch to be satisfied with where he’s at, especially in a class that continues to make significant jumps.“We can’t be satisfied with just running the same times. We want to step our program up,” Ulsch said. “As you can see, everyone else has.”(Photos by ADRL/Richards)

More...