Anatomy of a Championship: Pro Nitrous

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There may have been some big names, but no class had as many questions heading into the Speedtech “Battle For The Belts” at the LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VI than Pro Nitrous.All of them got answered at Texas Motorplex, with Burton Auxier filling in the final line by winning the World Championship.But there was certainly no sure thing in this class, not after the considerable shuffling that took place leading up to the event.Three drivers - Doug Riesterer, Steve Vick and Stan Allen - weren’t even in the eight-car field as late as the last regular-season race while top guys like Auxier, Rickie Smith and Shannon Jenkins didn’t even qualify at the Ohio Drags in September.It was unpredictable heading into the race and that continued in Ennis, Texas until Auxier hoisted the title.FIRST ROUNDRiesterer jumped into the field with a race-in victory against Vick, but Jim Halsey went 3.891 to slip past Riesterer by a mere seven feet in a great drag race to kick off the action.Jenkins (pictured) never got comfortable in his car over the course of the day, but he got the red-light win against Stan Allen.Auxier quickly grabbed everyone’s attention by going 3.84 in his win against Randy Weatherford. It also earned him lane choice against Rickie Smith, who went 3.91 in his solo pass.SEMIFINALSJenkins had his best run of the day, though it would have served him better to wait an extra round for it.He went 3.89 at 192.25 miles per hour, but Halsey was .001 too quick off the line, giving Jenkins a red-light win.But for the second straight round it was Auxier who stole the spotlight from everyone in the class.He went 3.83 - the best pass of the day by anyone - at 195.87 mph to easily get by Smith, who went a respectable 3.90. But the No. 1 qualifier couldn’t match Auxier in the semifinals. That soon proved to be the theme for everyone.FINALSIn addition to have a red-hot car at Texas Motorplex, Auxier was on point at the starting line as well. For the third straight race, he was quicker out of the gate, cutting a .015 light against Jenkins in the final.He also turned in a 3.89 to claim his first ADRL championship.Jenkins got loose and came close to the centerline before he shut things down, but it likely wouldn’t have mattered against Auxier, who found his groove at the perfect time.(Photos by ADRL/Richards)

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