2011 ADRL Previews: Pro Nitrous and Extreme 10.5

[NewsBot]

It was a year to remember in 2010 in the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) for competitors in both Pro Nitrous and Extreme 10.5.In 2011, things could be even more impressive and it’s right around corner.The much-anticipated 2011 ADRL Tour begins this weekend with CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports and all the highlight-reel action takes place at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas.In a three-day series leading up to the race, we’ll preview all six ADRL classes (Pro Extreme, Pro Nitrous, Extreme 10.5, Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Extreme Pro Stock and Pro Junior Dragster), getting everyone primed for what will be the biggest year in ADRL history.On Tuesday, we looked at Extreme Pro Stock (XPS) and Pro Extreme Motorcycle (PXM), two excellent classes that have plenty of buzz heading into the weekend.Wednesday will give us Extreme 10.5 (XTF) and Pro Nitrous (PN), while Thursday will feature Pro Extreme (PX) and Pro Junior Dragster (PJD). PRO NITROUSSo, what will this class do for an encore in 2011?Well, for one, it will get even deeper with several new drivers joining the fray in what could be the deepest class in all of the ADRL.Just on that note alone, it could be a fascinating year in Pro Nitrous.Even the top drivers in the class believe that. “I think this year has the potential to be the best field of Nitrous cars you’ve seen in a long time,” Jim Halsey said. “It’s going to be a tough year for everyone. The wins are going to be more meaningful and everybody likes to be top dog.”With the switch to the conventional points system to award World Championships, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out to say the least.A year ago, Rickie Smith’s hot summer run that included three straight wins led him atop the points standings.But it was Burton Auxier who got hot at the “Battle For The Belts,” beating Smith and Shannon Jenkins, the top two in the points standings, en route to the World Championship.“My main focus this year is winning a championship,” Smith said.Another hot streak like 2010 might allow it, but Smith knows it won’t be easy. Several drivers made dramatic strides in Qatar, including Khalid Al-Balooshi, the 2009 World Champion. He dominated the Arabian Drag Racing League, going 3.781 at 199.88 miles per hour to set both ends of the record and win the title.Jenkins also made dramatic strides, breaking into the 3.70s for the first time as well. He will debut a stunning new car and is just as excited to have teammate Michael Castellana back in the fold.After recovering from cancer at the end of the 2010 season, Castellana is planning to start the season in Baytown, much to the delight of everyone.Jenkins will again be a top contender in the deep Pro Nitrous class in a new Camaro, but he’s focused on winning a championship.Jenkins is also pleased to welcome back a familiar face to the team.“We’re looking forward to a good season this year. We can’t wait to get our new RJ Race Cars ‘69 Camaro out on the track, but, more importantly, Mike (Castellana) will be back behind the wheel this season, and we are just so excited about that,” Jenkins said.“It’s going to be a tough task, because there is so much tough competition in the ADRL, but we’re looking to ultimately make a 1-2 finish for the championship with our two Camaros.”Stateside, Jim Halsey made plenty of noise by going 3.79 at nearly 200 mph in a testing session earlier this month.“We got everything together,” Halsey said. “We struggled last year and regrouped over the winter. We got our old team back together and I think that helped more than anything. The chemistry is back and we made a real good run.“We’re looking forward to going to Houston. I’m looking for big numbers and I want to run them consistently. I want to qualify well, go rounds and win some races.”Halsey will, of course, team with Pat Stoken, who is another bona fide contender in a loaded class.Included in that mix is the likes of Steve Vick, Randy Weatherford, Lee Adkins (who won his first career race in 2010), Doug Riesterer and many others.Stan Allen crept into the top eight and the BFTB with a late-season surge, but he won’t be satisfied with just that after forming a two-car team with new Bankston Boyz Racing member David Janes.“It’s simple: we want to win a Pro Nitrous Championship. That’s easy to say, but this a very humbling category,” Allen said.“I’m a competitor and I’m not taking off work, sometimes for a week at a time, just to qualify in the middle of the pack. I want to win. We have the right people in place to be successful along with the best equipment on the market.”Two part-timers in 2010 will also look to make a sizable impression in the category as well - John Decerbo in his sleek, lightweight Camaro, and Jim Laurita, who won a wild Ohio Drags and was one of the top rookies late in the 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.”As far as newcomers, there will be plenty, including former NHRA Pro Stock driver Rickie Jones.He raced twice in Extreme Pro Stock in 2010, but, with a new car, is jumping in feet-first to a class that will have a huge number of big moments in 2011.“We’re trying to do everything we can to jump in and get after it in the ADRL,” Jones said. “We’re all excited to get out there.” EXTREME 10.5There was arguably no class that made as big of a stride as Extreme 10.5, which improved by leaps and bounds over the course of a year.Of course, Dan Millen stole all the headlines with his late-season surge and stretch of dominance, but this was hardly a one-man show.In just more than 13 months, the class went from one driver who reached the 3-second mark to now having seven with the potential for more.Chuck Ulsch was the first, doing it in 2009, but now he’s joined by Spiro Pappas, Todd Moyer, Gary White, Millen, Billy Glidden and Brad Brand.Ulsch set and kept one world record by going 206.35 miles per hour at the Gateway Drags last August, but that was only a precursor to the end of the year.Millen found his stride at Rockingham in September, joining the 3-second club, ending up with the E.T. record (3.82) and finishing as the World Champion.It opened everyone’s eyes, even causing some to predict that Millen was several steps ahead of his XTF competitors.Considering what he has heard in the racing pipeline this off-season, Millen doesn’t buy it.“There’s a lot of guys who have the potential to run really well,” Millen said. “I definitely think it will be a fast field.”Millen said Brand’s XTF car has more power than his own, and there are others who aren’t going to let Millen run away with things.Count Todd Moyer among those planning to make Millen sweat.He plans to debut a new car - built by Terry Murphy Race Cars - at Dragpalooza this weekend and revealed part of the reason why he’s getting a new car.“It’s no secret that Dan was kicking our butt next year, and in order to compete with him, I had to do something,” Moyer said. “I either had to step up or step back. I’m not the kind of guy to step back, so I’m going to step up.” That’s putting it mildly.His new car will have a longer wheelbase with a 5.3-inch bore space motor from Jeff Naiser.Speed and power shouldn’t be a problem with this new car.“We know how to go faster,” Moyer said. “We’re going to rev it to the moon.”As for Moyer’s old Cavalier, Lamar Swindoll Jr. will now drive it as Moyer has a new two-car team.He also has big plans for his new car.“We run a 198 (mph) right now and I really feel like we can approach the 202 mark with the new car,” Moyer said. “It’s going to have a little more power and hopefully it’s going to be a little more forgiving.”Others are expected to up the ante as well.Ulsch sees plenty of potential in his car and talked at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in December about making tweaks and improvements on a car that already boasts a ton of power.Glidden is among the top drivers on the planet, while White had a hot streak in the class in 2010 that proved he is as capable of anyone at winning a World Championship.White also finished atop the points standings heading into the “Battle For The Belts” and advanced to the finals before Millen won.As for the Michigan native, Millen is hoping for a much better start to his 2011. He debuted the Mustang last summer and went through a miserable 3-month struggle before finding the car’s sweet spot.He’s hoping for a little less frustration to start 2011 - which could spell plenty of frustration for others.“In all of my years of racing, I’ve never had a good showing right out of the gates,” Millen said. “I’ve always had to struggled and work up to racing well by mid-season and I don’t know why.“Right now, it just feels like we’re in between races, so I’m ready to go. It would be really sweet if we can go out and do well the first half of the (2011 ADRL) season.”

More...