Six Impressions From Summit Motorsports Park

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To get to this point, we needed a fitting conclusion to what can effectively be called the ADRL regular season.With the LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VI approaching, the 2010 regular season went out with a bang with one more double-race weekend, this one coming at Summit Motorsports Park last weekend.The ADRL finished its most prestigious race - Simpson Dragstock VII - and then returned to the beautiful Norwalk facility for a memorable Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags IV.As has been the case down the stretch of the 2010 ADRL, more records were set, more memories were made and more magic will now await next month with the Speedtech “Battle For The Belts” on the line at Texas Motorplex.Before we enjoy that, though, lets take another look at the exciting and wild weekend that was.In honor of the ADRL’s six divisions, here are the top six things we learned at Summit Motorsports Park.PRO EXTREME PARITYIt’s been evident all year, but Pro Extreme’s extreme parity has made itself loud and clear during the second half of the 2010 season.Todd Tutterow and Mick Snyder won Dragstock and the Ohio Drags, respectively, over the weekend, meaning six different drivers have won the last six events.Five of them finished among the top eight, though Tutterow, the 2009 World Champion, made the biggest jump to No. 5 in the points last weekend.That means he’s peaking at the right time, but it would be foolhardy to even pencil him in as the favorite in this loaded class.How loaded? How about the No. 16 qualifier in Norwalk going an incredible 3.795, easily making it the quickest PX field in history.The biggest question might be how these talented drivers will be able to top themselves next month.NOTHING LIKE THE FIRST TIMEThe smiles said it all. Winning a Minuteman never gets old, but there’s something special about that first ADRL win. The Ohio Drags gave us two first-timers in Snyder in Pro Extreme and Jim Laurita (pictured) in Pro Nitrous.While Snyder had opened eyes throughout the year and really came on during qualifying in Rockingham, Laurita had largely flown under the radar in a deep, deep Pro Nitrous class.That might have made Saturday night even a little sweeter if that’s possible, as he rose from the shadows in a wild and unpredictable race for the class.Standouts like Rickie Smith, Shannon Jenkins and Burton Auxier didn’t even make the field and No. 1 qualifier Jim Halsey was only around for a round.Laurita, though, was consistent but not flashy, though he did display quite the grin in the winner’s circle.“This first win in the ADRL is just unbelievable,” Laurita said. “I never expected this in my first year.”EXTREME 10.5 GOING PLACESNot many would have figured this class would improve so fast.Counting Brad Brand’s 3-second run on Saturday and Billy Glidden’s 3-second pass a day earlier, seven different drivers have now made 3-second passes this year. Another (Jeff Naiser) has done it in testing.Three (Dan Millen, Glidden, Brand) have come in the last two races and Millen is suddenly the world E.T. record holder with a 3.823. He also went as quick as a 3.78 in Norwalk.It makes Spiro Pappas’ (the Dragstock VII winner) earlier claim of wanting to go 3.79 by the end of the year not seem far-fetched in the slightest.He got his mojo back with the win, while Chuck Ulsch (pictured) continues to come on strong after he won the next night in what was the quickest XTF field in history.Millen is also a major threat all of a sudden and Gary White - the points leader, by the way - and Todd Moyer are just now getting mentioned in this segment.UNQUESTIONED FAVORITESWith two wins in two days, Cary Goforth in Extreme Pro Stock and Ashley Owens in Pro Extreme Motorcycle did more than just dominate in Norwalk.Both positioned themselves as favorites.Of course, Owens has been on that perch since about April, while Goforth was there early, let it slip to John Montecalvo and then re-claimed it this month.Goforth has been consistent all year in going rounds, but got back to being consistently incredible with two wins in two days in Ohio.There’s been no questioning Owens’ dominance in 2010, but he’s simply added to the storybook with two more wins, giving him eight this year.He’s set every record imaginable, including becoming the first ADRL competitor to win five straight races.Is a world championship next on the list?BENFIELD HAS THE PERFECT NAMEThe “Morganator” sounds a lot like the “Dominator,” which is the point one would guess.It certainly fits in describing Pro Junior Dragster driver Morgan Benfield, who won her third PJD race of the year by taking the Ohio Drags.That’s a first for any PJD driver and it fittingly puts her first in the points standings heading into the World Finals,Her wonderful attitude and reaction in the MAVTV Winner’s Circle was also one of the highlights of the weekend.IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THISThere was enough shuffling for a top eight spot in Pro Nitrous last weekend that a doctorate in calculus was needed, but those eight places for every division are now locked in.After a truly amazing 2010 season, all that is left is the LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VI and the Speedtech “Battle For The Belts.”If the first 10 events were a delicious main course, this dessert is about to be extra good.(Photos by ADRL/Richards)

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