At this point in the timeline of drag racing’s evolution, the concept of major outlaw doorslammer events where few, if any, rules exist is as much a novelty as nitro cars. But back in 2002, when the IHRA was still the premiere stage for Pro Modified racing and the NHRA’s sophomore AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge was gaining plenty of traction, this concept was virtually unimaginable.
But late that summer, a couple of prominent individuals in the Pro Modified world, who were known only as “Da Preacher” and “Big Preacher” at the time, announced their intentions to launch a true outlaw Pro Modified organization to compete with the IHRA and NHRA. A website and online forum for the XRL – or Xtreme Racing League – was launched, and initial plans for the national series were unveiled.
Per the XRL website, the purpose of the Xtreme Racing League was to establish the “place to race” for the quickest and fastest doorslammers in the world, all the while providing sponsors and track owners/promoters the best possible return on their investment. National events were proposed with a Friday through Sunday schedule on well-prepared tracks, with an invited field of 24 racers comprising a 16-car “A” field. A second “B” field would be composed of the unqualified racers, plus the first round losers from the “A” field. All races would be televised nationally on ESPN2, and racers would compete for a sizable $15,000 winning payout.
From the outset, these two individuals struck a chord with the competitors and fans of Pro Modified, and forums quickly lit up with argumentative banter and innuendo, all of which led up to the XRL’s grand entrance on the NHRA’s biggest stage at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
Prior to qualifying, the Corvette of Bill Kuhlmann and Mike Ashley’s Willys were both seen in the pits adorned with XRL and DaPreacher.com decals, further fueling the buzz engulfing the Pro Modified pits. Later, an airplane towing an aerial advertising banner with the words “DaPreacher.com + XRL?” lapped the skies above the Indianapolis Raceway Park, piquing the interest of the tens of thousands in attendance and leaving those disgruntled with the masked men unamused.
Those behind the XRL attempted another go at it in 2003, but unlike the advertising planes at Indianapolis, the XRL never got off the ground. Other parties from the Pro Modified arena are said to have been behind it’s planning, but Kuhlmann (Da Preacher) and AMS Pro Mod Series figurehead Kenny Nowling (Big Preacher) were the two which tackled the promotional side of things (however controversial those methods may have been), becoming the proverbial faces of the venture with their secret but certainly comical identities.
As drag racing fans the world over know, Nowling was eventually successful in launching his vision for a true outlaw doorslammer series to a national audience, forming the American Drag Racing League in 2005 – just three short years after the failed attempts with the XRL. And as they say, the rest is history.
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