With a number of record and unofficial record performances put down during Friday’s three rounds of qualifying and fields on the verge of becoming the quickest in history, today’s eliminations action is sure to be an action-packed affair. We’ll kick off the day with a fourth and final round of qualifying in which those outside of the field will have to overcome the worst conditions they’ve encountered yet to earn themselves a starting spot in the opening round of eliminations.
Special thanks goes out to Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, the presenting sponsor of our live same day coverage. For all of your high performance and racing tire ad wheel needs, look no further than Mickey Thompson!
One of the biggest surprises thus far this weekend has been Billy Glidden, who despite the best conditions seen b y the ADRL competitors all year, has failed to get down the racetrack thus far with just a 7.14 best to his credit through the first three rounds of Extreme 10.5 qualifying.Like he did at Bristol, Doug Reisterer arrived this morning at Gateway just in time for the final qualifying session of Pro Nitrous. With just twelve cars taking a time yesterday, Reisterer is essentially guaranteed a spot in the field should he pass tech and complete a run. The LenMar Motorsports-backed racer qualified No. 1 in Bristol and is a certain player here today.Friday's crowd here at Gateway was exceptional, and already this morning the fans are pouring through the gates as teams make final preparations for the final round of qualifying. Mike Knowles (pictured) currently sits fourth in the Pro Modified qualifying order and would face Jeff Naiser in the opening round should the order remain the same. The corrected altitude is already 100-feet above the worst conditions experienced yesterday, so there isn't likely to be much juggling of the qualifying orders in the final session that rolls off at noon central time.Brandon Pesz and crew had the transmission out of the House of Hot Rods '58 Corvette this morning a couple hours prior to the call to the lanes for qualifying. Pesz currently sits No. 7 in the Pro Extreme order with a 3.671 best.Scott Hintz currently anchors the quickest Extreme Pro Stock field of all time and the first all 4.0-second field in history with his 4.096 effort. Six other drivers are currently on the outside looking to punch their way into the field.
No. 1 qualifier John DeFlorian was on the starting line to assist teammate Kevin Bealko in his efforts to crack his way into the Extreme Pro Stock field, but a 4.24 effort and a 4.11 best on the weekend wasn't enough to make the tough 16-car field.
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Pete Berner (left) qualified No. 7 in Extreme Pro Stock with a 4.062 best, while Trevor Eman concluded qualifying No. 9 at 4.077. Despite some valiant efforts, Scott Hintz held onto the bump spot with his 4.096.
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Hometown racer Rickie Jones (left) maintained his position atop the Pro Nitrous field with his 3.80 best. Jones had the third best lap of the round with his 3.91. bob Rahaim meanwhile, made his best run of the weekend in the ehat at 3.885 seconds for the second quickest pass of the session. Burton Auxier cranked off a killer 3.84 in the final session with the track temperature well above 120 degrees.Top Sportsman racer Chuck Mohn is now 4-for-4 this season as the top qualifier in Top Sportsman. Mohn has reset his own national record on at least two other occasions this season and did it again here at Gateway with a stout 4.089.John Stanley was among the racers that failed to qualify for the tight Pro Extreme field as he slowed to a 4.14 in the final session.Brandon Pesz tossed the blower belt before moving five feet off the starting line in the final session of Pro Extreme and had to rest on his No. 7 best 3.671. Pesz will face Tim Tindle, who reeled off his weekend-best 3.680 in the final session, in the opening round of eliminations.Randall Reid failed to break into the 3.773-second Pro Extreme field as he shook and slowed in the final session.Former Pro Nitrous champion Jamie Hancock qualified ninth with a 4.06 best and has the privilege of facing Bob Rahaim in the first round of eliminations.
Adam Flamholc was on the winning end of a wail of a drag race in the opening round of Pro Modified eliminations, as Flamholc rolled in deep on Dan Stevenson and took an .033 to .101 advantage out of the gate that he parlayed into a 4.00 to 3.96 holeshot defeat.
 Pro Modified Round One
L
JEFF NAISER
4914
0.00
.040
3.947
187.730
R
MIKE KNOWLES
5011
0.00
.036
3.958
189.950
L
DAN STEVENSON
351
0.00
.101
3.969
189.310
R
ADAM FLAMHOLC
872
0.00
.033
4.006
190.590
L
EDWARD WILSON
141
0.00
.076
3.893
190.570
R
JEFFREY CUMMINS JR
495
0.00
.112
4.220
135.250
L
PAT MUSI
133
0.00
.059
4.144
170.580
R
SCOTT RAY
321
0.00
.038
4.051
184.700
Richie Stevens Jr., as he's done so many times in hisa career, stole one on a holeshot over Dean Goforth in Extreme Pro Stock, his 4.15 downing the quicker 4.11.
Extreme Pro Stock Round One
L
JOHN MONTECALVO
2
0.00
.037
5.873
92.970
R
TREVOR EMAN
290
0.00
.022
4.134
174.930
L
PETE BERNER
3
0.00
.056
4.099
176.170
R
JOHN PLUCHINO
197
0.00
.045
4.125
175.870
L
BRIAN GAHM
8
0.00
.026
4.130
175.890
R
DOUG KIRK
99
0.00
.019
4.289
148.840
L
ELIJAH MORTON
6
0.00
.068
4.107
176.010
R
DAVID SCHORR
18
0.00
.019
4.121
175.570
L
DEAN GOFORTH
4
0.00
.095
4.112
175.960
R
RICHIE STEVENS JR
7
0.00
.048
4.153
173.700
L
TODD HOERNER
6157
0.00
.070
4.104
176.810
R
BRAD WADDLE
683
0.00
.060
4.143
174.550
L
CARY GOFORTH
1
0.00
.071
4.109
176.840
R
MATT BERTSCH
352
0.00
-.003
4.131
175.570
L
JOHN DEFLORIAN JR.
531
0.00
.028
5.954
81.300
R
SCOTT HINTZ
5
0.00
.036
4.135
174.550
Pro Extreme Round One
Frankie Taylor broke a crankshaft during last nights third qualifying session and was unable to make the call for the first round of eliminations this afternoon. "The Madman" did however tune teammate Tim Tindle to a great holeshot win over Brandon Pesz, 3.71 to 3.69.Al-Anabi Racing tuner Frank Manzo didn't quite get a handle on the warm Gateway racing surface this afternoon as Alex Hossler rattled the tires and could only watch Terry Leggett sail to a big upset win.
L
DAN MILLEN
91
0.00
.062
16.533
21.460
R
TOMMY D’APRILE
1382
0.00
.020
3.715
203.250
L
BRANDON PESZ
463
0.00
.055
3.696
206.130
R
TIM TINDLE
217
0.00
.008
3.711
205.290
L
VON SMITH
2377
0.00
.020
4.344
176.030
R
QUAIN STOTT
1101
0.00
.056
3.970
186.510
L
ALEX HOSSLER
7
0.00
.039
4.771
106.090
R
TERRY LEGGETT
277
0.00
.049
3.735
205.910
L
FRANKIE TAYLOR
4
0.00
0.000
0.000
R
DUANE RISTER
360
0.00
.073
3.766
200.980
L
BUBBA STANTON
2695
0.00
.043
4.002
159.570
R
JON STOUFFER
526
0.00
.097
3.786
199.230
L
JASON SCRUGGS
6
0.00
.037
3.674
205.410
R
CHRIS RUSSO
1471
0.00
.047
6.032
77.090
L
MICK SNYDER
3
0.00
.087
3.644
208.040
R
CLINT THOMPSON
6345
0.00
.100
3.842
194.410
Pro Nitrous Round One
L
DOUG RIESTERER
4097
0.00
.065
3.915
189.200
R
BLAKE HOUSLEY
1941
0.00
.054
4.032
187.080
L
ROBERT RAHAIM
360
0.00
.384
3.915
194.180
R
JAMIE HANCOCK
2792
0.00
.014
4.197
174.620
L
STAN ALLEN
4
0.00
-.001
4.053
167.990
R
PAT STOKEN
21
0.00
.057
4.269
149.600
L
ROBERT MATHIS
42
0.00
.075
3.932
193.160
R
AARON HODGES
348
0.00
.067
7.008
84.920
L
CHRIS PATRICK
237
0.00
-.239
5.675
84.670
R
BURTON AUXIER
2
0.00
.050
4.490
120.790
L
CHRIS JULIANO
567
0.00
.268
4.017
183.590
R
JIM LAURITA
1087
0.00
.070
3.900
192.330
L
RICKIE JONES
8
0.00
4.306
3.894
188.780
R
Extreme 10.5 Round One
L
BILLY GLIDDEN
3
0.00
.117
3.928
188.830
R
DENNIS SUGRUE
420
0.00
.043
8.393
54.120
L
DAN MYERS
7095
0.00
-.005
3.978
185.510
R
GARY WHITE
2
0.00
.033
5.054
113.120
L
R
ALAN PITTMAN
277
0.00
.063
7.199
85.840
Jim Laurita provided the days fireworks in the first round of Pro Nitrous when he got up on two wheels at the finish line and was headed for a disasterous head-on shot into the gaurdrail. After reigning it in, Laurita slapped the wall with the passenger side of the Camaro, but was able to patch the car back up and return for his competition single in the second round.
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David Schorr has head a breakout weekend here at Gateway and his run continues as he flat outran Richie Stevens Jr. in the second round to advance to the semifinals. Quain Stott outran Jon Stouffer in the second round of Pro Extreme, 3.73 to 3.74, earning the right to face Jason Scruggs in the semifinals. Scruggs had the second quickest pass of the round - a 3.647 - to defeat Tim Tindle.If the Pro Nitrous field didn't know that Doug Reisterer was on the property before, they certainly do now. With the sun dropping low behind the grandstands, Reisterer clicked off the quickest pass of the weekend at 3.800 to down No. 1 qualifier Rickie Jones.After fixing the motor mounts that were smashed in last nights monster wheelstand, Chris Holbrook's Cobra Jet shed some parts right off the starting line in his first round match with Jimmy DeFrank and couldn't run the multi-time NHRA champion down, losing 5.82 to 5.91.
Extreme Pro Stock Round Two
L
SCOTT HINTZ
5
0.00
.030
4.125
174.680
R
TREVOR EMAN
290
0.00
.006
4.136
174.980
L
DAVID SCHORR
18
0.00
.024
4.127
175.500
R
RICHIE STEVENS JR
7
0.00
.064
4.133
173.740
L
BRIAN GAHM
8
0.00
.061
4.215
176.100
R
TODD HOERNER
6157
0.00
.035
4.113
176.400
L
PETE BERNER
3
0.00
-.159
4.081
176.630
R
CARY GOFORTH
1
0.00
.021
4.099
177.300
 Pro Extreme Round Two Eliminations
L
QUAIN STOTT
1101
0.00
.067
3.734
204.140
R
JON STOUFFER
526
0.00
.140
3.748
200.380
L
DUANE RISTER
360
0.00
.085
3.748
201.640
R
TERRY LEGGETT
277
0.00
.069
3.746
204.980
L
JASON SCRUGGS
6
0.00
.038
3.647
206.860
R
TIM TINDLE
217
0.00
.041
3.681
206.010
L
MICK SNYDER
3
0.00
.017
3.646
208.040
R
TOMMY D’APRILE
1382
0.00
.016
4.650
107.740
Pro Nitrous Round Two Eliminations
L
BURTON AUXIER
2
0.00
.031
3.861
195.820
R
JAMIE HANCOCK
2792
0.00
-.018
4.167
150.510
L
ROBERT MATHIS
42
0.00
.099
3.904
193.630
R
PAT STOKEN
21
0.00
-.035
5.197
96.110
L
RICKIE JONES
8
0.00
.043
3.883
192.580
R
DOUG RIESTERER
4097
0.00
.031
3.800
194.970
L
R
JIM LAURITA
1087
0.00
.753
15.677
0.000
Pro Modified Round Two Eliminations
L
JEFF NAISER
4914
0.00
.045
3.876
192.630
R
SCOTT RAY
321
0.00
.076
4.002
186.070
L
EDWARD WILSON
141
0.00
.987
4.804
111.140
R
ADAM FLAMHOLC
872
0.00
0.000
0.000
Extreme 10.5 Semifinals
L
BILLY GLIDDEN
3
0.00
.015
4.022
179.800
R
ALAN PITTMAN
277
0.00
.017
3.894
198.470
L
R
TODD MOYER
7
0.00
.022
4.078
213.980
Extreme Pro Stock Semifinals
L
DAVID SCHORR
18
0.00
.017
4.191
169.320
R
TREVOR EMAN
290
0.00
.028
4.121
175.520
L
CARY GOFORTH
1
0.00
.061
4.072
177.860
R
TODD HOERNER
6157
0.00
.002
4.090
177.020
Mick Snyder has been a world-beater this weekend in Pro Extreme and continued his torrid pace with another consistent mid-3.60 run, downing 'Terry Leggett 3.65 to 3.74. In the final, Snyder will meet his teammate Jason Scruggs, who earned lane choice with a 3.646 defeat of Quain Stott.Famous for her Bristol crash just a few weeks ago, Lizzy Musi silenced the doubters this weekend when she stepped back into a race car for the first time since the harrowing incident and scored the first two round wins of her career under the tutelage of former street legal drag racing star Marc Dantoni (pictured at right). Musi was .005 on the tree in the opening round to send former IHRA champion Ricky Adkins packing, and then sawed the tree down again in round two with a .004 bulb on Rick Corn. Unfortunately, she ran into mechanical woes and was unable to make the call for her semifinal matchup with Chris Nyerges.It simply wouldn't be the Gateway Drags IV if we didn't create a little more history before bringing the event to a close. For the first time in ADRL history, the Top Sportsman final featured the Nos. 15 and 16 qualifiers in the final round, and coming from clear in the back of the pack, Chris Nyerges put his Firebird in victory lane with a dead-on 4.46 as he defeated Jim Sackuvich by a mere .0012-seconds.Jeff Naiser saved his best run for last, uncorking a 3.86 in the Pro Modified final to turn back Edward Wilson and his 4.07.Todd Hoerner made history in the final round here at Gateway, becoming not only the first EFI-equipped Pro Stock car to make a final round, but the first to win a race as his 4.07 was just too much for Trevor Eman and his holeshot-aided 4.11. Hoerner was also the first of the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro's to claim a victory in the class.On paper the Extreme 10.5 final was a near David versus Goliath matchup between Alan Pittman and Todd Moyer, but that all changed when Alan Pittman was unable to get his machine to fire, handing a huge gift to Moyer. Like it has all weekend, Moyer's twin-turbocharged mount brought the nose up and he wisely lifted.Doug Reisterer, who didn't even leave Texas until 6 p.m. last night and arrived here this morning in time for the final session, rolled through eliminations and put the icing on the cake in the final as he used a great 3.82 to edge out Burton Auxier by a just .0061-seconds in the Pro Nitrous final.The Pro Extreme final round was billed as an epic matchup between a pair of teammates, but when Jason Scruggs encountered burst panel issues upon startup, the final became a one-man show. Mick Snyder, who qualified No. 1 and never faltered all weekend, clicked off his best run of the day - a 3.630 - to claim his second straight title.Drew Skillman had won virtually everything he'd entered lately, and the streak continues as he downed the most experienced "rookie" on the property, Jimmy DeFrank, in the SuperCar Showdown final, 5.72 to 5.78.
The American Drag Racing League makes its much-awaited return to the Gateway Motorsports Park this weekend – the series’ home track – for the fourth rendition of the ADRL Gateway Drags presented by CarSafe. The event kicks off with three rounds of qualifying today, and we’ll have all the action right here on DRAGZINE.
Special thanks to our friends and presenting sponsors at Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels. For all of your high performance and racing tire and wheel needs, visit Mickey Thompson.
After a year of dormancy and a change of ownership, the resurrected Gateway Motorsports re-opened this spring, and this weekend will host its first major drag racing event as the ADRL rolls into town. Temperatures are unseasonably cool to say the least, with the mercury just topping 60 degrees as of this writing and the high only forecasted to reach 69 degrees. The conditions, combined with what's traditionally been one the quickest race tracks in the country, has the makings of some eye-opening performances during today's qualifying.Lizzy Musi, perhaps the most famous driver in the ADRL these days, will be back behind the wheel this weekend in a new '68 Camaro out of the Jerry Bickel Race Cars shop. The Musi team spent the week leading up the event at the nearby Bickel facility finishing the car that's not seen any track time thus far.New Mexico native Clint Satterfield will be among the participants in Pro Modified this weekend aboard his twin-turbocharged '68 Camaro. The powerplant in the car is the very same Brad Anderson Hemi that powered Dave Hance's '57 Chevy into the five-second zone last fall. Satterfield competed at Houston earlier this year.
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Todd Tutterow walked away from this wild ride that occured just beyond half track as his machine rattled the tires and took a hard left turn right behind Jason Scruggs. SuperCar Showdown competitor Drew Skillman has won everything there is to win recently, scoring a double-up win in Stock and Super Stock at the NHRA national event in Atlanta and adding another victory to his resume at the Norwalk divisional. Skillman is one of five racers in a field that includes multi-time world champion Jimmy Defrank.Former Mountain Motor Pro Stock champion Chris Holbrook was the only SCS racer to get a good handle on the racetrack as he put his Cobra Jet in the air on his way to a class-leading 6.00.
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Sweden's Adam Flamholc (left) opened the first round of Pro Modified with a 3.985 to head up the field, but later in the session Pat Musi reeled off his career best performance at 3.882 seconds at 194.72 MPH. With stellar conditions this afternoon and track temperatures near optimal, there was a sense of barrier-breaking in the air as the Extreme Pro Stock cars rolled from underneath the tower. The class' first three-second run will have to wait, however, as local favorite John DeFlorian's provisional national record lap of 4.035 seconds led the field. With cool temperatures on the way in today's evening session, this will be the class to keep an eye on.
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Jason Scruggs kicked off the opening session of Pro Extreme with a great 3.727 that was only good for No. 8 in the field once all was said and done. At the other end of the session, Frankie Taylor, sporting the Stupid Fast Racing banner on his Corvette, rolled to a 3.638 to lead the field. Port Charlotte, Florida's Tommy D'Aprile clicked off a nice 3.71 in the opening session to position himself No. 5 in the field.
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Rickie Jones, seen at right with father and chassis builder Rick Jones, went straight to the top of the Pro Nitrous heap in round one of qualifying with a stout 3.839. Dan Stevenson, with the legendary Charles Carpenter calling the shots, sailed to a 3.98 in he second session of Pro Modified in what could be considered the heat of the afternoon - if you can call 71 degrees hot.How good are the conditions here at Gateway? Enough to get the "Madman" Frankie Taylor's tongue hanging out.
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Back in the pits, Todd Tutterow and crew are digustedly looking over their damaged race car. Larry Snyder (left) helped suit up son Mick before he pounded out the quickest lap of the day in the second round of Pro Extreme qualifying with a stout 3.625 to lead the field into this evening's third session.Edward Wilson stole away the Pro Modified provisional No. 1 in the second session, but Pat Musi was not to be denied as he drove his nitrous-powered Dodge Stratus back to the top wit a 3.861 at a booming 196.72 MPH.What goes up must come back down. Chris Holbrook skied out his Mustang Cobra Jet all the way into the opposing lane before slamming the nose back to earth in a shower of sparks. Fortunately, he didn't have an opponent in the other lane.Holbrook as his Cobra Jet heads toward the centerline on its descent. Photo courtesy Steven Wilson/Wilson Motorsports PhotographyMuch like it did in the first session - resulting in a bogus 213 MPH trap speed - Todd Moyer's twin turbocharged Corvette hiked the nose down past half track, bouncing back to earth once and back up before Moyer called it a night.
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Alan Pittman closed out the third session of Extreme 10.5 by grabbing a leg up on a new national record with a stout 3.803-second lap. After grabbing the provisional pole in the second round of Pro Extreme qualifying, Mick Snyder returned in tonight's third session and kept the momentum rolling, just missing his first 3.5-second lap with a class-leading 3.609. The Pro Extreme field is already the second quickest in history, with Clint Thompson 3.773 anchoring the 16-car field.Rickie Jones and Jim Laurita (pictured), the incoming Nos. 1 and 2 qualifiers, both improved in the third session - Jones remained on top with a 3.80 and Laurita sailed to a 3.83.Local favorite John DeFlorian got a heroes' welcome of sorts as he was brought back up the return road after laying down the quickest Extreme Pro Stock pass of all time at 4.018 seconds to lead the field by more than four-hundredths of a a second.
