Words and images courtesy ADRL.us/ADRL Communications

Jason Hamstra had a win, three finals appearances and the points lead in Pro Extreme during an already brilliant 2011 American Drag Racing League (ADRL) season. Now, he can add a victory at his home track in front of a mass of family and friends to an already extensive accomplishment list.

Showing tremendous consistency throughout at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, Hamstra wrapped up his magical day by going 3.715 at 207.05 miles per hour to beat Todd Tutterow in the finals of the Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII.

“All of our friends and family drove here, and it feels good to get this win in front of them,” Hamstra said. “If you’re going to pick one race to win, this would be it. You can’t ask for a whole lot more.”

Hamstra added a second victory to his 2011 season, extending his points lead in front of a packed crowd at U.S. 131. Joining the Demotte, Ind. native in the MAVTV Winner’s Circle at the Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII was Mahana Al-Naemi (Pro Nitrous), Frankie Taylor (Extreme 10.5), Ashley Owens (Pro Extreme Motorcycle), Cary Goforth (Extreme Pro Stock) and Glenn Butcher (Top Sportsman).

Hamstra led an animated family-heavy celebration after qualifying second and running in the 3.70s all day. Displaying a new patriotic-themed wrap, his efficient Duster beat Von Smith, Mick Snyder, who made his fifth straight semifinal appearance, and Tutterow (3.73 in the finals) in an excellent side-by-side finals matchup.

“We didn’t go too crazy with the car. We just tried to pick at it and it turned out for the best,” Hamstra said. “This is a good car. It does what we tell it to do.”

Al-Naemi sported a beaming smile after picking up his first ADRL win in the loaded Pro Nitrous class. After becoming the No. 1 qualifier for the fourth straight race, the Al-Anabi Racing driver capped it off by going 3.882 at 194.54 mph in the finals against class standout Burton Auxier.

“I’m very, very happy. I tried many, many times to do this and to get a win is just great,” Al-Naemi said. “I think I’m getting better with each run, but when I saw the win light, I couldn’t believe it.”

Al-Naemi persevered through scorching track temperatures on Saturday, and his RJ Race Cars Camaro was solid all day. He beat teammate Mike Castellana in the semifinals – extracting revenge after Castellana beat Al-Naemi in the finals last month in Topeka – with a 3.88 before posting a nearly identical run a round later.

“(The crew) did a very good job today,” Al-Naemi said. “They wanted to make sure nothing went wrong.”

Frankie Taylor may be used to the ADRL winner’s circle, but he graced it for the first time in Extreme 10.5 after beating Billy Glidden with an impressive 3.914 at 199.33 mph.

“To get that first win in this class, it feels really good,” said Taylor, who also credited Mickey Thompson Tires. “My brother made great calls on the car all weekend and every pass we made was good. He had the car in bracket-racing mode.”

Taylor qualified in the No. 1 spot with a track record 3.88 and was a step ahead of the class all weekend at U.S. 131 in his Jeffers Pro Cars Corvette. He used a 3.924 to beat Chuck Ulsch in the semifinals and Taylor considered his victory against Glidden, who has 12 career wins, in the finals to be significant.
“Billy is so good and we needed that horsepower against him,” Taylor said. “If you beat him, you’ve earned it and it’s a big deal.”

The win at the Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII for Owens against Eric McKinney was historic, as it gave him 12 for his career to tie Glidden for the most in ADRL history. He also did it in fashion, running a 4.009 at 178.39 mph to make it the quickest PXM pass in ADRL history.

“I was getting a little nervous because Eric is so good on the tree. But everybody just did a great job and worked so hard to get this done,” Owens said. “We swapped around a lot of stuff and made a lot of changes, but it worked out great.”

Owens, the No. 1 qualifier, got plenty of stiff competition, as McKinney went as quick as 4.10, Terry Schweigert ran a 4.11 and Kim Morrell had a 4.13. But his Fast by Gast bike steadily improved, capped off with a pair of 4.08s before the big finish.

“I definitely thought it would go faster. We changed some things and it was probably more like the regular combination,” Owens said. “It responded even better than we thought.”

Cary Goforth, the No. 1 qualifier in XPS, couldn’t have expected such a great start for his new Jerry Haas-built GXP, but it delivered all weekend, including a remarkable 4.116 – the quickest pass of the event – in the finals against John Montecalvo.

“This went exactly the way you would want it to. I don’t know how it could have gone any better,” Goforth said. “We knew John was going to step up, but we’re just so happy with this. I don’t even know what to say.”

In the semifinals, Goforth beat points leader Pete Berner with a 4.12, retaking the points lead and extending it with his strong run a round later.

“If we’re running with Pete, we’re where we need to be,” Goforth said. “There’s so many guys working hard in this class, but we’re working hard enough that good things should happen.”
In the Top Sportsman final, Glenn Butcher went 4.25 at 168.48 mph, knocking off Charley Whittenburg.

It was a monumental win for Butcher, as he became the first winner in Top Sportsman since it was named an official class in the ADRL.

Butcher reflected on the thrilling moment in the winner’s circle.

“To be the first Top Sportsman winner in the ADRL, this is just incredible,” Butcher said. “To have the ADRL bring us in, it’s absolutely amazing. I had great help all day and the car was just on a string, and it worked out perfectly.”

Friday

Joey Martin had never raced at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park before Friday. But, like everywhere else he’s been in 2011, the Pro Extreme standout made an immediate impression, the latest coming at the American Drag Racing League’s (ADRL) Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII.
Martin and his popular Lowmad scorched the U.S. 131 track under the lights, going 3.664 at 205 miles per hour in the third qualifying session, putting him in the No. 1 spot and just missing out on yet another track record in the latest chapter of his remarkable 2011 season.

“Just like all of the other tracks we roll up to, we just want to go from point A to B,” Martin said. “I’m in control of that, but we just have to race the track.”

Martin has done that nearly flawlessly all year, but he had company on Friday on an entertaining and historic day of qualifying at U.S. 131.

Mahana Al-Naemi’s 3.83 took the top spot – and the track record – in Pro Nitrous, while Frankie Taylor’s Extreme 10.5 car went 3.88, setting a track record in the process in that class as well.

With a record-breaking 25-car field in Extreme Pro Stock, Cary Goforth’s 4.119 was good enough for the top spot in that loaded class. Ashley Owens went an identical 4.119 to sit atop Pro Extreme Motorcycle, and Top Sportsman’s first race as an official class in the ADRL was a rousing success with Marc Malcuit’s 4.17 putting him in the No. 1 position.

The fourth and final round of qualifying for the Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII takes place at 12 p.m. on Saturday with eliminations to follow at 3 p.m.

Martin, though, once again stole all the attention late with his incredible 3.66, which just edged out points leader Jason Hamstra’s 3.68 and Mick Snyder’s 3.69. It came after Martin struggled during his first two runs, but he figured out the track at the opportune time as he looks for his third straight ADRL win in Pro Extreme.

“We had to calm (the car) down a little bit,” Martin said. “On that last pass, the car had never been tuned down that much this year. The track was not going to take the power like we’ve had it this year.”

Al-Naemi moved closer to an impressive streak in Pro Nitrous, and if his 3.832 at 197 mph holds up, he will be the No. 1 qualifier for the fourth straight race in the ultra-competitive class.

“I was happy with that. When I feel the car goes on two wheels, I know it’s going to be a good number,” Al-Naemi said. “I’m getting more and more comfortable with each race.”

That has been evident as the Al-Anabi Racing driver advanced his RJ Race Cars Camaro to the finals last month for the first time and appears close to his first ADRL win. Right behind Al-Naemi in qualifying is Bob Rahaim, who went 3.858 at his home track, and Burton Auxier, who also went 3.858.

“(Saturday) is going to be different, but I will rely on (crew chief) Shannon (Jenkins) to make the right call,” Al-Naemi said.

Frankie Taylor had the perfect call on his Extreme 10.5 car from the outset on Friday as it went 3.88 right out of the trailer. That was exactly what the team had hoped for after changing the car back to a more consistent combination before this race.

“The car has its normal set-up back in it and everything worked in it today,” Taylor said. “We’re still learning these 10.5 cars a little, but this was pretty good. We’ve been trying a lot of stuff, but we’re trying to win a championship now.”

Others are, too, and Dan Millen’s 3.967 and Billy Glidden’s 3.978 have them second and third, respectively, through three qualifying rounds.

It was a remarkable debut for Cary Goforth’s new Jerry Haas-built GXP, which went a class-best 4.119 right out of the gates on Friday.

Goforth’s father, Dean, caught up to Cary, running a near-identical 4.119, landing in the No. 2 spot based on Cary’s quicker speed (176.92 mph to 176.75 mph). Cary saw it all as a win-win for the family after one day of racing.

“I’m pleased because dad’s No. 2 and that could have gone either way. I’m just happy because he’s got his confidence back,” Goforth said. “I’m happy for him and I’m just as happy to be No. 1. Basically we’re both No. 1.”

Richard Penland shot to the third spot in a huge XPS field, going 4.126 with Pete Berner right behind with a 4.127. Goforth hopes to finish the job on Saturday, but it will be difficult in a field that features 25 cars, an ADRL record for XPS, with the top 16 separated by just .058, which is another class record.

“We’ve got some good power in this new car and we’re just scratching the surface with it,” Goforth said. “What we need to do is get after it a little more (on Saturday). I believe it will take a 4.09. We had some missed opportunities the last couple races and we’ve got to go more rounds.”

Ashley Owens returned in fine and familiar fashion, delivering a strong performance in the third qualifying session. After easing in a new motor to start the day – running a pedestrian (for him) 4.20 – Owens and his Fast by Gast bike stepped up considerably, running a 4.119 at 174.69 mph to jump a number of riders.

“(The first pass) was just an easy pass. It was the first pass with a new engine and we just wanted to break it in and go from there,” Owens said. “I thought that second pass was maybe even a little faster.

“But we’ll go through everything and decide what we need to do. I’m not really happy with a (4.11), so we’ll try to improve on that (on Saturday).”

Owens has close company after Kim Morrell went 4.132 in her third qualifying pass while Terry Schweigert’s 4.135 on his final pass puts him in third.

In Top Sportsman, Malcuit’s first run was more than enough to stand up as Top Sportsman made its official class debut at the Ford Drive One Summer Drags VII. A total of 21 cars made passes on Friday, but none were better than Malcuit’s run of 4.173 at 171.72 mph. Local native Don Klooster is second with a 4.212 and Charley Whittenburg sits right behind with a 4.214.