ROCKINGHAM, NC (September 11, 2010) – Inclement weather forced the unfortunate postponement of the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) Simpson Dragstock VII on Saturday at Rockingham Dragway.
The ADRL's biggest and most prestigious race will now be completed at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH, which will also be the site of the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags IV on Sept. 24-25.
Both events will be completed during the weekend.
A sudden and steady rain interrupted the final round of qualifying on Saturday, causing ADRL President and CEO Kenny Nowling to postpone what had already been a record-breaking event.
"Nobody wanted to finish Dragstock at Rockingham Speedway more than myself, but unfortunately we have to call the event," ADRL President and CEO Kenny Nowling said. "There's no way the cars can run after all the rain. Our track crew is the best in the business, but this is just unfortunate. There's not a lot we can do."
Final qualifying was completed in Extreme Pro Stock, Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Extreme 10.5 and Pro Nitrous before rain halted the fourth round of Pro Extreme qualifying.
Before that, the capacity crowd at Rockingham Dragway was on its feet for most of a record-breaking afternoon.
After Frankie Taylor set a world E.T. record in Pro Extreme on Friday, becoming the first ADRL driver to reach the 3.5s (3.596), Shannon Jenkins (Pro Nitrous) and Dan Millen (Extreme 10.5) followed suit in their respective divisions.
Jenkins was incredibly impressive in a loaded Pro Nitrous field, which fielded an ADRL-record 40 cars.
The "Iceman" went 3.813 on Friday night and then backed that up with his pass on Saturday to stay as the No. 1 qualifier and set a new world record.
"This is a good car," Jenkins said.
It was also a standout and record-breaking Pro Nitrous field that became the quickest in ADRL history, as John Bartunek qualified in the No. 16 spot with a 3.95, making it nearly .05 quicker than the previous best field.
Several talented drivers like Charles Carpenter, Dan Stevenson, Johnny Pilcher, Pat Stoken and Terry Murphy were left out, though Steve Vick snuck in with a 3.93 on his last try to put him in at No. 15.
Currently ninth in the points race, Vick needed that qualification to keep hope alive for a top eight spot at the LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VI in October.
"It kept us in the chase. If we had not qualified, we would have been done," Vick said. "I figured the field would be around a .96, so I was pretty close."
Dan Millen's magical stretch continued on Saturday in Extreme 10.5, as he went 3.858 at 203.09 mph to set a new E.T. world record.
Chuck Ulsch held the mark for all of one day after going 3.90 on Friday, but Millen responded with his fourth straight run in the 3-second range, all of which were better than the previous pass.
"We're real happy right now," Millen said. "We need points like it's nobody's business."
Five drivers reached the 3-second mark in XTF, but Millen continually marveled the overflow crowd at Rockingham during qualifying.
Ashley Owens did much of the same in PXM and remained the top qualifier after his run of 4.022.
He opted to not take a fourth qualifying pass, but will have a chance to back up his 4.022 in Norwalk to set a new E.T. record. As has been the case all year, Owens was in command of his Fast by Gast bike.
"Once I crank the bike, I'm not thinking about anything," Owens said. "That's when I get the most relaxed."
Brian Gahm remained the top qualifier in XPS after going 4.062 on Friday, while Taylor remained on top in Pro Extreme with a good portion of the field yet to make their final qualifying run.
Joshua Hernandez was in the No. 2 qualifying spot after going 3.658 in PX and said he'll be prepared for the ADRL's third double-race weekend of the year in two weeks.
"We'll be ready to go in Ohio," Hernandez said.
The Ohio Drags will be the final race before the World Finals in October.
