The world's top eighth-mile drag racing league announced on Thursday that it will increase the purse and payouts for all five professional classes (Pro Extreme, Pro Nitrous, Extreme 10.5, Pro Extreme Motorcycle and Extreme Pro Stock) at each national event on the 2011 ADRL Tour.
In all, there will be a $330,000 increase in purse payouts from 2010, a sign that the ADRL continues to grow and build lasting partnerships with numerous sponsors, and provide even more opportunities for its competitors.
"The level of competition just keeps getting better in the ADRL and we know that requires more investment from our competitors," ADRL Executive Vice President Jeff Fortune said. "By working closely with our sponsors, we were able to significantly increase our payouts, and we are confident this exciting move will lead to even more memorable action in the ADRL in 2011."
Every class received a payout increase and some finishing places received as much as a 100 percent increase.
Event winners in Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous will now earn $10,000 for their victories, while runner-ups in each class will be awarded $5,000. Semifinalists will get $2,500; quarterfinalists will earn $2,000 and qualifiers will earn $1,500, all of which is an increase over previous seasons.
In Extreme 10.5, champions at each event will now get $8,000, with $3,500 now going to the runner-up. An increased sum of $1,500 will be awarded to semifinalists, while $1,250 and $1,000 will now go to quarterfinalists and qualifiers, respectively.
Winners in Pro Extreme Motorcycle will get $5,000, while the runner-up will now get $2,000. Semifinalists will earn $1,000; $750 will go to quarterfinalists and qualifiers will be awarded $500, which are all increases from 2010.
In Extreme Pro Stock, single-event victors will now see a payout of $8,000. The runner-up at each race will now earn $3,500, while the semifinalists will get $2,000. Racers who advance to the quarterfinals will get $1,500, while qualifiers will earn $1,250.
Additionally, the ADRL officially announced Low Qualifier Programs in three classes (Pro Extreme, Pro Nitrous and Extreme 10.5).
Larry Jeffers Pro Cars will sponsor the program in Pro Extreme and Mickey Thompson Tires is the official sponsor of the program in Extreme 10.5. RJ Race Cars and Quarter-Max was announced as the program sponsor in Pro Nitrous earlier this month.
The low qualifier at each event in Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous will earn $1,000, while $500 will go to the top qualifier at every race in Extreme 10.5.
The increased payouts and low qualifier program will begin at the first race of the 2011 season, which begins on March 25-26 with CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas.
"This is the first of several big announcements the ADRL will have leading into the first event of the year in Baytown," Fortune said. "This is another step in our growth towards becoming one of the top motorsports series in the world."
