BAYTOWN, TEXAS (March 25, 2011) – Jason Hamstra had enough misfortune in 2010 to last a racing lifetime.
His performance on Saturday at Royal Purple Raceway was a resounding indication things may be much different in 2011.
The 2009 American Drag Racing League (ADRL) Rookie of the Year appeared to be back in top form as the ADRL kicked off its 2011 season, winning an incredibly competitive Pro Extreme class with a 3.68 in the finals of CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports.
"It's great to come out and do this at the first race. After a while, it's good to see all of your hard work pay off," Hamstra said. "After last year, we couldn't have had any more bad luck, so this feels good to start the season this way."
Hamstra provided just one of several highlights on a day where the RPR crowd was brought to its feet on several occasions.
Khalid Al-Balooshi had his share of show-stealing moments in his Speedtech Al-Anabi Racing Camaro, setting both ends of the Pro Nitrous records en route to a final-round 3.81 and a win against Pat Stoken.
Lamar Swindoll, who lives just two miles from the track, was the surprise winner in Extreme 10.5, as his 4.03 gave him a victory at his first ADRL race against class veteran Billy Glidden.
Ashley Owens' dominance in Pro Extreme Motorcycle continued into the new season, as he went 4.02 in the finals to beat 2010 World Champion Kim Morrell. The defending champion in Extreme Pro Stock also fell in the finals when Cary Goforth's holeshot on a 4.07 run was enough to top John Montecalvo.
The win was especially sweet for Hamstra, who wrecked in back-to-back races in 2010, which caused him to miss a number of races.
From that came his new Andy McCoy Race Cars '70 Duster, which went as quick as 3.67 on Saturday. That came in a semifinal win against 2010 ADRL Rookie of the Year Mick Snyder, and was a round after Snyder picked up a red-light win against KH Al-Thani.
That came as a shock to the crowd at Royal Purple, who had watched Al-Thani make back-to-back passes of 3.66 earlier in the day.
But the evening belonged to Hamstra, who went 209.82 miles per hour in the finals after Todd Tutterow had a red light.
"It was nice and smooth and it was just another great run," Hamstra said. "It was a great night and everything just went perfect. We're still learning this car, but it has a lot of potential."
Al-Balooshi's potential in Pro Nitrous has been realized and it is impressive.
A month after his dominant season in the Arabian Drag Racing League ended with a championship, Al-Balooshi was near his best again on Saturday, going 3.803 at 199.35 miles per hour in a semifinal win against No. 1 qualifier Jim Halsey to set both ends of the world record.
It was a good summation of his day, which ended with the 3.81 at 198 mph and showed that tuner Brandon Switzer has the magic touch stateside as well.
"My crew chief is doing a great job. He's just awesome, and so is the whole team," Al-Balooshi said. "(Brandon's) the man. I'm only the driver. He knows what's going on and this is just an awesome car."
Awesome was a fitting way to describe the racing in Pro Nitrous during the event, setting the stage for what could be an incredible year in the diverse class.
Swindoll's win in Extreme 10.5 wrapped up a wild day in a class where Dan Millen was expected to dominate.
But after going 3.83 in the fourth qualifying session, the 2010 World Champion had a major red light in the first round of eliminations, abruptly ending his day.
Glidden jumped at the opportunity, advancing to the finals, but he met his match in Swindoll, who drove teammate Todd Moyer's Cavalier to victory in front of a huge following of family and friends.
That made the win especially sweet for Swindoll, who was a model of consistency during eliminations.
He went 4.00 at 203 mph in a semifinal win against fellow Houston-area native Frankie Taylor, going 201.37 mph with the help of a new set of Mickey Thompson Tires to outlast Glidden in the finals.
"This is just awesome," Swindoll said. "I told myself I was going to win the race and I just kept telling myself that all day. How many people get to do this in their first race?
"If I was going to win any race, this is the one."
Owens was back to his incredible self, pulling off three straight runs of 4.02 in Pro Extreme Motorcycle eliminations.
His quarterfinal win also included a speed of 180.26 mph, enough to break his old mark by more than one mph.
"I just can't be happier with this new bike," Owens said. "My other one certainly didn't start out running 4.02s. This bike is just a handful."
Morrell went as quick as 4.10 in eliminations, but Owens and the Fast by Gast team were the runaway performers. It was especially sweet for Owens, who returned to racing after a lengthy rehabilitation over the winter following a crash during the off-season.
"I tried not to think about it," Owens said. "It was probably a little more nerve-wracking, but I'm just getting back in the swing. Something like this boosts my confidence. It feels good to be back."
Cary Goforth and his Sonny Leonard Racing Engine lurked in the shadows for most of the weekend in Extreme Pro Stock, but he pounced at the perfect time, going 4.10 in the semifinals before posting his best run of the day against Montecalvo.
All of it was needed, including his .048 reaction time, as Montecalvo nearly chased him down at the end.
"Pete (Berner) was running good and so was dad, but our car was running fast, too," Goforth said. "We just kept chipping away at it. But we needed that .07 to win."
Berner was the No. 1 qualifier, but fell in an excellent side-by-side semifinal race against Montecalvo, who went 4.077 to advance to the finals.
Henry Canales Jr. was the winner in Pro Junior Dragster, going 8.02 in the finals against Tia Tutterow.
The ADRL returns to action on April 15-16 with the ADRL Safety-Kleen Springs Drags II, which takes place at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fl.
Saturday's final results from the ADRL Carsafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar at Royal Purple Raceway. The race is the First of 9 in the American Drag Racing League:
Pro Extreme -- Jason Hamstra, Plymouth Duster, 3.687, 209.82 def. Todd Tutterow, Chevy Camaro, foul.
Pro Nitrous -- Khalid Al-Balooshi, Chevy Camaro, 3.816, 198.32 def. Pat Stoken, Camaro, 3.872, 194.44.
Extreme 10.5 -- Lamar Swindoll Jr., Chevy Cavalier, 4.030, 201.37 def. Billy Glidden, Ford Mustang, 4.081, 178.68.
Pro Extreme Motorcycle -- Ashley Owens, Suzuki, 4.025, 180.04 def. Kim Morrell, Suzuki, 5.098, 138.98.
Extreme Pro Stock -- Cary Goforth, Chevy Cobalt, 4.074, 177.30 def. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 4.065, 178.07.
Pro Junior Dragster -- Henry Canales Jr, Hardins, 8.029, 80.84 def. Tia Tutterow, Halfscale, 7.959, 80.90.
His performance on Saturday at Royal Purple Raceway was a resounding indication things may be much different in 2011.
The 2009 American Drag Racing League (ADRL) Rookie of the Year appeared to be back in top form as the ADRL kicked off its 2011 season, winning an incredibly competitive Pro Extreme class with a 3.68 in the finals of CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports.
"It's great to come out and do this at the first race. After a while, it's good to see all of your hard work pay off," Hamstra said. "After last year, we couldn't have had any more bad luck, so this feels good to start the season this way."
Hamstra provided just one of several highlights on a day where the RPR crowd was brought to its feet on several occasions.
Khalid Al-Balooshi had his share of show-stealing moments in his Speedtech Al-Anabi Racing Camaro, setting both ends of the Pro Nitrous records en route to a final-round 3.81 and a win against Pat Stoken.
Lamar Swindoll, who lives just two miles from the track, was the surprise winner in Extreme 10.5, as his 4.03 gave him a victory at his first ADRL race against class veteran Billy Glidden.
Ashley Owens' dominance in Pro Extreme Motorcycle continued into the new season, as he went 4.02 in the finals to beat 2010 World Champion Kim Morrell. The defending champion in Extreme Pro Stock also fell in the finals when Cary Goforth's holeshot on a 4.07 run was enough to top John Montecalvo.
The win was especially sweet for Hamstra, who wrecked in back-to-back races in 2010, which caused him to miss a number of races.
From that came his new Andy McCoy Race Cars '70 Duster, which went as quick as 3.67 on Saturday. That came in a semifinal win against 2010 ADRL Rookie of the Year Mick Snyder, and was a round after Snyder picked up a red-light win against KH Al-Thani.
That came as a shock to the crowd at Royal Purple, who had watched Al-Thani make back-to-back passes of 3.66 earlier in the day.
But the evening belonged to Hamstra, who went 209.82 miles per hour in the finals after Todd Tutterow had a red light.
"It was nice and smooth and it was just another great run," Hamstra said. "It was a great night and everything just went perfect. We're still learning this car, but it has a lot of potential."
Al-Balooshi's potential in Pro Nitrous has been realized and it is impressive.
A month after his dominant season in the Arabian Drag Racing League ended with a championship, Al-Balooshi was near his best again on Saturday, going 3.803 at 199.35 miles per hour in a semifinal win against No. 1 qualifier Jim Halsey to set both ends of the world record.
It was a good summation of his day, which ended with the 3.81 at 198 mph and showed that tuner Brandon Switzer has the magic touch stateside as well.
"My crew chief is doing a great job. He's just awesome, and so is the whole team," Al-Balooshi said. "(Brandon's) the man. I'm only the driver. He knows what's going on and this is just an awesome car."
Awesome was a fitting way to describe the racing in Pro Nitrous during the event, setting the stage for what could be an incredible year in the diverse class.
Swindoll's win in Extreme 10.5 wrapped up a wild day in a class where Dan Millen was expected to dominate.
But after going 3.83 in the fourth qualifying session, the 2010 World Champion had a major red light in the first round of eliminations, abruptly ending his day.
Glidden jumped at the opportunity, advancing to the finals, but he met his match in Swindoll, who drove teammate Todd Moyer's Cavalier to victory in front of a huge following of family and friends.
That made the win especially sweet for Swindoll, who was a model of consistency during eliminations.
He went 4.00 at 203 mph in a semifinal win against fellow Houston-area native Frankie Taylor, going 201.37 mph with the help of a new set of Mickey Thompson Tires to outlast Glidden in the finals.
"This is just awesome," Swindoll said. "I told myself I was going to win the race and I just kept telling myself that all day. How many people get to do this in their first race?
"If I was going to win any race, this is the one."
Owens was back to his incredible self, pulling off three straight runs of 4.02 in Pro Extreme Motorcycle eliminations.
His quarterfinal win also included a speed of 180.26 mph, enough to break his old mark by more than one mph.
"I just can't be happier with this new bike," Owens said. "My other one certainly didn't start out running 4.02s. This bike is just a handful."
Morrell went as quick as 4.10 in eliminations, but Owens and the Fast by Gast team were the runaway performers. It was especially sweet for Owens, who returned to racing after a lengthy rehabilitation over the winter following a crash during the off-season.
"I tried not to think about it," Owens said. "It was probably a little more nerve-wracking, but I'm just getting back in the swing. Something like this boosts my confidence. It feels good to be back."
Cary Goforth and his Sonny Leonard Racing Engine lurked in the shadows for most of the weekend in Extreme Pro Stock, but he pounced at the perfect time, going 4.10 in the semifinals before posting his best run of the day against Montecalvo.
All of it was needed, including his .048 reaction time, as Montecalvo nearly chased him down at the end.
"Pete (Berner) was running good and so was dad, but our car was running fast, too," Goforth said. "We just kept chipping away at it. But we needed that .07 to win."
Berner was the No. 1 qualifier, but fell in an excellent side-by-side semifinal race against Montecalvo, who went 4.077 to advance to the finals.
Henry Canales Jr. was the winner in Pro Junior Dragster, going 8.02 in the finals against Tia Tutterow.
The ADRL returns to action on April 15-16 with the ADRL Safety-Kleen Springs Drags II, which takes place at Palm Beach International Raceway in Jupiter, Fl.
Saturday's final results from the ADRL Carsafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar at Royal Purple Raceway. The race is the First of 9 in the American Drag Racing League:
Pro Extreme -- Jason Hamstra, Plymouth Duster, 3.687, 209.82 def. Todd Tutterow, Chevy Camaro, foul.
Pro Nitrous -- Khalid Al-Balooshi, Chevy Camaro, 3.816, 198.32 def. Pat Stoken, Camaro, 3.872, 194.44.
Extreme 10.5 -- Lamar Swindoll Jr., Chevy Cavalier, 4.030, 201.37 def. Billy Glidden, Ford Mustang, 4.081, 178.68.
Pro Extreme Motorcycle -- Ashley Owens, Suzuki, 4.025, 180.04 def. Kim Morrell, Suzuki, 5.098, 138.98.
Extreme Pro Stock -- Cary Goforth, Chevy Cobalt, 4.074, 177.30 def. John Montecalvo, Cobalt, 4.065, 178.07.
Pro Junior Dragster -- Henry Canales Jr, Hardins, 8.029, 80.84 def. Tia Tutterow, Halfscale, 7.959, 80.90.
