The talented Extreme Pro Stock standout got the most out of his CarSafe and Valspar-sponsored Mustang on Saturday, dramatically winning the single-day “Battle For The Belts” shootout out of the No. 8 and final qualifying position.
As part of the featured event during the weekend’s LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VII presented by Summit Racing Equipment at Texas Motorplex, Stevens wrapped up his magical day with a holeshot win against Cary Goforth in the finals, going 4.07 to claim the BFTB.
“This feels awesome. There’s really no other words to describe it,” Stevens said. “To come here as the No. 8 seed and just slip into the field, and then beat a team of that caliber in the finals, it’s just unbelievable. I can’t even begin to say what that’s like.
“When you get that first win along with it, that just make it that much more exciting.”
Other “Battle For The Belts” winners included Todd Tutterow (Pro Extreme), Khalid Al-Balooshi (Pro Nitrous), Dan Millen (Extreme 10.5) and Ashley Owens (Pro Extreme Motorcycle).
Final eliminations for Sunday’s LenMar Motorsports ADRL World Finals VII presented by Summit Racing Equipment begin at 11 a.m.
Event and world champions will also be officially crowned during the Racer Appreciation and Awards Gala, which takes place Sunday evening at the Champion’s Club at Texas Motorplex.
By qualifying for the World Finals, Mike Castellana also clinched the world championship in Pro Nitrous, joining Owens and Goforth as world champions. Millen and Pro Extreme points leader Jason Hamstra remain heavy favorites going into eliminations.
Stevens, who has six NHRA and three IHRA Pro Stock wins to his credit, started the day by going 4.09 in his Jerry Haas Race Cars Mustang to beat Brian Gahm and get into the field.
He followed that up with exciting victories against Pete Berner and Elijah Morton to meet up with Goforth, who had gone quicker throughout the day.
But Stevens had a .045 reaction time and held off Goforth, kicking off a wild celebration for the CarSafe team.
“I pulled it out when I needed to. Cary had been quick all day long and I knew I had to be on my game,” Stevens said. “I had a lot of people behind me and I just felt like it was my day.”
Tutterow won the BFTB for a second time, relying on consistency that led to three runs at 3.63 in his new Jeffers Pro Car ’67 Mustang. He ran a 3.639 at 210.80 mph during a solo pass in the finals when Alex Hossler broke during the burnout.
“The first one was good, but this win was just as important,” said Tutterow, who also won in 2009.
Tutterow put together an impressive stretch to win the belt, knocking off 2010 champion Frankie Taylor in the first round with a 3.634, and following it up with a 3.637 in the semifinals against the likely soon-to-be champion in Hamstra.
The new ’67 GT 500 also showed dramatic improvement on Saturday.
“We figured some things out on the car and we felt like we could run consistently,” Tutterow said. “I knew this car could perform well and I think it’s going to turn into a proven winner.”
Millen continues one of the hottest streaks in Extreme 10.5 history, claiming his third straight BFTB after a 2010 ADRL win and a 2010-2011 Arabian Drag Racing League championship.
He went 3.823 at 202.21 mph in the finals against Billy Glidden – tying his world E.T. record and setting a track record – and now stands to make it an even better weekend by wrapping up his second straight world championship.
“I’m amazed by this. It’s been an excellent season for us,” Millen said. “We don’t have a huge team – it’s just me and three guys – and I really don’t think it’s all set in yet.”
After going 3.828 to knock off Chuck Ulsch in the semifinals, Millen and his Z-Matrix Solutions-sponsored Al-Anabi Racing Mustang had to stay aggressive against the ultra-talented Glidden, who went a career-best 3.88 earlier in the day.
“I had to put it on kill because of Billy. You’re racing the best when you go against him,” Millen said. “He’s good on the tree and he’s consistent, so I was glad the car was working well.”
Owens has already made it the best of both worlds, adding the BFTB title to the world championship he clinched last month.
To win the BFTB on Saturday, Owens and the Fast by Gast team put in ample work, swapping out the motors several times. The bike was never at its best but Owens made it work, beating Billy Vose on a holeshot in the finals.
Owens, who has an ADRL-record 13 career wins to his credit, went 4.062 in the championship round to win the BFTB for the first time in his storied career.
“This has just been great. We had to put in a lot of work this weekend for this one,” Owens said. “Practically every pass we had to do a good bit of work.
“This just means a lot to finally win the ‘Battle For The Belts’ after the last two years.”
Like Tutterow, Al-Balooshi repeated his 2009 BFTB win with another one on Saturday, this one coming in even more impressive fashion.
Al-Balooshi ran in the 3.70s on two occasions, wrapping up his remarkable night with an event-best – and track record – 3.774 at 198.82 mph against Burton Auxier, the 2010 BFTB winner.
“This has been a very good year for us,” Al-Balooshi said. “(Crew chief) Brandon (Switzer) and the team have worked very hard to make the car go fast, and I really appreciate the job everyone has been doing for us.”
Al-Balooshi and his new Jerry Bickel Race Cars Camaro went 3.793 in the semifinals against Stan Allen and then never trailed against Auxier.
“Jerry’s given us a beautiful car and I’m very happy. It’s a car that’s running very fast right now,” Al-Balooshi said.
In Pro Junior Dragster, Morgan Benfield won her first BFTB title, ousting Tia Tutterow in the finals with a 7.913. A round earlier, Benfield knocked off points leader Trevor Wilson with a 7.910, which was her quickest run of the day.
Final qualifying for Sunday’s World Finals VII also yielded an amazing array of performances on Saturday, capped off by record qualifying fields in three classes.
In Pro Extreme, Frankie Taylor and his 3.581 stayed at No. 1, as Mike Recchia’s 3.729 in the No. 16 spot made it the quickest PX qualifying field by far. Scruggs’ 3.59 has him in second.
Auxier is the No. 1 qualifier in Pro Nitrous thanks to the 3.78 that sent him to the finals in the BFTB. The legendary Shannon Jenkins, driving for the first time during the ADRL season, impressed with a 3.781 to go to second and Rickie Jones’ 3.788 from Friday keeps him in third.
Following Millen in Extreme 10.5 is Grant McCrary, who went 3.86 on his final pass of Saturday. Glidden’s 3.88 has him in third.
All 16 riders in Pro Extreme Motorcycle went in the 4.10s or quicker, marking an impressive first in the history of the class. The qualifying bump was a remarkable 4.188 and Vose’s 4.046 has him in first. Casey Stemper went a career-best 4.051 to jump to second with Owens right behind.
Cary Goforth set the pace in a record-breaking qualifying field in Extreme Pro Stock, running a 4.058. The qualifying bump was an amazing 4.108, with Berner sitting in second.
In Summit Racing Top Sportsman, Keith Raftery blew away the previous quickest run in ADRL TS’ short history, running a strong 4.038.
Al-Balooshi is the top qualifier in Pro Modified as well, as his 3.886 is the quickest in the three ADRL Pro Mod races.
In Pro Junior Dragster, Benfield and her .002 reaction time claimed the top spot.
