Rain Extends National Guard ADRL Event from Memphis to Michigan in June
MILLINGTON, TN (May 23, 2009) —The National Guard American Drag Racing League (ADRL) came up a little short in a race with Mother Nature this evening at Memphis Motorsports Park (MMP), as light rain began falling just as the semi-final rounds were about to be run at the Quarter-Max Memphis Drags II.
In a hastily convened meeting with all National Guard ADRL competitors left in contention, Director of Race Operations Quick Vandiver announced all semi-finals and final rounds for the Memphis event will now be held during Friday night’s qualifying session at the next National Guard ADRL event, June 5-6, at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, MI.
Before the wet weather arrived, two-time defending Pro Extreme world champion Jason Scruggs thrilled everyone in attendance Friday night with an astonishing 3.66-seconds pass at more than 207 miles per hour over the National Guard ADRL’s eighth-mile race course. He later officially backed up those numbers within the required one percent to reset his own National Guard ADRL records.
Also on a record-setting pace at Memphis was defending Extreme 10.5 champion Billy Glidden, who lowered his own elapsed-time record to 4.07 seconds, and the facility itself, which according to MMP Vice President and General Manager Jason Rittenberry, saw more than 10,000 National Guard ADRL fans visit for Friday’s testing and qualifying sessions and “right at 30,000” showed up Saturday to see additional qualifying and elimination-rounds action. It was the largest single-day crowd he’s seen since joining MMP nine years ago, Rittenberry added.
“I can’t even begin to describe what a pleasure it was to work with Jason and his staff on the Memphis Drags II,” National Guard ADRL Vice President of Competition Bubba Corzine said. “They got it. They understand how to run a National Guard ADRL event the way it’s supposed to be run and the proof was in the smiles of the fans, competitors and staff alike.”