O'FALLON, MO (June 3, 2011) – For his first foray into the world of American Drag Racing League (ADRL) doorslammer racing, former NHRA crew chief Rob Flynn didn't gently put his foot in to test the waters.
Instead, the talented tuner leaped right into the deep end.
Calling the shots for the two-car Pro Extreme Al-Anabi Racing team of J.R. Todd and Alex Hossler, Flynn boldly entered the biggest and fastest class in the American Drag Racing League (ADRL).
Success has followed – both in the ADRL and the Arabian Drag Racing League – and Flynn has enjoyed every step of the new journey.
"It's been real satisfying," said Flynn, who has been crew chief for the likes of NHRA standouts Kenny and Brandon Bernstein. "We put together a group of people we thought would get along well, but it was a pretty steep learning curve.
"For a two-car program working out of one trailer, it's all worked out well and it all goes back to working together side-by-side."
Joining Flynn and offering invaluable assistance has been Mike Guger, who is considered Hossler's crew chief, and Dave Fletcher, the former crew chief for Top Fuel star Del Worsham.
But as Flynn is quick to point out, everyone has equal say with the two-car Al-Anabi-sponsored team.
Currently, Hossler is sixth in the Pro Extreme points standings while Todd is a spot behind in seventh.
"We all work for Al-Anabi Racing and this two-car team. At the shop, everyone works on both cars and that's how it has worked the best," Flynn said. "There's always challenges, but we work very well together. The whole team concept has worked really well.
"We've got some pretty talented people involved."
For Hossler, he's treasured every moment working for and with the likes of Flynn, Guger and Todd.
"It's been an unbelievable opportunity and one I never thought I would be lucky enough to have," Hossler said. "Just to work with someone who has the track record that Rob has, it's just been amazing.
On the track, Flynn has shrugged aside the extraordinary challenge that Pro Extreme presented and has quickly become adept in developing consistent cars for Todd and Hossler.
The duo combined for four wins in the Arabian Drag Racing League in Qatar last winter, beating several of the top names in the PX class.
What made it more significant was that it marked the first time Todd had driven a PX car and the first official races for Flynn in his new position.
Flynn credited the significant testing they were able to do at Qatar Racing Club (QRC), but the progress was still impressive.
"It didn't necessarily surprise me because he is unbelievably smart," Hossler said. "He analyzes and calculates everything. Rob and Mike work together as well as two guys possibly could and you know they are going to be successful because of the way they handle everything."
That attention to detail has stood out to Todd and Hossler, and Flynn wasn't afraid to try new things in his introduction to Pro Extreme racing.
"Being involved with (KH Al-Thani), we were able to start our own little project with converters and stuff like that, basically anything we felt could give us an edge," Flynn said. "We can be creative and there's a lot to learn."
That means the best is likely still to come.
After battling a variety of issues the first two races of the 2011 ADRL season, the team had a standout performance at last month's Penske Truck Leasing Inaugural Northeast Drags at Maple Grove Raceway.
Both advanced to the semifinals before the race was called, as Hossler and Todd both ran in the low 3.60s at more than 210 miles per hour.
Heading into the Kansas National Guard Independence Drags V on June 17-18 at Heartland Park Topeka, the team is ready to make another move.
"We ironed out a lot of stuff at (Maple Grove). We're making good power now, it's just a matter of applying everything," Flynn said. "All the guys we're competing against are the best of the best."
Said Hossler: "We showed a lot of promise in Maple Grove and we're going to keep progressing. I definitely think we're going to run well (in Topeka)."
