O'FALLON, MO (August 19, 2011) – After a successful debut, the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) is set to feature even more Pro Modified racing in 2011.
The world's premier eighth-mile drag racing league announced on Friday that it will be running an eight-car qualifying field, with 12 participants invited to attend, at its final two events of the 2011 season, the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags V, which takes place Sept. 23-24 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, and the LenMar Motorsports World Finals VII, which takes place Oct. 21-23 at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas.
The ADRL also released the purse for the final two Pro Modified events of the 2011.
The winner at each event will receive $5,000, with the runner-up earning $2,500. Semifinalists earn $1,500 and first-round qualifiers will get $1,000.
There will be a $250 entry fee for each Pro Modified car during these special invitational races. The Pro Modified class debuted in the ADRL with an exhibition race earlier this month during the Speedtech U.S. Drags IV at Virginia Motorsports Park, earning rave reviews across the board.
"The response we received from drivers, teams and fans was terrific and we're thrilled to have these amazing Pro Modified cars as part of our final two races of the 2011 season," ADRL Director of Competition Tom Grooms said.
"There's a lot of these amazing cars out there and I really think you're going to see some outstanding action in this class during these final two races."
With a host of standout names in the class, including the likes of Mike Janis, Leah Pruett-LeDuc, Mike Knowles, Lee Adkins and Khalid Al-Balooshi, the debut at Virginia Motorsports Park was a rousing success.
The top-notch racing thrilled the huge crowd at VMP, with Janis running a 3.91 at nearly 190 miles per hour to defeat Al-Balooshi in the finals.
The participants in the exhibition also expressed their delight with how the initial Pro Modified weekend went.
Mike Janis: "This has been a fantastic weekend. I think it's going to be a great thing and there was a lot of great racing out there."
Leah Pruett-LeDuc: "It's been a blast and the ADRL has provided an awesome experience. It lived up to, if not exceeded all the expectations that I had."
Mike Knowles: "This is our first ADRL event and it's been a lot of fun. It's been very enjoyable. It's a great opportunity for us and it's definitely going to grow."
Lee Adkins: "I was really looking forward to this and we all had an incredible time. I was proud to be part of it and I think we all put on a good show."
Pro Modified's inclusion into the ADRL's thrilling racing program at the final two races also sets up the strong possibility of adding yet another new ADRL class for the 2012 season.
For those interested in being part of the field at the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags V or the LenMar Motorsports World Finals VII, they must pre-register by contacting ADRL Director of Technical Services Chris Bell at chris@adrl.us.
