ADRL Quarter Max Memphis Drags: Pro Extreme

Photos by Gena White ~ Text by Danny White 

 
Jason Scruggs set the world on fire in Memphis. Scruggs broke the wheelie bar on his only test run Friday. Scruggs came back Friday night for the first round of qualifying to run an amazing 3.666 207.43 for the first official 3.60 pass in ADRL history. That would be the only pass Scruggs would make in qualifying.  Scruggs backed the record up in the first round with the defeat of Mike Neal in the first round with a 3.69. Jason Scruggs beat Joey Martin in the second round with a crossed-up 3.811 170.54 run before the rains came Saturday night. 
 

 
Mike Janis is becoming a force as expected in the ADRL. In Memphis Janis did not have his tuner Mike Janis Jr. in attendance due to Jr's wife giving birth Saturday afternoon. Janis not only became a grandfather and qualified number three with a 3.77 199.35. In the first round Janis defeated Bennie McDonald Jr. 3.962 189.12 to 4.112 183.88. Mike Janis advanced to the semis with the defeat of Brian Daniel 3.94 178.52 to 4.602 146.59. Janis will face Quain Stott in Michigan in the semis. 
 

 
Quain Stott had troubles in testing with the Lee Boy Corvette, but got it together to run 3.867 199.52 to qualify number ten.  Stott stepped up in the first round with a 3.83 200.87 to beat the skating 4.00 174.59 of Alex Hossler.  In the second round Stott ran a wild 3.76 201.67 to defeat TOPMA champion Ken Thomas. Stott will race Mike Janis in the semis.
 

 
Todd Tutterow won in Baytown but lost in the first round at Valdosta, in Memphis he was returning to form. Tutterow ran a smooth 3.891 198.32 to qualify number thirteen in the field. Tutterow defeated Joshua Hernandez in the first round 3.917 170.97 to 4.660 107.30. Todd Tutterow ran a consistent 3.877 200.08 to defeat the 4.426 181.04 of Tommy D’Aprile. Tutterow will face Jason Scruggs in Michigan. 
 

 
Joey Martin came to Memphis with Tony Russell’s tried and true Low Mad and left with the best ever run for the team. Martin ran a 3.864 193.32 to qualify number nine in the poplar 55 Chevy Nomad. Martin dodged a bullet in the first round when Cody Barklage redlighted a 3.88 away. In the second round Martin ran into the Jason Scruggs express and lost. Scruggs ran a 3.811 170.84 to cover the shaking shut off run 7.94 65.27 of Martin.     
 

 
Brian Daniels and his potent Corvette got in the field at Memphis with a 3.867 196.96 to garner the number eleven spot.  Daniels ran a good 3.939 192.38 to beat the Willys of Travis Swearingen in the first round who shut off to a 5.516 94.03. The weekend came to a end for Daniels in the second round when he shut off early on a 4.602 146.59 run that was beaten by Mike Janis.   
 

 
Mel Bush’s potent 62 Chevy with Tommy D’Aprile aboard made the field in Memphis with a good 3.884 192.85. The unique Chevy faced the torque converter equipped Camaro of Jason Hamstra in the first round. D’Aprile stepped up to amazing 3.803 197.02 to beat Hamstra’s close 3.816 199.73. The second round came with D’Aprile facing Todd Tutterow and losing with a pedaling 4.426 181.04. 
 

 
The reigning TOPMA champion Ken Thomas made the field in Memphis in the number 15 spot in the field. Thomas ran a good 3.902 190.30 in qualifying in the LenMar Motorsports Bad Bird Firebird. Thomas took out fellow Texas Frankie Taylor in the first round 3.950 187.71 to 4.162 151.99. Thomas ran another 3.95 but was covered by an amazing 3.767 201.67 of Quain Stott.  
 

 
Frankie Taylor wowed the Memphis crowd with his qualifying run of 3.727 204.46. For the Mad Man from Texas it was the quickest and fastest run by someone other than Jason Scruggs. In the first round Taylor faced Ken Thomas and lost when he pedaled on the way to a 4.1162 151.99 that Thomas beat with a 3.95.  
 

 
Joshua Hernandez debut a new car in Memphis replacing the 57 Chevy that he crashed in Ennis last year. The Camaro that he raced at the first two ADRL races has been shipped overseas to the Al-Anabi team for Von Smith to drive. The National Guard team tried a couple of new things like headers on Friday. The old headers were on the car by Saturday when he ran a 3.774 201.28. It made him the eighth racer to run 200 MPH in the eighth mile. Hernandez fell off the pace in the first round when his 4.660 100.73 was beat by Todd Tutterow’s 3.917 170.29.  
 

 
Jason Hamstra and the Hamstra family torque converter equipped Camaro has taken the ADRL by storm this year. Hamstra showed the crowd it was not a fluke when he ran a good 3.797 200.44 for the number five spot. In the first round Hamstra was upset by Tommy D’Aprile by a 3.803 197.02 to his 3.816 199.73. It made Hamstra the quickest loser in the first round.
 

 
The National Guard Willys of Travis Swearingen ran a good 3.829 197.68 in Memphis. The blue car got the right to face Brian Daniels in the first round. Swearingen had problems in the first round running only an 5.516 94.13 that was not enough to beat 3.939 192.38 of Daniels.
 

 
Alex Hossler debuted the first 1970 ½ Camaro in ADRL history in fine fashion.  The chassis builder ran a 3.90 190 in testing with the Lencodrive at Bryon. Hossler ran a great 3.84 194.80 in Memphis to qualify number seven. Hossler fell off the pace to a 4.001 174.59 in the first round to fall to Quain Stott’s 3.83 200.87.
 

 
Cody Barklage was amazingly consistent in Memphis running 3.80’s all weekend in the Lucas Oil Firebird it seemed. Barklage ran a 3.85 at only 179 to get the eighth spot and into the top of the final field. Barklage did run a 197.33 pass earlier in qualifying. In the first round Barklage redlighted a 3.85 to Joey Martin   
 

 
Longtime ADRL supporter Bennie McDonald made the field in Memphis in the fourteenth spot. McDonald ran several consistent runs in Memphis and made the field with a 3.893 192.30. The wild green Corvette fell in the first round to Mike Janis with a 4.1112 183.39.  
 

 
Dan Bandish had a truly forgettable race in Memphis. The race started well for Bandish when he ran a couple of 3.90’s in testing and in qualifying. Bandish’s 3.904 193.54 run was good enough for the quickest bump spot in ADRL history. Bandish ran the final session in his Camaro, the run started with shake and spin. The Camaro turned right very quickly getting up on two wheels and right into the guardrail. The car’s front end was damaged and Bandish missed the first round.  The car looked to be repairable.