ADRL Pro Extreme racers Jason Scruggs and Travis Swearingen used Saturday afternoon at U.S. 131 Dragway to prove that if one cannot be fast, they can still emerge spectacular. Scruggs blew an engine (and front end) to smithereens in the first round of the ADRL Summer Drags while Swearingen (and we’re being sarcastic) wrecked several times in two seemingly-out-of-control passes but just didn’t hit anything.

Both racers will be in Topeka next month, but not before spending a few bucks in cosmetic and other repairs.

Scruggs came to the line in Saturday’s first round of eliminations with a nearly two year old engine between the fenders of his Garret Race Cars-built Camaro.
Two racers and their necessary repairs …

ADRL Pro Extreme racers Jason Scruggs and Travis Swearingen used Saturday afternoon at U.S. 131 Dragway to prove that if one cannot be fast, they can still emerge spectacular. Scruggs blew an engine (and front end) to smithereens in the first round of the ADRL Summer Drags while Swearingen (and we’re being sarcastic) wrecked several times in two seemingly-out-of-control passes but just didn’t hit anything.

Both racers will be in Topeka next month, but not before spending a few bucks in cosmetic and other repairs.

Scruggs came to the line in Saturday’s first round of eliminations with a nearly two year old engine between the fenders of his Garret Race Cars-built Camaro.

“I believe we let the motor set up for too long and we had a few nozzles stopped up,” Scruggs admitted. “Then we were in a mad rush and didn’t really catch it. I staged and had two lean cylinders and the rest was rich. It just detonated.”

Detonated is an accurate description considering the engine lit up in a fireball and nearly blew the front end off of the race car. The result was extensive front end cosmetic damage.

Many of the photographers standing on the starting line described the explosion as a loud, concussion type explosion.

“It was kind of loud,” Scruggs said. “I’ve done been through so many of these kind of things that I am used to it.”

Swearingen didn’t explode like Scruggs did, but that didn’t mean he come close to make some loud noises … the kind of noises that usually occur when one hits immovable objects.

“We had kind of a rough weekend,” Swearingen said. “We fought some issues and changed some shocks. The car went a 3.82 with new shocks and we kind of tried to hop it up for the final session. I went for a ride, but just didn’t hit anything. I saved it, didn’t hit anything.”

Swearingen’s team backed the car down some for the first round of eliminations and those changes still resulted in out-of-control tireshake.

“It shook the tires, broke the wheelie bar and shoved a bar through the tire,” Swearingen said. “It flatted the tire and in the shake must have blown the hood off too.”

Swearingen believes his team will have the car fixed by next week and has a spare front end back in his shop if it’s needed. He might also order another front-end from Hairy Glass for good measure.

Scruggs will likewise have his classic Chevrolet repaired and back in action at Topeka.

“We have some carbon fiber work to do,” Scruggs said. “It’s mainly just motor work.”

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