JASON SCRUGGS: ADRL'S LONG BALL HITTER
Mon, 2009-03-09 11:00
If Jason Scruggs were a baseball player chances are he’d be hitting in the clean-up spot.
The two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion from Saltillo, Ms., has made upper deck shots his forte since the ADRL burst on the drag racing scene in the middle part of this decade.
Here are a few of his notable accomplishments. He was the first ADRL driver over 200-mph in the eighth-mile. He was the first into the 3.80s and the 3.70s.
He’s the only two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion. If Jason Scruggs were a baseball player chances are he’d be hitting in the clean-up spot.
The two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion from Saltillo, Ms., has made upper deck shots his forte since the ADRL burst on the drag racing scene in the middle part of this decade.
Here are a few of his notable accomplishments. He was the first ADRL driver over 200-mph in the eighth-mile. He was the first into the 3.80s and the 3.70s.
He’s the only two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion.
When you carry those kinds of credentials it’s easy to draw the comparisons to being the Babe Ruth of eighth-mile doorslammer racing.
Scruggs has been as quick as 3.70 seconds and backed up the run with a 3.739 elapsed time in a recent test session. Just like the Great Bambino, Scruggs is perfectly capable of calling his shot at any given time.
History shows that many of the greatest long ball hitters have held the distinction of also going down swinging more than the average hitter.
Scruggs admits he has to lay down those kinds of runs just to have a fighting chance.
“Every time we go to race these guys are so tough,” Scruggs admitted. “I just try to go fast and get some win lights. That’s why I race - to go fast. If that’s laying down the gauntlet then so be it.”
Scruggs has battled for the last two seasons behind the wheel of a Dodge Stratus and prior to that a 1963 Corvette. He’s planning to debut a new car in April when the ADRL tour rolls into Valdosta, Ga.
He can only hope his 1968 Camaro from Garrett Race Cars debut is better than when he brought out the Dodge Stratus. Scruggs scuffed the Mopar on its maiden voyage in a tangle with the guard wall. The car was repaired and on its return run suffered a supercharger explosion which made the hardtop a partial convertible.
Scruggs is quick to point out the rough start can’t be blamed on the car. After all, the first official ADRL competition run the car made to the finish line exceeded 200 miles per hour.
“We had a few things we tried that didn’t work so it wasn’t the car’s fault that we were doing some dumb stuff,” Scruggs said. “So I figured put it back the way we know how to race and we did well from that point on.”
That’s why Scruggs doesn’t plan to make wholesale changes with the new car. He’s confident the horsepower is there to run in the 3.60s.
“We always want to go faster all the time but that is just the racer in us,” Scruggs admitted. “I think we got what it takes to run a high 3.60 if everything is right.”
Scruggs understands the quarter-mile records are more common for the drag racing community but he’s perfectly content in his niche market of dominating the 660.
“I’ve got my set up here for the eighth mile and that’s why even at a testing event I don’t run a quarter because I’d have to change so much stuff,” Scruggs admitted. “Plus it’s harder on the parts to run that quarter. Plus the demands of running the quarter-mile would make it tougher on our crew.”
Don’t fool yourself, Scruggs can run impressive quarter-mile numbers too.
“I let off of it at the eighth mile and still run a 6.10 in the quarter, so it definitely could lay some numbers down,” Scruggs said with confidence.
The two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion from Saltillo, Ms., has made upper deck shots his forte since the ADRL burst on the drag racing scene in the middle part of this decade.
Here are a few of his notable accomplishments. He was the first ADRL driver over 200-mph in the eighth-mile. He was the first into the 3.80s and the 3.70s.
He’s the only two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion. If Jason Scruggs were a baseball player chances are he’d be hitting in the clean-up spot.
The two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion from Saltillo, Ms., has made upper deck shots his forte since the ADRL burst on the drag racing scene in the middle part of this decade.
Here are a few of his notable accomplishments. He was the first ADRL driver over 200-mph in the eighth-mile. He was the first into the 3.80s and the 3.70s.
He’s the only two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion.
When you carry those kinds of credentials it’s easy to draw the comparisons to being the Babe Ruth of eighth-mile doorslammer racing.
Scruggs has been as quick as 3.70 seconds and backed up the run with a 3.739 elapsed time in a recent test session. Just like the Great Bambino, Scruggs is perfectly capable of calling his shot at any given time.
History shows that many of the greatest long ball hitters have held the distinction of also going down swinging more than the average hitter.
Scruggs admits he has to lay down those kinds of runs just to have a fighting chance.
“Every time we go to race these guys are so tough,” Scruggs admitted. “I just try to go fast and get some win lights. That’s why I race - to go fast. If that’s laying down the gauntlet then so be it.”
Scruggs has battled for the last two seasons behind the wheel of a Dodge Stratus and prior to that a 1963 Corvette. He’s planning to debut a new car in April when the ADRL tour rolls into Valdosta, Ga.
He can only hope his 1968 Camaro from Garrett Race Cars debut is better than when he brought out the Dodge Stratus. Scruggs scuffed the Mopar on its maiden voyage in a tangle with the guard wall. The car was repaired and on its return run suffered a supercharger explosion which made the hardtop a partial convertible.
Scruggs is quick to point out the rough start can’t be blamed on the car. After all, the first official ADRL competition run the car made to the finish line exceeded 200 miles per hour.
“We had a few things we tried that didn’t work so it wasn’t the car’s fault that we were doing some dumb stuff,” Scruggs said. “So I figured put it back the way we know how to race and we did well from that point on.”
That’s why Scruggs doesn’t plan to make wholesale changes with the new car. He’s confident the horsepower is there to run in the 3.60s.
“We always want to go faster all the time but that is just the racer in us,” Scruggs admitted. “I think we got what it takes to run a high 3.60 if everything is right.”
Scruggs understands the quarter-mile records are more common for the drag racing community but he’s perfectly content in his niche market of dominating the 660.
“I’ve got my set up here for the eighth mile and that’s why even at a testing event I don’t run a quarter because I’d have to change so much stuff,” Scruggs admitted. “Plus it’s harder on the parts to run that quarter. Plus the demands of running the quarter-mile would make it tougher on our crew.”
Don’t fool yourself, Scruggs can run impressive quarter-mile numbers too.
“I let off of it at the eighth mile and still run a 6.10 in the quarter, so it definitely could lay some numbers down,” Scruggs said with confidence.
Categories:
