JASON SCRUGGS: LOOKING AHEAD
during the ADRL’s Hardees Drags in Valdosta, Ga.One might believe just the opposite if presented the history of the last time the Saltillo, Miss.-based driver debuted a new ride.
Scruggs debuted a new Dodge Stratus, in late 2007 and crashed on the maiden voyage.
During testing, after winning the 2007 ADRL Pro Extreme title, the Mopar exploded the supercharger and in turn ripped the roof from the car.
Bringing New Camaro to Valdosta; Debut Woes Behind Him …
Jason Scruggs is more excited than he is concerned with debuting his new Camaro next weekend 
during the ADRL’s Hardees Drags in Valdosta, Ga.
One might believe just the opposite if presented the history of the last time the Saltillo, Miss.-based driver debuted a new ride.
Scruggs debuted a new Dodge Stratus, in late 2007 and crashed on the maiden voyage.
During testing, after winning the 2007 ADRL Pro Extreme title, the repaired Mopar exploded the supercharger and in turn ripped the roof from the car.
The following February Scruggs brought the car out for the first test session of the season and had a run-in with the Valdosta retaining wall.
he had to “drive a little bit”.The two-time ADRL Pro Extreme champion from Saltillo, Ms., in only his second pass in a new Garrett Race Cars Camaro, turned in a 3.687 elapsed time at 206.61 miles per hour. This testing run at Alabama International Raceway in Steele, Ala., though unofficial, eclipses his previous best of 3.70 at 205 in Rockingham, N.C.
“If the clocks are right, I guess we did,” Scruggs said with a laugh, describing unofficially the quickest and fastest Pro Extreme run ever.
If one studies the “what if” factor, the quarter-mile incremental would have netted a 5.5-second elapsed time.
“The air was real good and the track was too. The car did a good job and we still have some fine-tuning to do before it’s to our liking. We’ll get it worked out in another pass or two.”
Scruggs told CompetitionPlus.com he had to work on the run to keep the car off of the centerline. He’s confident with the car he’s bringing to this weekend’s ADRL Hardees Georgia Drags in Valdosta, Ga. He also knows that a good run in testing is nice, it’s what he does this weekend that really counts.
“I feel like we have a good and fast car,” Scruggs said. “Some of the media calls me a long ball hitter but to win in this Pro Extreme class, you have to make those kinds of runs over and over. That’s what wins.
“We just lucked up and hit it right. We’ll see what we do this weekend. It will be a whole different ballgame down there.”
Scruggs will be going for the upper deck shot too.
One would think the car needed more than a repair job; it needed an exorcist.
That’s what the competition likely believed as Scruggs ran like a bat out of hell for the rest of the season en route to becoming the first Pro Extreme driver into the 3.70s and first two-time champion in the ADRL’s premiere no-holds barred division. Its first run down the drag strip produced a 3.8-second lap.
So what does Scruggs do in the off-season? He had Garrett Race Cars build him another new car, this time a 1968 Camaro.
After all, there was nothing wrong with the car they built considering their creations have consistently ran quicker and faster than anyone else in the class. Scruggs always walked away from the snafus.
There was nothing wrong with Scruggs driving either.
Stuff just happened.
If you talk to the fan-friendly Scruggs he’ll tell you that regardless of what others think, luck had nothing to do with it either.
“You have to make your own luck out here,” Scruggs said. “I think we’ll be okay next weekend because we’ve learned a lot. We tried some new things on the old car but then when went back to the basics.”
It’s been said that bad things sometimes happen to good people.
That’s why Scruggs is quick to forget those misfortunes and look firmly to the future where he says things are going to get even quicker than before. Clearly what happens with the Stratus stays with the Stratus, and that includes memories.
He’ll make some test runs in the middle of the week with the Camaro at Alabama International Raceway before heading to this weekend’s event in Valdosta.
Scruggs believes his latest creation from Garrett could be his quickest, and the quickest in eighth-mile doorslammer racing and capable of running 3.60s, a realm he’s definitely aiming for.
“We’ve got a few new pieces on this new car that we haven’t tried before. I don’t think it is make or break kind of stuff,” Scruggs admitted.
“This car is built to go as fast as we can make it go. It’s easy to talk about all of these big runs on the phone or in the shop, but it’s another to go out there and make them happen. We didn’t leave any stone unturned and there are a lot of track pieces on this car.”
Scruggs is highly proficient at making things happen.
He’s the ADRL’s long-ball hitter, or at least that’s the perception of the ADRL and Pro Modified community.
Scruggs doesn’t necessarily view his image with the same stereotype but rather as a competitive racer who seeks to be the quickest ever time and consistently. Those familiar with baseball trends will admit the majority of homerun leaders also lead in strikeouts as well.
That’s a good reason Scruggs would prefer to be described as a hard-hitter, letting the balls fall where they may.
“There are a lot of people who believe we go up to the starting line every time with the intent of setting a new world record,” Scruggs said. “That’s not necessarily the truth. We do go up there aiming to run fast every run. We want to be fast but more importantly we want to be consistently fast. That’s what wins races.”
The ADRL’s championship format, where the top eight point earners battle it out in a season-ending championship determining race, affords racers the opportunity to bring out a new car in the early-to-mid-season and have it broken in by the time the championship battle is on the line.
Scruggs is planning on being the No. 1 seed headed into the Battle of the Belts competition. Reportedly, the No. 1 seed will receive a bye run into the semis this year.
“We’re leading the points and we’d like to stay number one,” Scruggs said. “I guess we’re confident enough that we can have all the new car bugs gone by the time we get to Georgia.”
Scruggs is only bringing the Camaro to Valdosta but just in case bad luck sneaks up on him, he’s got a back-up plan which includes the Stratus or the Corvette.
He’s yet to sell either.
“Something happens, we could come back and get one of them,” Scruggs surmised.
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