NHRA Expected to Hand Down Missive Today Regarding ASO Controversy …
 
ADRL President Kenny Nowling wants to be crystal clear regarding his comments made last week and today on CompetitionPlus.com.
 
He doesn’t believe the NHRA is directly responsible for causing the death of any racer he mentioned in the article. Nowling apologizes if his comments were taken out of context.
 
However, he doesn’t apologize for challenging the NHRA through refusing to adhere to the [Alternative Sanctioning Organization] agreement; an agreement used to allow non-NHRA events to be contested on their sanctioned tracks. He believes that by signing this agreement it opens up his series to be controlled by what he deems to be a “rival” series.

NHRA Expected to Hand Down Missive Today Regarding ASO Controversy …
 
ADRL President Kenny Nowling wants to be crystal clear regarding his comments made last week and today on CompetitionPlus.com.
 
He doesn’t believe the NHRA is directly responsible for causing the death of any racer he mentioned in the article. Nowling apologizes if his comments were taken out of context.
 
However, he doesn’t apologize for challenging the NHRA through refusing to adhere to the [Alternative Sanctioning Organization] agreement; an agreement used to allow non-NHRA events to be contested on their sanctioned tracks. He believes that by signing this agreement it opens up his series to be controlled by what he deems to be a “rival” series.
 
A reported missive is expected to be handed down today from the NHRA’s legal department ordering him to comply with the ASO procedures or face his host tracks losing their sanction if they host his events.
 
Sources indicate that neither side is budging days before the ADRL is set to open their season at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas.
 
“I spoke with them [NHRA] yesterday and my position going forward is that we are in compliance with our insurance company and the laws that govern the United States of America and we’re not interested in being an ASO on any level,” Nowling said, when contacted by CompetitionPlus.com.
 
“I’m not trying to buck the system but the fact of the matter is; can you name one other company who lets a direct competitor dictate how they do business? The NHRA would never sign an agreement letting another series dictate to them how they set their rules and how they run their business.”
 
Nowling told CompetitionPlus.com that NHRA sanctioned tracks will contest the ADRL events regardless of what order is handed down from the NHRA. That assurance excludes one track, National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, a facility owned by the NHRA.
 
“If the NHRA doesn’t want us to hold a race in Columbus, then we will relocate to a track that does,” Nowling added. “The other tracks are independently-owned facilities that we have agreements with. I’ve been given assurances that our dates are not in jeopardy. If any of the tracks decide they don’t want to have one, then we’ll just have to move.”
 
A source close to the NHRA told CompetitionPlus.com that the NHRA requires the various race series who stage events on their sanctioned tracks to submit their rulebooks in October of the previous season and likewise sign the ASO agreement.
 
Nowling said he submitted a copy of the ADRL rulebook last week at the request of the NHRA officials.
 
Prior to that he had been sent a letter from the NHRA dated January 22, 2009 requesting that he sign the agreement and submit a copy of the rulebook.
 
Nowling didn’t receive the letter until mid-February due to the combination of the letter being delivered to an old address and the ADRL President being outside of the country on business.
 
The NHRA responded to the ADRL rulebook and subsequently ordered Nowling to reduce his nitromethane percentage to 50% on the injected nitro doorslammer and resubmit the rulebook by February 26, 2009.
 
Nowling said the rules will not be changed.

The IHRA, who also sanctioned tracks, has said they follow the lead of the NHRA in this particular situation.

Jerry Archambeault, Vice President of NHRA Public Relations and Communications, says the sanctioning body is not ready to comment on the situation between the NHRA and ADRL. He did confirm that talks are ongoing behind the scenes but would not discuss the contents of those conversations. Likewise he couldn’t say if there was to be an edict handed down on Tuesday, as rumored.
 
Archambeault said the NHRA plans to address the situation with the media in the near future.
 
Nowling believes the NHRA’s next move should be in getting back to running their business and allowing him to run his.
 
“I don’t know what their next move is but I know I have an agreement with Houston Raceway Park and the Angel family has assured me that the event will take place,” Nowling added. “Short of a court order that says otherwise, which we would fight vigorously, we are finishing up our details and my team, as we speak, is headed to Baytown.