ADRL PALM BEACH - EVENT NOTEBOOK
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SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - ANOTHER GREAT RACE IS COMPLETE
NO RIDE LIKE A LOW RIDE - Joey Martin was racing for a higher purpose than just winning a race. He had ailing team owner Toney Russell in mind every step of the way Apr. 15-16, as he 
put on one of the more impressive displays in recent ADRL Pro Extreme history.
After qualifying number one with the ’55 Chevy “Lowmad” wagon built in his Milton, Florida, shop last year, Martin ran low ET in each of the four elimination rounds it took to secure his first series win in the Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR).
“This is for Toney,” Martin said immediately upon being handed the coveted ADRL Minuteman trophy for beating Jason Hamstra in the final round. “He’s the one that put this team together, supports everything we do, pays for all this to happen, and right now he’s watching us on the Internet from his hospital bed over in Arkansas, where he just came through another round of chemo with flying colors.
“Toney, this one’s for you,” Martin declared, looking directly into the lens of the victory lane TV camera.
Despite dousing the dreams of Aaron Wells, Gaylen Smith, Von Smith and Hamstra with dominating runs in the ADRL’s inaugural visit to his home state, Martin revealed they weren’t without drama.
“The last three rounds have been drama. In the second round today the blower pulley disintegrated and that tore up a bunch of stuff and then in the semis we ran a 3.68 and had zero oil pressure after the oil filter was put in backwards,” he admitted. “I’m wore out. I’ve been running wide open; it’s been a long weekend.”
Martin actually made his weakest pass of the weekend in the final with a 3.75 second run at 200.20 mph getting the win over Hamstra’s 3.76 after his car inexplicably shut off and slowed to just 168.66 mph at the eighth-mile finish line.
“I don’t know what happened yet; it just shut off and Joey came around me,” said Hamstra, who won the previous ADRL race, the season opener in Baytown, Texas. “It’s frustrating for sure, but I’m still pretty happy with our showing here. We’ll leave with the points lead and go on from here.”
Martin profusely thanked the father-and-son Pro Extreme team of Mitchell and Jason Scruggs for helping deliver Russell’s first win as an ADRL team owner.
“They gave us two blower belts, more oil, bearings, everything we needed to go on,” Martin said. “We could not have done it without them; they gave us parts and a hand.”
After speaking to Russell amidst the chaos of a spirited victory lane celebration, Martin said his team owner “could barely talk, he’s winded from all the shouting and yelling.”
INSPIRATIONAL WIN - Mike Castellana missed much of last season’s ADRL Pro Nitrous season while battling 
and beating cancer at home in Westbury, New York. He returned to the driver’s seat of his Al-Anabi Racing entry at this year’s ADRL season opener a few weeks ago at Baytown, Texas, and completed his comeback with a win Apr. 16, in the ADRL Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR).
“It does feel good and I’ve got to thank my crew. Shannon (Jenkins, crew chief) and the guys, they gave me an awesome car to win with,” Castellana said after defeating Al-Anabi teammate and reigning Pro Nitrous champion Burton Auxier in the final round.
Castellana started his ’69 Camaro from the number-two qualifying position and raced through Mike Hill, Jeff Naiser and John DeCerbo to reach Auxier, who meanwhile took out Ed Burnley, Rickie Jones and Pat Stoken on his side of the ladder.
The teammates left only two-thousandths of a second apart off the launch, but finished with a four-hundredths gap as Castellana ran 3.82 seconds at 195.96 mph to Auxier’s 3.86 at 193.29 effort.
“I knew we were pretty close at the start, but I really didn’t see him once we got going,” Castellana said.
“It’s always tough to race your teammate, but at least it means the team is going to get the win when it’s in the final,” he added. “I guess that’s the best way to go.”
THE WAIT IS OVER - The wait is over for Pete Berner.
The veteran racer finally won his first American Drag Racing League title, capturing the Extreme Pro Stock crown late Saturday night at the ADRL’s Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway.
“That was a big gorilla off my back,” Berner said. “The guys did a phenomenal job getting this car prepared. These guys make it easy for an old man like me to drive the race car.”
Berner, who is from Crete, Ill., capped his memorable weekend by defeating Richie Stevens Jr. in the finals.
Berner clocked a 4.084-second pass at 175.62 mph to edge Stevens’ 4.155-second effort. Stevens actually had a better reaction time than Berner, .046 to .086, but Berner’s 2009 Pontiac GXP caught Stevens’ machine just past the 60-foot mark and went on to claim the victory.
“The motor actually has a lot of runs on it from the last couple of races, and I was thinking she was starting to get tired,” Berner said. “But she pepped up there (in the finals). It is just the chassis setup and the guys working feverishly on the deal. It makes it easy for me to just focus on my driving. To make consistent laps with these cars, you just have to drive and leave on time, and you have to shift on time and we have been working really hard at that.”
Although Stevens was competing in only his second career ADRL race, Berner wasn’t taking anything for granted in the finals.
“I struggled with redlights last year and I really wasn’t having a lot of fun,” Berner said. “I just didn’t have the focus I thought I needed. This year I started working on focus and driving well and the driving part is such a pleasure with that car. I just wanted to run my race and whoever was in the other lane, whatever happened, happened. I have been racing with Richie since Richie was a kid, and he was being taught to drive by Roy Hill. Richie and his dad are great people and I have known them forever. I just knew he was going to be tough in the final. We are good buddies, but he wasn’t going to cut me any slack and none of these guys cut you any slack. Whether you are racing Cary or Dean Goforth, (John) Monte(calvo), Trevor (Eman) all these guys are capable of winning the race.”
Berner was especially happy to bring home the winner’s trophy for his primary sponsor Summit Racing Equipment.
“Summit took me under their wing a couple of years back,” Berner said. “They believed in me and they approached me about doing some stuff the last year I was with IHRA. I can’t say enough about these people (at Summit).”
WHEN IT'S YOUR DAY - When other drivers were struck with bad luck, Billy Glidden was the beneficiary and the veteran parlayed his good fortune into winning the Extreme 10.5 class 
late Saturday night at the ADRL’s Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway.
“This doesn’t happen very often,” said Glidden after his ADRL record 12th win.
Glidden’s day appeared to be over in the semis against Frankie Taylor. Taylor was on his way to a win when his car got loose and crossed the center line. Taylor’s disqualification was a gift for Glidden, who had the battery in his car shutoff.
“Glidden left on me a little bit and I drove around him in low gear,” Taylor said. “Our car went to the left a little bit, and got close to the center line. It was still going straight, and I didn’t know where he was. Then, it made a left hand dart right across the center line. Glidden needed another win I guess.”
Glidden was scheduled to race against Dan Millen in the final, but Millen couldn’t answer the call to race. Millen’s car caught fire shortly after he beat Jimmy Marino in the second round.
Thus, all Glidden had to do for the win was go to the starting line for the finals.
“We do not come to these races expecting this,” Glidden said.
On Saturday morning, Glidden’s car struggled in the final round of qualifying, which prompted him to make some adjustments.
“We started (Saturday morning) with the qualifier and we made a few small changes and that didn’t work out real good, so we went back to the way we were (Friday night). We made it a little softer for the first run when it was the hottest and we ran 4.03, and we went kind of in between in the second round and went 3.99, and then when I ran Frankie I made a few changes to try to run a little better and it shutoff. It was a little button on the battery that apparently shorted out, I hope.”
ANOTHER WIN FOR ASHLEY - Ashley Owens won his second straight ADRL Pro Extreme Motorcycle event of the year Apr. 16, in the Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach 
International Raceway (PBIR).
After qualifying his Fast by Gast Suzuki in first place with a record-setting 4.01 second pass at 179.33 mph on the PBIR eighth mile, Owens never was truly challenged along the way to a class-leading 11th ADRL national-event title. Still, the Decatur, Alabama-based rider insists he never takes the competition for granted.
“Anybody can step up and anything can happen in this class, so you can’t go in too confident,” he says. “I was just glad to get to another final and have a chance at the win. That’s all I’m ever looking for, just the chance to win.”
Owens defeated Charlie Prophit in the opening round of eliminations, then made a bye run in round two, followed by a win over Richard Gadson in the semi finals. That set up a meeting with second-place qualifier Carlos Wilkerson, who beat Terry Wynn, Dave Vantine and defending class champion Kim Morell to reach the final.
Once there, Wilkerson got the jump on Owens by a sizable .049 margin, but slowed to his worst run of he day with a 4.27 at just 146.99 mph, while Owens matched his best from the first round with a 4.04 at 179.11 mph.
“T.T. Jones, who owns Carlos’ bike, he’s a friend of mine and I built that bike and he’s a Fast by Gast customer, too, so it was good to see them in the final with us,” Owens says. “I enjoy racing with them.”
SATURDAY QUICK HITS - RACE REPORTING IN RAPID FASHION
PRO EXTREME
ROUND ONE
PEDAL FASTER - Both Todd Tutterow and Gaylen Smith have troubled passes, but Smith outpedals the Al-Anabi entry and wins in 4.15 seconds.
ALL SHOOK UP - Jason Scruggs shakes hard and Alex Hossler goes 3.75 at 204.88 to advance.
GREAT SAVE! - Von Smith wins in 3.81 at 204 mph, but no one notices as Bubba Stanton fights his ’63 Corvette in the left lane after it gets out of the groove and drifts into the grey area between lanes near half-track. In an NHL-worthy save, Stanton gathers the car up and drops the laundry just as he takes out the finish-line blocks with no serious damage done.
BAD BELT - Quain Stott breaks the blower belt and doesn’t even make it to the 60-foot mark, while Mick Snyder powers his PowerSource Transportation car to a 3.72 win at 204.98 mph.
NO LIFT - John Stanley gets a free pass to round two when J.R. Todd breaks on the line. The car sashays left off the start, but Stanley stays on it and runs 3.83.
CONSISTENT PERFORMER - Top starter Joey Martin is on fire here with his ’55 Chevy Lowmad wagon, running 3.67, 3.67, 3.64 and 3.65 in qualifying. This is his fifth straight run in the .60s, going 3.69 at 202 mph to easily defeat a tire-spinning Aaron Wells in the left lane.
CHAMP ADVANCES - Reigning PC champ Frankie Taylor takes out Terry Leggett with a 3.72 run.
OILDOWN - Houston victor Jason Hamstra begins his bid for a second straight race title with a 3.76 at 205.16-mph win over Todd Martin, who’s billowing smoke by the time he reaches the finish line.
QUARTER-FINALS
JOHN vs. VON - John Stanley again headed for the left wall immediately off the start and had to lift, but Von Smith ran straight down the lane to a 3.76 win at 205.07 mph.
OH SO CLOSE - It doesn’t get much closer than this. Jason Hamstra left with a .052 light and ran 3.730 at 206.64 in his Duster and Alex Hossler had a .057 leave heading into an identical 3.730 at 205.94 with his Camaro, so that .005 advantage for Hamstra on the start translated to a .005 margin of victory at the finish.
SNYDER ADVANCES - Mick Snyder had to drive it back to the groove in the right lane to win with a 3.71 at 204.08 while Frankie Taylor broke before the finish line. That set up a Snyder versus Hamstra semi for the second straight race.
MARTIN MOVES ON - Joey Martin finally fell out of the 3.60s with a 3.71 pass at 200.44 that still got him past Gaylen Smith’s 3.72, which matched his qualifying time. Martin’s win means three of the four semi-finalists at PBIR also were in the semis at the ADRL season opener in Houston last month.
Smith crossed lanes behind Martin just as they passed the finish line, but edged back to his left lane and stopped uneventfully.
SEMI-FINALS
FAMILIAR FOES – Jason Hamstra and Mick Snyder live only three miles apart in Demotte, Indiana, and both faced each other in the semis at the previous ADRL race in Houston. Same combatants; same result. Hamstra took the win with a 3.69 at 207.82 to Snyder’s 3.70, 204.82.
MARTIN ON A ROLL - Von Smith, the reigning NHRA Pro Mod and Arabian Drag Racing League Pro Extreme champion, left first on Joey Martin, but Martin’s 3.68 at 202.76 was able to overcome the deficit as Smith went 3.77 at 205.10 mph to set up a 3.68 vs. 3.69 final with Hamstra.
FINAL
MARTIN MAKES IT HAPPEN - Jason Hamstra left first and ran a game 3.76, but his 168.66-mph speed confirmed that his ’70 Duster inexplicably shut off late in the run and allowed Joey Martin to slip by with a 3.75 at 200.20 mph to deliver the first ADRL Pro Extreme win to team owner Toney Russell, recuperating in an Arkansas hospital from recent chemotherapy treatment.
PRO NITROUS
ROUND ONE
TEAMMATE TUSSLE – Jim Halsey and Pat Stoken face off to open PN eliminations. For the second-straight run Halsey heads for the center line from the left lane and has to abort the pass, while Stoken wins with a 3.94.
PAYS TO LEAVE FIRST - Jeff Naiser wins with a holeshot over Bob Rahaim. Naiser has a .030 reaction and goes 3.99 and 186 to beat the .122/3.93/191.43 combo by Rahaim.
NOT SO GROOVY - Jim Laurita gets out of the groove in the left lane and shuts down against John DeCerbo, who wins in 3.89 seconds at 189.34 mph.
ANOTHER HOLESHOT - Rickie Jones, who finished runner-up earlier this year in an outlaw race at PBIR, faces off with John Hall and Jones wins with a holeshot. Jones leaves with a .044 that allows his 3.95 at 186.43 to beat the quicker and faster 3.92 at 188.78 by Hall.
CHAMPION EFFORT - After a rare DNQ at the season opener last month in Texas, current PN champ Burton Auxier started 4th in Florida. He’s up against Ed Burnley in round one and takes care of business with a 3.91 at 191.67.
COME FROM BEHIND - Randy Weatherford has his beautiful new Yenko-themed ’68 Camaro out for its first race and after qualifying 14th, he’s in tough against Khalid Al-Balooshi. Balooshi is beat off the line, but gets ahead by half track and wins with a 3.90 over Weatherford’s 3.96.
MIKE WINS! – Mike Hill and Mike Castellana go head to head and Castellana wins, 3.90 to 3.95.
OOPS! - Top qualifier Mahana Al-Naemi throws away a 3.85 with a -.021 red light against Stan Allen, who leaves with a stellar .003 light and goes 4.00 to win.
QUARTER-FINALS
BIG MISTAKE - When the green light came on, Stan Allen left .048 too soon, but Pat Stoken’s car didn’t move after spitting fire from its exhaust both before the burnout and as he revved up for the start. Regardless, Stoken advanced to the semis with the automatic win light.
AUXIER ON HIS GAME - Rickie Jones’ car coughed fire through its scoop about half-track and Burton Auxier ran 3.89 192.11 after posting a .006 reaction time.
CASTELLANA CONTINUES - Mike Castellana led stripe to stripe over Jeff Naiser, going 3.87 to Naiser’s 3.92.
MAN TO BEAT - John DeCerbo ran a career-best 3.86 at 189.23 to beat the 4.02 at 183.29 by a pedaling Khalid Al-Balooshi. DeCerbo has posted the quickest winning pass of each of the first two rounds.
SEMI-FINALS
CAUTIOUS AUXIER - Pat Stoken’s car lost ignition on the start-up. Meanwhile, Burton Auxier repeated his 3.89 from the previous round, but obviously clicked it off early with a 176.51-mph top speed.
ONE MORE TO GO - Neither Mike Castellana nor John DeCerbo was in any hurry to stage, but DeCerbo finally went in first. However, it was Castellana who left first with a .026 advantage, then ran 3.83 at 195.59 to beat another career-best 3.86 at 188.89 put together by DeCerbo.
FINAL
ALL Al-ANABI FINAL - Mike Castellana and Burton Auxier squared off for the Pro Nitrous event win and it was Castellana taking home the trophy. The Al-Anabi Racing teammates left within two thousandths of each other and finished with Castellana ahead by four hundredths with a 3.82 pass at 195.96 beating the 3.86 at 193.29 by Auxier.
EXTREME TEN-FIVE
FIRST ROUND
BUSINESS AS USUAL - No contest here as Manny Cruz loses traction and top qualifier Dan Millen goes 3.92 at 198.47 to emphasize his position as reigning series champ.
TOUGH BREAK – Jr. Ward’s ex-Jim Oddy Corvette breaks during the burnout, giving Jimmy Blackmon a 5.47 tire-smoking freebie.
MAD MAN vs. WILD BILL – The blown Corvette of Frankie “Mad Man” Taylor takes on “Wild Bill” Devine and his turbocharged Mustang. Taylor goes 3.99 at 199.32 while Devine smokes the hides early in the run.
NEW CAR BLUES - Todd Moyer has been struggling with his new twin-turboed ’63 Corvette and the troubles continue against Billy Glidden, who wins in 4.02 seconds.
GIVE THAT MAN AN ENERGY DRINK - Jason Carlton was sleeping on the tree with a .252 reaction time, allowing Jimmy Martino to win with a 4.22 to Carlton’s 4.17.
TAKE IT EASY – Number-three starter Lamar Swindoll Jr. would’ve made the Eagles proud with his solo run, shutting off early to a 5.06 pass.
FIRE! - Dan Millen ran 3.92 at 198 mph to beat Jimmy Marino in round two of Extreme 10.5 eliminations, but his 2011 Mustang banged the blower and erupted in flames just as he crossed the finish line during the ADRL Safety-Kleen Spring Drags at Palm Beach International RacewayBlinded by fire and smoke, Millen managed to get the chutes out and hit the fire bottles while struggling to keep the car under control and in his own lane through the shutdown area. He was uninjured.
He lightly brushed the left wall before coming to a stop in the middle of the race track, where track rescue and emergency crews were quickly by his side.
Top-end reports later said that not only did the blower get knocked off, but the crank came through the front of the block, making Millen’s car control all that much more impressive.
GLIDDEN GOES ON - Jimmy Blackmon lost traction by half-track while Billy Glidden advanced to the semis with a 3.99 pass.
ANOTHER BIG SAVE – After already avoiding Billy Glidden in a lane-swapping incident while qualifying, Lamar Swindoll Jr. did another great driving job to keep his car off the left wall while racing against fellow Texan Frankie Taylor, who made his fastest XTF pass of the weekend at 3.93 and 201.80 mph.
SEMI-FINALS
FINAL
JUST A FORMALITY – All Billy Glidden had to do was take the tree uncontested in the final, but he satisfied his fans with a “leisurely” 4.15 run at 150.18 mph to win his ADRL-leading 12th Extreme 10.5 national event.
PRO EXTREME MOTORCYCLE
ROUND ONE
NO SURPRISE - Number-one starter Ashley Owens has an easy time with a 4.04 to Charlie Prophit’s 4.24.
STAGING DUEL - It’s Monte Campbell vs. Terry Schweigert and neither wants to stage first. Schweigert finally goes in and Campbell immediately follows before winning with a 4.254 to Schweigert’s 4.257 for .008 MOV.
IDENTICAL TWINS - Paul Gast and Dave Vantine both run 4.279, but a .043 light gives Vantine the win over Gast’s .056 reaction time.
BEST OF TIMES - Richard Gadson and David Norris both make their best passes of the weekend, but Gadson’s 4.16 is too much for Norris and his 4.24.
V-TWIN WIN - Matt Smith takes the only V-Twin in the field to a 4.14 first-round win over Broderick Jackson’s 4.39 effort.
LOCAL HEROINE - Current PXM champ Kim Morrell, who lives only 15 miles from the track, gives the local crowd someone to cheer on as she runs fellow Floridian Craig Rosenberg. Morrell goes 4.14 at 169.44 as Rosenberg wiggles near half track and shuts down early.
NO WYNN HERE – Terry Wynn does not win against Carlos Wilkerson.
QUARTER-FINALS
JUST TAKE THE TREE – Opting to save wear and tear on his record-setting ride, Ashley Owens just blipped the throttle to break the start beam in a second and shuts off.
EASY WIN - Carlos Wilkerson ran 4.14 at 169.49 to easily beat the 4.28 by Dave Vantine.
GADSEN GOING TO SEMIS - Matt Smith was beaten off the start and lost grip at half track and was forced to watch Richard Gadson ride to his first ADRL semi-final with a 4.15 at 170.64 win.
BIG IMPROVEMENT - Kim Morrell makes her best pass of the weekend in a solo 4.11 run at 174.19 mph. Apparently the smoke from Monte Campbell’s bike in round one signified critical damage.
SEMI-FINALS
WILKERSON WINS - Defending class champ Kim Morrell has lane choice and takes the right lane against Carlos Wilkerson. Wilkerson left first with a nearly three-hundredths advantage, but ended up not needing it as Morrell’s bike had a big backfire about 150 feet down track and Wilkerson ran 4.16 at 167.91 to reach the final.
NO MATCH - Richard Gadson treed Ashley Owens, but his 4.16 at 169.44 was no match for the 4.03/177.49 combo put together by the number-one qualifier and record holder.
FINAL
USUAL SUSPECT – Ashley Owens won his class-leading 11th Pro Extreme Motorcycle final and second straight this year with a 4.04 run at 179.11 mph against Carlos Wilkerson that represented his best pass of the day.
EXTREME PRO STOCK
ROUND ONE
FIRST PAIR – Bert Jackson gets the better of Doug Kirk.
WHOA, BUDDY! - Elijah Morton takes a hard right off the launch and almost crosses the center line, while Bob Bertsch also has traction trouble and has to shut down allowing Morton to regain his ride and take the easy win.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR - It’s Canada versus Aruba as Larry O’Brien takes on Trevor Eman. The higher qualified O’Brien goes red and shatters the hearts of Canucks everywhere as Eman wins with a 4.24 at 172.30 mph.
GLAD HE WON - As a pair of comely CarSafe girls toss T-shirts to the crowd, CarSafe-sponsored Richie Stevens Jr. takes to the line against Steven Boone. Again, both cars spin hard off the launch, but Stevens recovers first and wins with a 5.51 at 130.51 to make sure the girls come back for Round 2.
GAHM OVER! – It’s a clichéd title, but oh so fitting as Brian Gahm (pronounced “Game”) gets the holeshot, but falls to Dean Goforth, 4.15 to 4.21.
NO FULL MONTE – Defending series champ John Montecalvo takes on Tony Gillig in his first time back in a mountain-motored Pro Stocker since 2006. Monte spins the tires early in the run and loses to Gillig’s 4.16 at 173.81.
THAT’LL LEAVE A MARK - Summit Racing’s Pete Berner opens with a big burnout before taking on Cale Aronson in the other CarSafe car. Berner runs straight and true with a 4.11 at 175.05 while Aronson takes a hard right and tags the right wall about 100 feet out with his right rear quarter panel.
GOFORTH GETS A GIMME – Top qualifier Cary Goforth is up against number-16 Richard Penland, who takes a shot at the tree but goes red against a vulnerable 4.17 by Goforth.
QUARTER-FINALS
RUSTY, PERHAPS? - Perhaps showing a little rust from not having raced since 2006, Tony Gillig left .110 too soon and threw away a 4.14 that should have beaten the 4.18 by Trevor Eman in the left lane.
SEMIS FOR STEVENS - Dean Goforth in the left lane, Richie Stevens Jr. in the right and Stevens made a 4.16 pass to win against an early shutoff by Goforth.
UPSET TIME - Bert Jackson pulls off the upset of the meet so far as his 4.148 beats the 4.149 by number-one qualifier Cary Goforth. Jackson also won on the starting line with a .048 reaction to Goforth’s .057 light.
BERNER ON FIRE - Pete Berner runs low ET for the round with a 4.10 win over Elijah Morton, who ran a game 4.16 effort. Berner is the only driver from the top half of the XPS field to reach the semis.
SEMI-FINALS
THE KID IS HOT - A pair of first-time semi-finalists paired off in Bert Jackson and Richie Stevens Jr., so a first-time finalist was guaranteed in XPS. And it was Stevens on a holeshot. After taking a .017 advantage off the start, his 4.15 at 173.29 beat Jackson’s 4.14 by just seven-thousandths at the finish line.
GOING FOR THE WIN - Pete Berner got the job done with a 4.07 at 176.19, his best pass of the weekend so far, over a game 4.15 by Trevor Eman. Berner has not yet won an ADRL event.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - WE'RE UNDERWAY AT THE BEACH
SEE, I TOLD YOU I WOULD - Joey Martin predicted he would run 3.64 to 3.65 in Pro Extreme (PX) qualifying Friday night at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR).
He went 3.642 at 205.35 mph.
Despite leading all three qualifying rounds, including a pair of 3.67s in the first two sessions, Martin insisted he’s not pushing the ’55 Chevy “Lowmad” anywhere near its limits.
“We don’t race that way; the consistency shows that,” said Martin, who also built the car from the ground up last year in his Milton, Florida, shop for team owner Toney Russell, who currently is recovering from chemotherapy treatment in Arkansas while keeping track of his car’s progress via Internet and telephone reports.
“It’s the best medicine on the face of the Earth for him for this car to do well,” said Martin. “The chemo brings him down and this car brings him up, I believe, better than any medicine ever could.”
Martin also said he thinks the time will hold up for the number-one starting position, so he may sit out Saturday’s lone qualifying round before eliminations begin.
“We’ll have the car ready, maybe hang out at the back of the lanes just in case somebody tries to steal it away,” he added.
Among the most likely culprits would be second-place man Jason Hamstra (3.65), winner of the ADRL season opener last month in Houston, defending class champ Frankie Taylor (3.67) and former Top Fuel star J.R. Todd (3.68) in just his second U.S. Pro Extreme appearance after racing in the off season in Doha, Qatar.
THE NO. 1 BOTTLE ROCKET - Once Pro Nitrous qualifying was complete Friday at PBIR, Qatar’s Mahana Al-Naemi claimed the provisional pole.
Al-Naemi clocked an impressive 3.797-second run at 196.30 mph. The next closest competitor to Al-Naemi was Mike Castellana at 3.82 seconds.
“I feel like the car is going up and not coming down and I think the 3.79 is going to be a good number,” Al-Naemi said about the lap in his 1969 Camaro. “It was pretty exciting. I want to thank Khalid (Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani) for giving me this chance to race here in America. I want to thank Shannon Jenkins and everybody who has helped me.”
Jenkins isn’t stunned at all by how fast Al-Naemi is making a name for himself in the ADRL.
“We raced the last few winters overseas, and he has been doing a great job,” Jenkins said. “He has come a long ways. We just kind of threw him under the bus with some of this stuff, and it is a very tough class to get into. He will only get better with more laps. Considering the air, the 79 did surprise me a little bit. We have always had the power, it is just being able to manage it properly. For right now, I do not know if that (79) can be beat (Saturday) during the heat and so forth. To have Mahana No. 1 and Mike No. 2 is great. That’s what we work so hard for.”
After missing an opportunity with a broken blower belt immediately upon launching in round one (“We need to pay more attention to belt maintenance,” he said), the defending class champion laid down a 3.89 at 198.85 mph in round two to take the point from Frankie Taylor.
“It was a great run, it did just what we expected,” he said after sitting out the third qualifying session of the day, with one more scheduled for Saturday morning before eliminations begin.
“We elected not to run the third session because we’ve broken a lot of parts lately and we kind of thought we weren’t going to learn a lot because the track is going to be substantially different in the morning,” Millen explained. “We’ll make that last qualifier, see what’s there and then hope for the best (in eliminations) because there’s a lot of good cars out here.”
Placing second with a career-best 3.96 was 2008 XTF champion Billy Glidden with his nitrous-boosted 2010 Mustang, followed by Lamar Swindell Jr., winner of the ADRL season opener last month at Houston, with a 3.99 in Todd Moyer’s twin-turbocharged 2004 Cavalier.
OWENS THE TOP RUNNER AGAIN - Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Ashley Owens made a record pass to qualify number one in Pro Extreme 
Motorcycle.
After opening with a 4.02 at 173.36 mph that was just five-thousandths of a second off his own elapsed time (ET) record and sitting out the second qualifying session, Owens ripped off a 4.01-seconds pass to establish a new official ET record.
Incrementals on the run included 1.02 to 60 feet, 2.65 to half track and 4.012 at 179.33 mph at the eighth-mile finish line.
“Not my best numbers, so there’s something left on the table, but you just don’t know when everything will line up,” he said. “On paper we can play with these numbers, where on one run the front half’s good and on another it’s the back half, but you’ve got to put them together; that’s the trick.”
Calling the Palm Beach track “great out there,” Owens said there’s certainly a possibility for the first PXM three-second lap on Saturday, but cautioned he and team owner Paul Gast will not pursue it at the cost of the race.
“We’re definitely going to try. Everyone thinks I can just go ahead and do it, but it’s working up to a 3.99; it’s not like the last five races I haven’t been throwing everything at it. We’re not just sitting back waiting for some magic time to do it. I mean, we’re trying, but it’s harder than it may look,” Owens pointed out.
“So hopefully it’ll come, but if not I’m not going to stress; I’m more interested in going rounds and hopefully winning the race.”
A win would give Owens his 11 th ADRL national event title, tying him with Extreme 10.5 star Billy Glidden as the series’ most prolific winner.
Folowing Owens on the qualifying list, which includes only 14 entries, were Carlos Wilkerson at 4.13, Matt Smith and local heroine Kim Morrell, the defending PXM champion who lives only 15 miles from the Palm Beach track.
ON TOP AGAIN - Cary Goforth’s speed made all the difference Friday during qualifying in the Extreme Pro Stock class.
Goforth, who is from Holdenville, Okla., clocked a 4.085-second time at 176.63 mph to grab the provisional pole. Pete Berner also had a 4.085-second qualifying pass, but his speed was only 175.52 mph, thus Goforth was awarded the provisional pole.
“Basically, I’m a little disappointed because that is the only run we have made,” Goforth said. “We did run an 11 earlier and that was shaking the tires and trying some things. I think it is going to be fast (Saturday). (Friday night) we were shooting for an .06 and I think we could have had it, and we just didn’t. It is a little bit bittersweet, I’m happy with the .085 and I’m happy for dad (Dean) because he has a good car this year and Pete and Monte are bunched up right behind me. We were trying to break their backs (Friday night). That’s what we are trying to do all year is break backs. I do not just want to be No. 1 by speed. I want to break their backs. That’s what we are here for and that is what we are going to try and do.”
John Montecalvo was third in the qualifying ladder at 4.086 seconds, followed by Dean Goforth, Cary’s father, who came in at 4.088 seconds.
Cary clocked the top time of the class early Friday, which allowed his team the opportunity to do some experimenting.
“Unfortunately when you are experimenting a little, you are taking a step back, but we have tested a lot,” Goforth said. “The last passes on dad’s car and my car were No. 49 and No. 50 since February. We have been really experimenting with some stuff and I think we are on to something. It is a little bit frustrating to end the night on an aborted run, but (Saturday morning) we will go back to our baseline tune-up and get after it.”
Cary Goforth believes he is going to have to better his 4.085-second performance to keep the pole today.
“I do not think the .08 will stand up,” Cary said. “I think somebody will go quicker than that. You see Pete (Berner) ran an .085 and Monte .086 and dad an .088, I do not think it will hold up. You need to run .06 in the morning. If we can get right up there in the morning, we could possibly do an .06 or .07, I’m looking for that. I’m not here to be No. 2.”
Cary is the most recent winner on the ADRL tour, scoring the victory at the season opening event in Houston, Tex.
BACK IN THE GROOVE - When J.R. Todd lost his full-time NHRA Top Fuel ride following the 2008 season, he didn’t know where his racing career was going to 
take him next.
Fast-forward to 2011, and Todd has found a home in the American Drag Racing League competing in the Pro Extreme (PX) class. Todd drives a 1957 Chevy for Al-Anabi Racing.
“I never thought at all I would be driving a Pro Mod car,” Todd admitted. “I have always been a fan. Even when I started driving for Bruce Litton in the IHRA, I always liked to watch the Pro Mods run. They are always wild and crazy, but I never thought I would be behind the wheel of one.”
Todd made his Pro Mod debut Dec. 2-3, in the Arabian Drag Racing League’s 2010-11 season opener at the Qatar Race Club.
This Friday and Saturday Todd is at the ADRL’s Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway.
“So far the transition is going all right,” said the 29-year-old Todd said. “I’m just glad to be back in a car whether it is a Pro Mod, fuel car, Super Comp car, I do not care, as long as I’m driving. Rob (Flynn) and I both still are learning. You never stop learning with these things. The suspension and the engine set up are all new to us. We are taking it slow and hopefully we have something for these guys in the (United) states.”
Todd qualified sixth in the first round of Pro Extreme at PBIR with a 3.763-second elapsed time. Flynn is Todd’s crew chief.
In his Top Fuel days from 2006-2008, Todd was clocking four second laps at 330-plus mph. Todd believes his Top Fuel driving duties have helped him in his transition to the ADRL.
“In a way driving an ADRL car almost feels slow to me after going that fast (in a Top Fuel dragster),” Todd said. “It also helps me, I think to drive this thing better just because you are more alert and more aware. You are kind of ahead of it, waiting for it (the ADRL car) to make a move, instead of being behind it, which is good. You never want to behind it driving. Driving a fuel car, and the speed and acceleration of that has helped me adapt to this thing (the ADRL car) for sure. But, they (the ADRL cars) definitely get moving for the short distance we are going.”
Todd has six career NHRA Top Fuel victories on his resume and he finished a personal-best seventh in the points standings in 2007. Todd, however, had no experience driving a Pro Mod machine before he went to Qatar this past December.
“I was kind of surprised with the success we had at Qatar pretty early on,” Todd said. “It carried over and we finished well over there and we won a couple of races, and made some good clean runs. Hopefully we have something for these guys over here (in the ADRL) because this is where it counts. We had 8 or 10 of the fastest cars in the world over (in Qatar), but they are all over here (in the ADRL), and then some. You have to be on your game here (in the ADRL) because anyone of these cars can win on any given day.”
Although Todd is a rookie in the ADRL ranks, he knows his Al-Anabi team has high expectations.
“Going into Qatar, my goal was just to get seat time and make runs,” Todd said. “Once we started making good runs, and kind of backed into our first win, the goals kind of changed. We were ready to win some races and win the championship over there. I kind of choked in the last race and gave it (the championship) up. That is definitely the goal here in the (ADRL) to come out swinging and that’s why Sheikh Khalid started this team. He didn’t start us out just to come out here and make runs. He started us to come out here and win, and that is our goal. Over here in the ADRL it is definitely way more relaxed than it was in the NHRA. KH (Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani) expects us to win, but there also is not a lot of pressure. In the NHRA it is more of a job. This (driving in the ADRL) is still a job, but it is just a more relaxed atmosphere.”
GILLIG GETS NEW XPS RIDE - For the first time since finishing runner-up in the 2006 IHRA championship, Tony Gillig is behind the wheel of a 
mountain-motor Pro Stock car.
“It’s nice to be back in a car. For a while there I didn’t know if I’d ever go racing again, so it’s great to have this opportunity,” the Chicago pizza shop owner says of his ADRL debut driving for 2009 Extreme Pro Stock championship owner Billy Dingman.
It came as a bit of a surprise, too. Gillig describes receiving a call about three weeks ago from IHRA veteran crew chief Butch Peterson asking if he was interested in getting back in a cockpit. Upon learning he was, Peterson immediately put Gillig in touch with engine builder and Dingman crew chief Ron Hutter.
“So I talked to Ron on the phone and a day later he called back and said I had the job,” Gillig recalls. “Then I spoke with Billy Dingman two or three days after that and a week later I was down in Florida testing. We had to make a few changes to the car to get me to fit and testing went okay, but we’re still learning; we have some new guys on the team and I’m a new driver, so we’re just trying to find our way, so to speak.”
After two rounds of qualifying for the ADRL Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II, Gillig has the Dingman Racing 2008 Cobalt placed seventh on the list with a 4.14 pass at 173.76 mph.
“I’d like to get back to where I was in 2006, a top-half qualifier who’s able to go rounds and maybe pick up a win,” Gillig says of his goals for the year. “But there are a lot of good cars and teams out here and we still have some work to do to figure out what the car wants from us.
“Ron Hutter is calling all the shots on the car and the motor and I’m behind the wheel doing my thing and it’s going to take us some time to gel, but I think it’s just a matter of time for that to happen.”
Regardless, after four years on the sidelines, Gillig is just happy and relieved to make the transition from spectator back to participant.
“I’ve got a lot of friends out here, so I’ve been keeping up with what they’ve been doing, watching on TV and on the Internet, but I like driving a lot better and it’s great to be out here racing with them again.”
GWYNN TAKES IN FIRST ADRL EXPERIENCE - Former NHRA Top Fuel star Darrell Gwynn, injured in a 1990 high-speed drag racing crash in England, was 
an interested first-time attendee at the ADRL’s Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach International Raceway.
“They’ve done a great job with this facility and I live only an hour south of here in Ft. Lauderdale, so I’m here to support the track and more importantly, see a lot of my old crew guys,” Gwynn said. “We’re calling it the retirement series because all the old guys are coming over here and working on these cars now.”
While Gwynn said he always enjoys his time at the track, he has no interest in getting involved in drag racing again, instead preferring to concentrate on the work of his Darrell Gwynn Foundation (www.DarrellGwynnFoundation.org) which promotes awareness, prevention and support for paralysis patients and assists in funding targeted research toward ultimately discovering a paralysis cure, with special emphasis on programs targeting children.
“My racing days are over, but my foundation keeps me pretty busy,” he said. “There’s a lot of great things going on, we’re helping a lot of people with support from race fans, Barrett-Jackson fans, NASCAR fans, NHRA fans, and now, hopefully, ADRL fans.”
KICK THE TIRES, LIGHT THE FIRES - Following a brief rain delay Friday morning, the ADRL Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II at Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR) got under way just before 1 p.m. with Extreme Pro Stock qualifying. Houston winner Cary Goforth led the way with a 4.08, followed by defending class champ John Montecalvo and Pete Berner, both at 4.09, after 21 cars made attempts in the opening session.
This is the inaugural visit for the ADRL to the Palm Beach track, but as a popular winter testing destination, many of the teams on the ground are familiar with the eighth mile here.
ADRL officials said four or five local entries hoping to compete in Extreme 10.5 were deemed ineligible during tech inspection.
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