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ON, Mo. ? National Guard American Drag Racing League officials announced today that beginning in 2010 the ADRL will transition to quarter-mile racing.
Currently, the ADRL races to the eighth-mile, a distance that has proven to be a very successful formula.
However, President and CEO Kenny Nowling acknowledged that perhaps the time had come for the series to take what many believe is the natural next step.
?I believe that as a racing organization, we?ve grown in every area we can grow,? said Nowling. ?After lengthy discussions with our board of directors and many of our competitors, we determined that this should be the next step in our evolution.?
Nowling cited the ongoing improvements to safety in drag racing, including the soon-to-be announced ?Car of Tomorrow? doorslammer that has been under development for the past three years.
In addressing the concerns for safety that come with a longer race length, Nowling said, ?With the stricter, new standards that we have been put in place from a safety perspective, we feel we can comfortably make the change.?
The change has been announced early in the current season in order to give competitors ample time to make the necessary changes that come with the increased race length.
Nowling admitted that the idea to make the change wasn?t taken lightly and that it had been discussed almost since the inception of the ADRL five years ago.
?We have been talking to several teams for over a year now,? said Nowling. ?At first there was some reluctance, but once we laid out our game plan, which included in-depth discussions with our sponsors, everyone understood our vision for the future of the series and everything kind of fell into place.?
Private testing has been underway since last fall and it has involved some of the sports biggest names. Nowling publicly thanked them for having done a remarkable job of keeping the testing secret.
The first open test of the quarter-mile distance will take place on Easter Sunday, following the conclusion of the Hardee?s Georgia Drags V at South Georgia Motorsports Park.
?Despite the day being a holiday, we expect many of our competitors to stay for the session,? said Nowling. ?I?d like to personally extend an invitation to all competitors and fans to join us for a special chapel service on Sunday morning before the start of testing.?
One of the drivers taking part in the private testing was Pro Extreme veteran Bil Clanton, who admittedly was against the idea when he first heard about it.
?My dad used to race quarter-mile back in the day,? said Clanton. ?All I?ve ever known is eighth-mile. But, the testing went a lot better than I thought it would.
?We ran a few 5.70s at over 240 mph in practice at one of the private test sessions that Kenny organized. The car has shown tremendous potential. On the last lap of the day, it went 5.685 (seconds) at 256.11 mph.?
Nowling added, ?Not that it will be relevant by next year, but the eighth-mile time on that last run was a 3.87. Just imagine what Scruggs? 3.70 lap will translate to in the quarter-mile.?
Since founding the ADRL, Nowling has been adamant about making any changes to the current formula, which has revolutionized both the way drag races are being staged and also the way in which grandstands are being filled to capacity.
Another driver involved in testing, Pro Nitrous veteran and national event winner Steve Vick said, ?I personally am not thrilled about making a change to quarter mile. I believe eighth-mile drag racing is the way of the future.
?However, Kenny and his staff have shown a keen knack for making all the right decisions. If it is their decision to race a quarter-mile then that is what we?ll do. Hell, if they decide to run a half-mile, we?ll figure out a way to make it happen.?
Nowling expects to hear both positive and negative reaction to this decision, but he insists that it is the correct move to make.
?It?s (the ADRL) been a work in progress,? said Nowling. ?The first five years were super exciting. I still have a lot of reservations, but I will be a curious onlooker at Houston (the 2010 season-opener).
?We never felt that quarter-mile racing would ever have any impact on the ADRL, but we?ve done just about everything we could do. We?re looking for a new challenge.?
Plans call for Nowling to take part in a live chat/press conference at 3 PM ET today to answer any and all questions in regards to the change.
(Photos: ADRL/Richards)
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