In a press conference at the 2012 PRI Show Kenny Nowling announced his purchase of the ADRL’s intellectual property, meaning the name, website, etc. Seven races have been confirmed for 2013 with two additional events in consideration.
The 2013 campaign will be a largely east coast affair with two visits to Rockingham, South Georgia Motorsports Park, VMP, US 131, Memphis, and a visit to Houston, Texas.
The ADRL will continue to offer free tickets to their events in 2013.
Nowling refused to address any questions regarding his last couple years away from the sport, the ADRL, and the spotlight in general. He avoided a drag strip for a couple years and cautioned all press conference attendees to avoid signing non compete agreements at all costs. Nowling thanked the previous ownership and management of the ADRL who are starting their own sanctioning body, the XDRL. He wished them well.
Nowling said that he was served with a cease and desist order a few weeks back regarding the new series he was working on. Nowling partnered with Jack and Kim Switzer in purchasing the ADRL.
UPDATE: Races will be contested on Saturdays and Sundays as opposed to the previous Friday/Saturday format.
UPDATE: Nowling telling old school ADRL stories from the days when the series began to much laughter from the huge audience.
UPDATE: Seth Angel of Royal Purple Raceway spoke on behalf of the ADRL and the fan base from a track operator’s perspective. Angel spoke of the huge successes the ADRL had in the early years and admitted that the series struggled over the last couple seasons. Angel spoke about the massive crowds the series used to draw. He spoke highly or Kenny, the organization and what he feels will be a bright future.
UPDATE: Nowling said that many will think he is crazy for buying a name back for “six figures”.
UPDATE: Nowling said that the ADRL will never be for sale again, even for 100-million dollars. He said, “No amount of money will take him away from drag racing again.”
UPDATE: Nowling apologized to everyone for stepping away for the company and feels like he let the racing community down.
UPDATE: Bubba Corzine will return to his role of race director.
UPDATE: The Scruggs family, Jason and Mitchell Scruggs have purchased the entire raft of track equip for the organization as the XDRL has kept the equipment that was formerly used at ADRL events.
UPDATE: Rules will not be addressed today.
UPDATE: Nowling admits that it was a mistake admitting screw blowers into the class. Xtreme 10.5 will not be contested in 2013 at ADRL events.
UPDATE: Top Sportsman and Top Sportsman as well as “legal” Pro Mod will follow the NHRA rules to the letter.
UPDATE: Wes Buck, editor of Drag Illustrated has committed to full coverage of the ADRL and will be the company’s official media partner.
UPDATE: Nowling closed by welcoming people back to the “Real” ADRL.
It was a sincere and successful attempt at re-igniting the excitement that propelled the ADRL back in the beginning. Kenny’s passion for the sport and the people that share his passion has to be considered an act of faith on his part, and that of his partners. The very best racers, fans, track owners, and media that cover the sport share that passion. True support for a noble comeback attempt like this will surely come from the manufacturers that share the passion (albeit from a different perspective).
All the best to the “new” ADRL and the folks involved, at every level.
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