Ulsch Makes Record Run in Highlight of National Guard ADRL Qualifying

  *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*

American Drag Racing League
Contact: ADRL Communications
(404) 375-4895 or (636) 272-2375
www.ADRL.us

*Ulsch Makes Record Run in Highlight of National Guard ADRL Qualifying *

PETERSBURG, VA (July 24, 2009) --- In the competition debut of a new, 
purpose-built '68 Camaro, Chuck Ulsch of Clarksville, Maryland, 
overwhelmed the Flowmaster Extreme 10.5 crowd in the opening round of 
qualifying for the ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags II with the 
quickest and fastest pass ever seen in the class. Ulsch tripped the 
eighth-mile beams at Virginia Motorsports Park (VMP) in 4.01 seconds at 
195.73 mph and can set official National Guard ADRL elapsed time and 
speed records if he can back up his provisional number-one qualifying 
numbers within one percent.

"Yeah, we were going after a three (-second pass) there, but I don't 
know if we'd be able to do that again in the heat tomorrow," said Ulsch, 
who thinks his Friday-night effort probably will hold up as the 
polesitting pass. "Once eliminations start I'll go into race mode; I 
want to win one of those Minutemen (trophies)."

Joining Ulsch on top of the qualifying lists was Quain Stott in Pro 
Extreme, Mike Castellana, also in the debut of a new Pro Nitrous car, 
Eric McKinney in Pro Extreme Motorcycle and Extreme Pro Stock racer John 
Montecalvo.

"That actually was a little soft on the leave," Stott said of his 
3.79-seconds pass at 200.02 mph in his Columbus, NC-based '63 Corvette. 
"I missed it a bit on the tune-up and I really don't know if that will 
hold up (for the top qualifying position), but we should be in good 
shape tomorrow, no matter what."

Also making a great run was number-two Pro Extreme qualifier John 
Stanley in the '68 Camaro tuned by his legendary racing father, Camp 
Stanley, as he also went 3.79 at 193.13 mph, both of which are 
career-best numbers for the Hagerstown, MD, driver.

Earlier in the day, reigning two-time Pro Extreme World Champion Jason 
Scruggs smacked hard into the left guardwall almost immediately upon 
launching his '68 Camaro on a test pass when an oil line broke, spraying 
oil all over the track and his car's rear tires.

"It was just one of those things you can't even check for; the line just 
pulled loose from the fitting under pressure," explained Scruggs' father 
and crew chief, Mitchell. "I've never seen that happen before in 30 
years of racing."

Undaunted, the Scruggs commissioned the help of a friend at home in 
Saltillo, Mississippi, to haul their 2008 championship-winning Dodge 
Stratus through the night to Petersburg, Virginia, so they can 
transplant the Camaro's engine and still attempt to qualify on Saturday.

Castellana's new 1970 Camaro ran a near-record 3.87 at 192.17 to lead 
teammates Shannon Jenkins and Khalid Al-Balooshi in the top-three Pro 
Nitrous slots after one of three scheduled qualifying sessions.

"Today was my first time in the car, so it feels good to have it run so 
well for me right off the bat, but I have to give credit to (crew 
chiefs) Shannon (Jenkins), Rickie (Smith) and the rest of our guys for 
that," Castellana said. Like Ulsch, he believes his current 
top-qualifier status will be safe until race time.

"I really don't see anyone improving on that, including us," the 
Westbury, New York, driver said. "But once it cools off tomorrow night, 
who knows? You might even see some new records here."

McKinney, from Hamersville, Ohio, put his '09 Suzuki on top of the Pro 
Extreme Motorcycle list with a 4.23 pass at 168.09 mph. Also notable is 
Kim Morrell, the only female rider in the class, who for the first time 
in four starts is in a qualifying position, currently sitting 14th of 29 
entries attempting to make the 16-bike field.

Montecalvo, fresh off a win at the National Guard ADRL's most recent 
event three weeks earlier at Topeka, Kansas, drove his '08 Chevy Cobalt 
to a 4.13 lap at 175.16 mph, edging Dean Goforth by just one-thousandth 
of a second for the provisional top spot, who in turn held his own 
one-thousandth advantage over Matt Hartford, while Bob Bertsch also went 
4.13 in qualifying fourth.

The second round of qualifying for the ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags 
II is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. July 25, with the third and final 
session scheduled for a 1 p.m. start and eliminations to follow at 4 p.m.

 

PHOTO CUTLINES:

ADRL_XTF_Ulsch.jpg

Chuck Ulsch, driving Gil Mobley's new Vanishing Point-built '68 Camaro, 
ran quicker and faster than any other Extreme 10.5 driver in National 
Guard ADRL history July 24, going 4.01 at 195.73 mph in first-round 
qualifying for the ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags II at Virginia 
Motorsports Park.

 

ADRL_PX_Stott.jpg

After qualifying in the provisional number-one spot in Virginia, Pro 
Extreme star Quain Stott said the hot weather surrounding the ADRL 
NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags II plays into the hands of racers like him 
who have to rely more on experience than money to run well.

 

ADRL_PN_Cast.jpg

After one round of qualifying for the ADRL NATIONALGUARD.com U.S. Drags 
II in Petersburg, Virginia, Mike Castellana's brand-new, Jerry 
Bickel-built '70 Camaro sits atop what is currently the second-quickest 
Pro Nitrous field in National Guard ADRL history.

 

ADRL_PXM_McKin.jpg

Eric McKinney has been showing a lot of new-found strength at recent 
races and now sits on top of the third-quickest Pro Extreme Motorcycle 
field in National Guard ADRL history.

 

ADRL_XPS_Monte.jpg

Just nine-thousandths of a second separates the top four Extreme Pro 
Stock qualifiers after one session at Petersburg, Virginia, with John 
Montecalvo of Center Moriches, New York, currently leading the way 
toward eliminations.    

  

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD
The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the 
United States and one of the nation's longest enduring institutions. The 
National Guard operates in all 50 states, three territories (Puerto 
Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia. For 
more information on the National Guard, visit www.NationalGuard.com.

 

ABOUT THE ADRL
Based in O'Fallon, Missouri, the National Guard American Drag Racing 
League is the nation's premier sanctioning body for the sport of 
eighth-mile drag racing. The professional categories featured in the 
National Guard ADRL are Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Extreme Pro Stock, 
Extreme 10.5, Pro Nitrous and Pro Extreme, the quickest doorslammer 
class in all of drag racing. The 2009 National Guard ADRL tour consists 
of 10 national events run throughout the United States. For more 
information on the ADRL, visit www.ADRL.us.

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