ADRL Hardee’s Gateway Drags III Madison IL August 6-7, 2010
| PRO MODIFIED: | NAME | ET | MPH | CAREER WIN |
| Pro Extreme P/X | ||||
| Win: | Alex Hossler | 3.696 | 203.68 | 2nd |
| R/UP: | Gaylen Smith | 3.715 | 204.86 | |
| Low ET: | Shiekh Khalid Al Thani | 3.665 | ||
| Top Speed: | Shiekh Khalid Al Thani | 208.84 | ||
| Bump Spot: | 3.665 | |||
| Pro Nitrous P/N | ||||
| Win: | Shannon Jenkins | 3.884 | 193.13 | 9th |
| R/UP: | Randy Weatherford | 3.957 | 191.10 | |
| Low ET: | Jim Halsey | 3.877 | ||
| Top Speed: | Jim Halsey | 193.99 | ||
| Bump Spot: | 4.053 | |||
| Extreme 10.5 Winner: | Chuck Ulsch | 3.997 | 206.35 | |
| Pro Extreme M/C Winner: | Ashley Owens | 4.095 | 174.68 | |
| Extreme Pro Stock Winner: | Brian Gahm | 4.115 | 174.90 |
Comeback win for Hossler Highlights ADRL St. Louis
Alex Hossler’s first American Drag Racing League (ADRL) win 10 months ago ended with the Pro Extreme driver crossing the finish line with his car on fire in one of more memorable ADRL finishes. The Canton, IL racer topped himself on Saturday during the Hardee’s Gateway Drags III at Gateway International Raceway (GIR).
ADRL St. Louis P/X Final
Hossler was never better as he cashed in his second career ADRL PX win. His ’71 Camaro went a Saturday-best 3.69 at 203 miles per hour, beating Gaylen Smith in an entertaining final before a massive overflow crowd at GIR. That it came during a finals victory was simply icing on the cake for the Clarksville, MD native.
Shiek KH Al-Thani set both low ET and Top Speed
Joining Hossler in the winner’s circle was Shannon Jenkins in Pro Nitrous, Chuck Ulsch in Extreme 10.5, Ashley Owens in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Brian Gahm in Extreme Pro Stock and Alexander Oppen in Pro Junior Dragster. The capacity crowd soaked in the record-breaking weekend, as track E.T. and speed records were broken in every class over the two-day stretch.
After wrecking in Houston two weeks ago, Jenkins has been driving the car of teammate Mike Castellana in Pro Nitrous. It was a lethal combination on Saturday, as Jenkins went 3.88 at 193 mph to deny Randy Weatherford of his first ADRL win. Instead, Jenkins picked up his class-best ninth event victory.
Ulsch capped his amazing day in XTF racing with one more record, as his 3.99 run in the finals against Billy Glidden came at 206.55 mph, giving him the new world speed record.
Ulsch’s path to the finals was eerily similar to a year ago at the track, as he met Jeff Naiser and Gary White in the second and third rounds, respectively, for the second straight time.
It was the same old dominant story for Ashley Owens, as the Decatur, AL native made it a double-win weekend after also qualifying first. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for the “Fast by Gast” driver, who went 4.09 at 174 mph to beat Kim Morrell’s 4.16 in the finals. His ’07 Suzuki went 4.11 in the first round, a weekend-best 4.08 at 175 mph in the quarterfinals and a 4.10 to put him in the finals, where he remains perfect on the season.
Consistent was also what Gahm kept coming back to en route to picking up his second Extreme Pro Stock win of the year. He didn’t put up monster numbers – though his 4.11 in the finals was strong – but he never went worse than 4.15 on Saturday. Gahm went a 4.13 at 173 mph to beat Cary Goforth in the semifinals, and Cale Aronson, making his first finals appearance, timed out on the starting line in the finals.
The ADRL returns to action on September 10-11 for the ADRL Simpson Dragstock VII from Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, NC.
(Photos by: Roger Richards)
