Everyone was watching Jason Scruggs with anticipation as he launched toward making history with the first 200-mph-plus doorslammer run over the eighth mile. Scruggs also grabbed the provisional number-one spot on the qualifying list with the record-setting blast. Kudos also belong to the Rockingham Dragway track crew (bottom) for giving Scruggs a good, raceable surface after the strip was battered by very heavy rain for hours last night. (Ian Tocher photos)

Jason Scruggs of Saltillo, MS, just picked up a $10,000 bonus from Flowmaster for making the first 200-mph pass in ADRL history. At 2:04 p.m., in the opening round of Pro Extreme qualifying, Scruggs steered his family-owned ‘63 Corvette to a polesitting 3.809 at 200.86 mph. His incrementals were .984 at the 60-foot point, 2.573 at half-track, and of course, 3.809 at the top-end stripe. The ambient temperature was nearly 90 degrees with track temp about 125 degrees and corrected altitude at nearly 2,900 feet ASL, said Scruggs’ father and crew chief, Mitchel Scruggs. DRO joins the entire drag racing community in congratulating this hard-working team on an awesome accomplishment.

Top to bottom: Mel Eaves has yet to get down the track in his nitro-burning Camaro. Frankie Taylor is also struggling to find the handle on his new Corvette, but Quain Stott is in good shape after making test passes of 3.99 and 4.03 seconds. (Ian Tocher photos)

ADRL Pro Extreme record holder Jason Scruggs led the way in Dragstock IV testing with an oustanding 3.850-seconds pass at 197.08 mph. Also in the threes were John Lynam, Todd Tutterow, Tommy Mauney, Quain Stott, and Joey Martin.

The provisional Pro Extreme Bike polesitter is Scott Valetti of Cincinnati, OH, who went 4.302 at 163.69 mph on his 2000 Suzuki. (Ian Tocher photo)

With Friday afternoon’s testing completed and the drivers’ meeting over, the opening round of Pro Extreme Motorcycle qualifying began at 8 p.m. Unfortunately, with just one bike left to run it began to rain and with more severe storms on the way according to local weathr radar, ADRL president Kenny Nowling called the show off for tonight. He still intends to complete three rounds of qualifying tomorrow, with the first to begin at noon and subsequent sessions at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Eliminations will begin at 6 p.m. It should make for a great, action-filled day as there were 27 Pro Extreme, 29 Pro Nitrous, 15 Extreme 10.5, and 24 Pro Extreme Motorcycle entries on the grounds when the wet stuff arrived and a few more are expected to arrive on Saturday.

At Rockingham Dragway's Dragstock IV, Bubba Stanton will be continuing the quest to retain his Pro Extreme championship. (Ian Tocher photo)

The Flowmaster American Drag Racing League’s oldest and largest event returns for a fourth edition this weekend, with more than 100 total entries expected Friday and Saturday for the Eastern Race Fuels Dragstock IV event at Rockingham Dragway.

Dragstock IV begins Friday with open testing throughout the afternoon and a single qualifying round for the ADRL’s professional classes (Pro Extreme, Pro Nitrous, Extreme 10.5, and Pro Extreme Motorcycle) in the evening. Saturday’s schedule calls for two additional qualifying attempts, followed by eliminations in all four classes. Dragstock IV will follow the ADRL’s standard time schedule, which can be found at www.adrl.us/index.php/main/insidepage/schedule

The ADRL began in the fall of 2004 with the first Dragstock, a stand-alone event open to any Pro Modified race team willing to take on a large field at an eighth-mile distance. Since that inaugural race, Dragstock has continued to be the ADRL’s largest and most prestigious national event, with huge fields turning out every year to compete for some of the most prestigious event titles in all of Pro Modified racing.

As in the last two editions of the event, Dragstock IV will also serve as the final chance for all professional drivers to earn points for the AlphaTrade Battle for the Belts competitions, which will determine the four 2007 ADRL world champions. Only the top eight points-earners in each class at the completion of Dragstock IV will qualify for the Battle for the Belts championship eliminators, Oct. 12 at the AlphaTrade ADRL World Finals in Ennis, Texas.

Entering the event, three drivers have mathematically clinched spots in their respective Belts competitions (and a number of other drivers will clinch the moment that some of their lower-ranked competitors are eliminated). In Pro Extreme, 2006 ADRL champion Bubba Stanton has earned a place in the final eight; Johnny Pilcher has qualified in Pro Nitrous; and Mike Hill has wrapped up a place in the Extreme 10.5 field. All other Belts competitors, including the entire Pro Extreme Motorcycle field, will be determined when the dust settles Saturday night at Rockingham Dragway.