Words by Jeff Burk
Photos courtesy ADRL Communications except where otherwise credited

The third race at the 2009 ADRL tour (remember the ADRL season started with the last race of 2008) was perhaps one of the strongest in terms of performance and car count in the history of the American Drag Racing League and one of the most surprising from a historical point of view. The Hardee’s Georgia Drags was run April 10-11 at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

As far as performance goes this race saw as many racers qualify for the 200-mph Club as have qualified in the four previous years of the ADRL. Both Frankie Taylor and Quain Stott join Jason Scruggs and Todd Tutterow in the elite club. Extreme 10.5’s Billy Glidden continued his domination of the class by winning his third straight class title and re-setting the eighth-mile 10.5 ET record to 4.083!

Records were also set in the new Extreme Pro Stock class and Pro Extreme Motorcycle. Robert Patrick, driving a 2008 Mustang GT, went 4.06 in qualifying and 4.059 during eliminations to re-set the 10.5 class record. Number one qualifier in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Charlie Prophit, lowered the ET record to 4.212.

A record number of professional racers were entered and almost 150 professional racers  made qualifying laps at SGMP in front of an all-time record crowd of drag racing fans.  

Pro Extreme

Frankie Taylor (Greg Bunsold Photo)

Texas Outlaw Pro Mod star Frankie Taylor and his brother showed that they were ready to challenge the champs of ADRL’s Extreme Pro Mod division by not only qualifying on the pole with a best ever ET of 3.762, but joining the elite ADRL 200-mph club. That is quite an accomplishment for a racer with no major sponsor.

On the other hand, heavily sponsored Quain Stott, using the only Gene Fulton-built hemi in the program, went into the coveted 200-mph club with a first round blast of 201.07!

But, as is often the case, the race win went not to the quickest or fastest car but to the car and driver who could deliver the most consistency. At this event it would be Indiana racer Jason Hamstra who took home the coveted Minuteman trophy.