Words by Jeff Burk
Photos by Steve Gruenwald

Florida fans seeing the first ADRL event in that state were treated to vintage ADRL fast doorslammer qualifying and racing action at the Safety-Kleen Spring Drags II. Despite the long tow that faced most of the ADRL competitors, more than 100 entries were on hand for this inaugural event at Palm Beach International Raceway.

The racing itself was seriously good. In an upset of sorts Florida-based Pro Extreme racer Joey Martin not only qualified on the pole in his homebuilt ’55 “Lomad” Chevy wagon with a stellar 3.64, but continued that performance by winning the ultra-tough Pro Extreme class.
 
The Extreme Pro Stock class saw one of the most amazing qualifying efforts in professional drag racing history when the top four qualifiers in that class had identical ET’s (4.08) with just three thousandths of a second separating them. The first and second qualifiers, Gary Goforth and Pete Berner, recorded identical 4.085 times.