Robert Patrick’s foray into Pro Nitrous is off to a fine start after a fantastic all-around performance on Saturday. He beat Burton Auxier with a 4.25 in the finals, but the rest of his day in his 2012 Jerry Bickel Race Cars Mustang was filled with runs in the 3.80s, including a great 3.811 in an outstanding semifinal duel with Jim Laurita.

“I had a lot of faith in my crew. They’ve been working their butt off and I couldn’t be any happier with this Jerry Bickel Race Car,” Patrick said. “I’m just so happy to be racing in the ADRL and to be part of this. This is my roots and this where I love racing.”

Billy Glidden delivered what was arguably the best run of his career in the Mickey Thompson Extreme 10.5 finals, beating Chuck Ulsch on a holeshot in an unbelievable side-by-side race.

Ulsch went 3.855 at 202.82, but Glidden’s .028 and massive career-best 3.862 was enough for his 13th career ADRL win.

“That was awesome. When I got this thing into third gear and the front tire finally sat down, I figured it was on a good run,” Glidden said. “Going against Chuck, I knew I had to run well, and I had to do everything right.

“This was very satisfying and a very gratifying win for us.”

Mike Castellana remained perfect in Aeromotive Fuel Systems Pro Modified, going 3.847 at 195.42 mph to chase down Mike Janis in an excellent final for his third win in three events.

Castellana’s 2012 RJ Race Cars Camaro was remarkably consistent, as the Al-Anabi Racing driver backed up his record pass of 3.845 earlier on Saturday, going 3.854 to reach the finals.

“It just goes to show what a great job the crew does and how they make it work,” Castellana said. “We had a good handle on the car and track and it just all clicked.

“We’ve already surpassed our expectations for this year. There’s not much more you could expect.”