ADRL World Finals at Houston

Champs Crowned as Season Ends

Words by Wes Buck and Kay Burk
Photos by Joe McHugh

The final event of the American Drag Racing League’s 2013 season was held at Houston’s Royal Purple Raceway on Oct. 18-19.

PRO EXTREME

For Alex Hossler, driver of Sheikh Khalid Al Thani’s Al-Anabi Racing Pro Extreme Camaro, it will be very difficult to top his weekend at Houston’s Royal Purple Raceway that included a single day of racing when he not only won the ADRL’s prestigious World Finals IX, but also the ADRL Pro Extreme world championship.

Ultimately, the ultra-close points chase came down to a quarterfinal round matchup between Hossler and perennial frontrunner Tommy D’Aprile. It was over almost as soon as it started, though, as Hossler was off the starting line first with a .026-second reaction time and never trailed, taking the win and clinching the world title with a 3.583-second, 214.69-mph pass to D’Aprile’s 3.618/212.36.

From there Hossler would defeat Terry Leggett and Jason Scruggs to put a bow on a career-defining weekend.

Jason Scruggs and crew warm up the engine.

“Considering the competition in this Pro Extreme class,” Hossler said, “I’m proud of how we came out here and earned it this weekend. In the second round when we had to beat Tommy [D’Aprile] to win the championship, we did it, and we didn’t get it handed to us. In the final against Scruggs [Jason], I literally felt like the underdog with the way he’s been running, but again, we went out there, did our job and won the race. It’s a good feeling.”

Up until the final round, Jason Scruggs had had a remarkable weekend, setting new ET and speed records for the class at 3.527 and 219.47 mph, but his Corvette went into tire shake and Hossler went on to victory.

D’Aprile finished second in the championship points, 569 behind Hossler.