(Tim Marshall photo)

: I was wondering if you could remember what the Bill Jenkins 950 hp Pro Stock engine would have cost if Bill would have sold one?

JL: Anywhere between $25K to $35K. ($35,000 in 1981 would be the same as almost $100,000 in 2011 dollars.)

: How does the fact that many of the Pro Stock teams are still driving Pontiacs affect the class?

JL: Where’s the identity? That’s the problem you have with sponsors now. How can you go to a corporate sponsor and say, “I’ve got a Pontiac. I’m the World Champion with a Pontiac.” Jason Line and Greg Anderson are the cream of the crop and they’re driving Pontiacs. But I can’t go buy a Pontiac. So I really don’t know where it’s ever going to go.

: So the Mustang’s about the only NHRA Pro Stock body  that even resembles a showroom model!

JL: Yeah.

: It hasn’t always been that way with NHRA Pro Stock, has it?

JL: Years ago NHRA did everything right. When I brought the first Beretta out, we had some issues in the beginning, but we got the Beretta body approved. At the time, compared to the Beretta the Camaro was a 1¾ mph slower. That’s when they started looking at the size of the box. Now NHRA has been like NASCAR. Warren’s GTO is smaller than a factory GTO, and Kurt’s Cobalt was bigger than a (stock) Cobalt. They put them in a box. Right now the Mustang is the best car out there, obviously. Larry (Morgan) has done an excellent job as far as that goes. They’re working on the 2011 Camaro body but it’s a nightmare. It’s not an aerodynamic car. Chevrolet’s trying to push the Camaro, but I don’t really think it can happen. You’re going to be at a disadvantage aerodynamically, and aerodynamics is the only edge you have because everybody  has everybody’s motors.

: What do you think about the future of ADRL and Al-Anabi?

JL: The one thing I can say, I’ve worked for Shiekh Khalid and he’s hired me to tune other cars, he hired me to bring people on, but the one thing that people don’t understand about Khalid is that he’s a businessman. I don’t see how it can’t change. He’s set goals in his life. He’s won two world championships, he’s won a championship with Del Worsham, who’s a really good friend of mine and I’m really happy for. Larry Dixon. You set goals in business and you achieve them. I really don’t see ADRL being done. It’s a business and he’s a business owner. Nobody sees that side of Khalid. They say he’s a rich kid; he’s not a rich kid. That guy works. He’s an excellent businessman, obviously. That’s about all I can say about that. I can’t see ADRL dying down and Khalid just quitting. I don’t think he would ever do that. He’s like any other American, any other Chinaman, Italian, whatever. He’s a businessman. People take that away from him. Obviously there’s a lot of prejudice in this world, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s a great man. I really do think that.

: What are your team’s plans for next year? What series and where will you race? Will we see you at a NHRA Pro Mod race?

JL: Since car Owner Darrell Hubbard is from the West Coast, we will run WCOPMA, some ADRL and some NHRA. If we can secure sponsorship we will be at all the NHRA races and most of the ADRL races.