ADRL’s New SuperCar Showdown To Offer Competition For Manufacturers Around The Globe

Courtesy of ADRL

O’FALLON, MO – After an overwhelming reception to the announcement of its new SuperCar Showdown, the American Drag Racing League (ADRL) has released details of the revolutionary category which distinguishes the class from all others in the sport. Although interpreted by some as a division that would include only the high-performance production models of traditional American manufacturers, the format of the ADRL SuperCar Showdown series will, in fact, allow vehicles from virtually any automaker in the world.

The ADRL SuperCar Showdown will showcase the latest factory-produced, dealership-available automobiles in all-out drag racing with no handicap starts or performance restrictions. While current offerings from the Ford Motor Company, the Chrysler Corporation and General Motors will take center stage in the initial events, there are few limits to the variety of machines that are eligible to compete.

ADRL President Tim McAmis is still astonished by the response from automakers, racers and fans after the initial announcement of the series.

“It’s absolutely incredible, actually,” McAmis said. “We never dreamed the ADRL SuperCar Showdown would draw this kind of attention in such a short period. The ADRL staff went from hopes of a good response to devoting all our time to answering phone calls and e-mails from sponsors, racers and even the manufacturers themselves.
“Everyone is thrilled with the fact eliminations for the class will be conducted on Saturday night at our events in front of the prime spectator crowd. They love the close relationship we plan to build with the dealership outlets. Everybody wants to be involved with the ADRL SuperCar Showdown.”

ADRL broadcast personality Bret Kepner added, “The initial excitement of the announcement centered on the thrill of seeing the Fords, Dodges and Chevys waging war. However, nowhere in our original press release did we state the ADRL SuperCar Showdown would be restricted to American cars. In fact, we have spent an inordinate amount of time to determine how many vehicles worldwide could actually be represented in this series and we’ve uncovered more than 60 different factory-produced cars that could compete in the class.”

In reality, there could be dozens more models made competitive in the ADRL SuperCar Showdown since there will be no criteria for eligibility other than production-line availability. Parity among supercharged, turbocharged and naturally-aspirated engines will be achieved by vehicle weight restrictions for each form of induction.
Since the initial events in the ADRL SCS series will include only the eight quickest qualifiers based on elapsed times recorded during qualifying sessions, Kepner, McAmis and drag racing champion Jeff Teuton quickly determined it would take a machine with a manufacturers power rating of no less than 400 horsepower to be competitive in the class.

However, the current global horsepower war among automakers has ensured most marques, no matter how obscure, are producing at least one model capable of the required power. The Ford Motor Company has no less than nine Mustangs making more than 400 horsepower from the factory and five of those are putting out more than 500, noted Kepner. Likewise, Dodge has four Challenger models and three Dodge Chargers with more than 400 horsepower, led by the DragPak V-10 Challenger at 600 horsepower. When the Viper returns to the marketplace in late 2012 under the new SRT brand, it will offer the same V-10 power plant and a V8 model.

Much attention has been directed to Chevrolet’s upcoming COPO Camaro, however, McAmis was first to offer a reminder of other Chevy offerings. The currently-produced supercharged ZL1 Camaro is rated at 580 horsepower and is a perfect fit for the class. Even the naturally-aspirated Camaro SS packs more 420 horsepower. The supercharged ZR1 Corvette is rated at more than 630 horsepower from the factory and the naturally-aspirated Z06 model is rated at more than 500 horsepower.

“There are a lot of combinations which can be made to work well in the ADRL SuperCar Showdown” drag racing champion Jeff Teuton said. “The traditional Detroit offerings have an advantage in that they’re designed specifically for straight-line competition. The fact the ADRL competes on an eighth-mile course will also make the competition a bit more equal between the supercharged, turbocharged and naturally-aspirated cars. There are a lot of possibilities.”

The list of potentially competitive production cars for the category, many previously unseen in drag racing, already has competitors discussing their options. In the world of modern supercars, the rear-wheel-drive platform is still one of the most effective. While there are plenty of marques which produce massively powerful cars costing several hundred thousand dollars each, there are several economic machines with which to compete in the ADRL SCS series. With the availability of everything from the supercharged 556-horsepower Cadillac CTS-V to the naturally-aspirated 429 hp Hyundai Equus, there seems to be a world of diversity ready to race in the ADRL SuperCar Showdown.

“The Nissan GT-R PE is one of the only six-cylinder production cars making more than 500 hundred horsepower from the factory and it appears to fit perfectly in the class,” McAmis said. “We don’t expect to see a Bugatti Veyron pulling to the starting line at the first race but, with the amazing interest expressed by the media, the sponsors and the fans, the ADRL SuperCar Showdown could evolve into a truly global battle.”

In the ADRL SuperCar Showdown series, the ADRL will utilize basic rules for safety, modification and construction. The ADRL will announce specific rules for the ADRL SuperCar Showdown in the coming weeks.