RJ Race Cars, Quartermax Continue Strong Relationship With ADL As 2012 Sponsor
Courtesy of ADRL
O’FALLON, MO – The 2011 American Drag Racing League (ADRL) season was the first full year RJ Race Cars and Quartermax were involved as sponsors with the world’s premier eighth-mile drag racing league.
The inaugural and banner year went so well that the company has returned as a sponsor for the 2012 ADRL Tour.
The ADRL officially announced the sponsorship on Thursday, extending an already strong partnership.
“We’re excited to be a part of the ADRL and returning as a sponsor. Where we race, I try to support the sanctioning body and that’s what we’re doing. It’s a great family atmosphere with the ADRL and that’s what we enjoy,” RJ Race Cars and Quartermax President Rick Jones said.
“There’s definitely a lot of cool classes and I’m excited to see them expanding with new classes in 2012. It’s the fastest and coolest doorslammers around. We can’t wait for the season to get started.”
RJ Race Cars and Quartermax had a noticeable presence at each ADRL event in 2011 and that is only expected to increase for the highly-anticipated 2012 ADRL season, which begins on March 30-31 with Dragpalooza VIII at Royal Purple Raceway in Houston.
It was the company’s first foray into the ADRL’s Pro Nitrous class and the results were impressive.
Jones’ son, Rickie Jones Jr., was one of the top newcomers in the ADRL, going in the 3.70s late in the year, while Mahana Al-Naemi drove an RJ Race Car to the 2011 ADRL Rookie of the Year honor.
Defending PN world champion Mike Castellana will drive a new 2012 RJ Race Cars Camaro, a car that has brought a significant amount of interest.
Other ADRL drivers who will debut the new RJ Race Cars 2012 Camaro will be 2010 Extreme Pro Stock champion John Montecalvo and XPS standout Pete Berner, both of whom are longtime RJ Race Cars customers.
“There’s a lot of excitement with that car and a lot of people have been waiting for the new Camaro for quite a while,” Jones said. “I think it’s great for the Pro Stock class, bringing a muscle car back to the class.”
Jones and the rest of the RJ Race Cars and Quartermax team have big expectations for the new Camaro, in part because of the time they’ve put in developing the car and coming up with new innovations.
The company was formed in 1987 and working out of a state-of-the-art 30,000 square-foot facility in Galesburg, Ill., they’ve prided themselves on work ethic and thinking outside the box.
“We want to build a better car and there’s a lot of parts and pieces that comes with that,” Jones said. “We’ve worked closely with companies (and ADRL sponsors) like Penske Shocks, and it’s an ongoing thing with us regarding testing new products and new items.
“A lot of stuff we manufacture in-house and it’s all about trying to build a better car. That’s what we love to do and that’s one of the things I love about the ADRL. They’re always open to new ideas and there’s more things you can try.”
Other RJ Race Cars customers include Extreme 10.5 standouts Grant McCrary and Brand Brand, and Jones also hopes to expand into the Pro Extreme market during the 2012 ADRL season, which includes 10 stops at many of the nation’s most prestigious tracks.
“RJ Race Cars and Quartermax have continually proven themselves as one of the top names in drag racing and it’s wonderful to see them continue to support the ADRL,” ADRL Executive Vice President Jeff Fortune said.
“They’ve brought a lot of new ideas to the ADRL and their willingness to support the racers and the sanctioning body does not go unnoticed.”
