Hernandez runner-up in Norwalk, earns berth in Battle for the Belts

Courtesy of B1 Racing

NORWALK, OH  – B1 Racing Pro Extreme driver Josh Hernandez took runner-up honors in the Summit Racing Equipment Ohio Drags V, earning himself a berth in the upcoming ADRL Battle for the Belts.

Hernandez took the No. 6 qualifying spot with a 3.696 -second pass at 204.35 mph in rain-shortened qualifying and faced off against veteran Quain Stott. In a thrilling pedal-fest, Hernandez took the finish line ahead of Stott, 4.349 to 5.194, setting up a faceoff with 2010 World Champion Frankie Taylor in the quarter-finals.

“When I saw that we had Frankie in round two, I knew we had our hands full,” Hernandez said. “I really didn¹t worry though, because Troy [Critchley] and Rick [Hickman, crew chiefs] turned up the wick on the B1 Corvette and gave me a great car.”

Against Taylor, Hernandez left the line first and fought off the hard-running champ, taking the stripe with a 3.785 to 4.353.

“That was huge because we took out Frankie, and that matched us up with the guy we needed to beat in order to get into the Battle for the Belts – Terry Leggett.”

With the make-or-break lap in front of him, Hernandez said his adrenaline was pumping at extreme pressure when he headed into the semifinals.

“We were less than a lap behind Terry in the points, so it came down to a winner-take-all kind of race. Whoever won that lap would get to run for the Belt – and that’s where we needed to be. We  came into this event knowing we needed to win, and that’s exactly what we planned to do,” Hernandez said.

When the light turned green, Hernandez slapped a huge holeshot on Leggett, an .044-second reaction time to a sleepy .259, earning the win and the right to play for the $25,000 prize and bragging rights. He also found himself in the finals.

In the money round against Alex Hossler, a relieved Hernandez left the line .015-seconds early, handing Hossler the easy win. For Hernandez, however, the event was a huge success.

“We really accomplished what we needed to by beating Leggett in the semi’s. The win would have been icing, but we’ll have to wait until we can get back to Texas for the World Finals. The guys have the car running great, and we’re hitting our peak at the right time.

“Next stop, Dallas, and we’re looking to throw knock-out punches,” Hernandez said.