Pappas Qualifies #1 at ADRL Season Opener in Houston with a 3.88!
Houston, TX – Straight off their 2009 ADRL Xtreme 10.5 world championship, Spiro Pappas racing is not resting on its laurels as it took the number 1 spot in the rain postponed season opener at Houston Raceway Park (HRP).
The team unloaded the car and picked up right where they left off after testing at HRP’s Spring Warm-Up in early March. Their 3.931 @ 194.88 mph run during the test session was backed up 3 weeks later with their first round qualifying shot of 3.924 @ 195.22 mph. This gave them the number 1 position after the first round of qualifying with their closest competitor 3 tenths of a second behind. Round 2 and 3 would not see the team improve as they worked on their chassis and engine setup.
With their top spot secured by over 8 hundredths of a second, the team returned to the pits for normal servicing in preparation for round 1 competition. Unfortunately about an hour later, the heavy clouds would unleash a torrent of rain and wind that forced the ADRL to postpone the event until July 23 and 24th.
Next race for the team is the ADRL Hardee’s Georgia Drags VI, April 23 and 24. See ya at the races!
Saturday morning, with storm clouds on the horizon, the team readied the car for the shot heard around the world in outlaw 10.5 racing. On a run that was straight, clean and seemed like a Sunday afternoon drive in the park, the team would post an astonishing 3.883 @ over 196 mph. Talk about blistering the competition! “The car has much more in it,” stated tuning Guru Don Bailey, “we actually backed the car down for that pass. Don’t be surprised to see us dip into the 3.70 range before the year is out.”
