Taylor, Al-Naemi, Ulsch, Owens, Goforth, Davis, Knowles and Wilson lead after Day 1 in Virginia

Courtesy of ADRL

PETERSBURG, VA – Mahana Al-Naemi made sure the final pass on Friday at Virginia Motorsports Park was one to remember.

The Pro Nitrous standout delivered an incredible and possibly record-breaking run to end the third round of qualifying at the Speedtech U.S. Drags IV, going a blistering 3.784 at 198.15 miles per hour to send the crowd home buzzing.

Not only did it send the Al-Anabi Racing driver to the top qualifying spot, but it becomes a new class record if Al-Naemi can back it up tomorrow in his Rick Jones Race Cars Camaro.

“We knew we could do it, we just had to get the numbers right,” legendary crew chief Shannon Jenkins said. “The track was definitely there.”

Track records and overall class records were shattered in numerous classes, as the action delivered during qualifying at one of the fastest tracks on the ADRL Tour.

Every class but Pro Extreme made three qualifying passes on Friday, as the track curfew that went into effect kept PX qualifying to two sessions.

Their third session will begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow before the fourth and final qualifying session for all classes will begin. Final eliminations for the Speedtech U.S. Drags IV will follow.

Other top qualifiers after Friday include Frankie Taylor in Pro Extreme (3.668), Chuck Ulsch in Extreme 10.5 (3.902), Ashley Owens in Pro Extreme Motorcycle (4.027), Cary Goforth (4.084), Ronnie Davis in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman (4.091) and Mike Knowles in Pro Modified (3.90).

Al-Naemi, who set both ends of the track record, has his sights set on his fifth straight No. 1 qualifying spot after making the second quickest pass in Pro Nitrous history.

It’s another sign that Al-Naemi is steadily improving during his rookie season in the ADRL.

“He’s improved greatly. Mahana’s getting more and more confident with each pass, and he’s doing a phenomenal job,” Jenkins said. “We give him the car, but he knows what to do with it.

“We’re pretty proud of (possibly being the No. 1 qualifier for the fifth straight race). That’s pretty good.”

Burton Auxier is right behind with his career-best in the ADRL, as his 3.803 has him in second with Al-Naemi’s teammate, Mike Castellana, in third with a 3.827.

In Pro Extreme, Taylor was one of only a handful of drivers to get down the track on the opening session, as his Jeffers Pro Cars Corvette went 3.668 at 204.88 mph to easily outdistance his competition.

“We softened it up just to make it go down the track,” Taylor said. “We saw everyone was struggling, but the track felt good and we just had to soften things up. It turned out pretty well and we were definitely happy about it.”

Points leader Jason Hamstra is No. 2 with a 3.705, while former champion Jason Scruggs made his best pass of 2011, going 3.709 to move to third.

Like Al-Naemi, Chuck Ulsch and his PSI Supercharger-powered Extreme 10.5 Camaro saved the best for last.

In the final run of the night for the class, Ulsch went an incredible 3.902 at 205.01 mph to set new track records.

What made it even more impressive was that the run came following a mad thrash in the pits after Ulsch bent a rod in his engine during the second pass. The team worked furiously to get the car repaired and then delivered one of the finest runs of the evening, regardless of class.

“To thrash like we did and get that, it felt great,” Ulsch said. “We come to race, have fun and win.”

Taylor is second in XTF with a 3.911, while Dan Millen is close behind after his 3.914.

Ashley Owens set another track record in Pro Extreme Motorcycle, going 4.027 at 176.12 mph, and the Fast by Gast bike wasn’t done there.

On that run, he became the first PXM rider to record a 60-foot time of less than one second (0.996), adding another achievement for the record-setting bike.

“That’s pretty good. We tried to run (3 seconds) and it’s very seldom we try to do that,” team owner Paul Gast said. “We had some experimental things on that pass and we just dropped off a little bit at the other end.”

The 3-second run will have to wait, but Owens seems on point for his fifth No. 1 qualifying spot. The talented field, though, continued to improve as the 4.214 bump spot makes it the quickest field in PXM history by far.

A total of 12 bikes went in the 4.10s or quicker, including Casey Stemper’s 4.089 and Terry Schweigert’s 4.112.

“I’m happy as can be for the class. It’s great to see,” Gast said.

Cary Goforth made a late charge thanks to another spectacular performance from the points leader in a class continuing to put together amazing days.

He went 4.084 in his Jerry Haas Race Cars GXP under the lights on his final pass, jumping several competitors to move into the top spot.

“We were having clutch problems all day and we knew we had to step it up,” Goforth said. “The guys were nervous, but we put in a new one from Ram Clutches in and it made all the difference in the world.”

Dean Goforth went 4.089 for second and John Montecalvo, the leader after two sessions, is in third with a 4.096.

Goforth and his Sonny’s Racing Engine will have their work cut out for them if they hope to win their second straight race. The top 16 XPS cars are separated by just .054.

“We need to keep our momentum going on our side, but I have to get better on the tree,” Goforth said. “I’m not cutting the lights I’m accustomed to, so I have to do better there, but I’m happy.”

Mike Knowles was another driver who ended his day with a bang, going 3.90 at 189.92 mph to take the top spot in the first ADRL Pro Modified exhibition.

“That’s what we were looking for,” Knowles said. “We had it pretty hopped up.”

Leah Pruett-Leduc is No. 2 after going 3.926 in her R2B2 Camaro with Mike Janis right behind at 3.941.

“This is our first ADRL event and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been very enjoyable,” Knowles said. “It’s a great opportunity for us and it’s definitely going to grow.”

Top Sportsman standout Ronnie Davis made his first ADRL appearance, putting together an impressive display in Summit Racing Equipment Top Sportsman, going 4.091 at 180 mph.

“That felt real good. It’s our second race with this engine, so we’re still trying to learn it, but we’re having a good time,” Davis said. “It’s awesome here and they gave us just an awesome track.”

Earl Folse sits in second with a 4.12 and L.J. Wood’s 4.151 has him in third.

Carrie Wilson is the No. 1 qualifier in Pro Junior Dragster after posting a .001 reaction time.