Halsey Already On Track For Better 2011 In PN

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In a matter of 3.79 seconds, Jim Halsey effectively erased all of his disappointment from the 2010 season.Looking for something positive as he headed into the American Drag Racing League’s (ADRL) 2011 season-opener at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas on March 25-26, the Pro Nitrous standout got that and a whole lot more.Testing in Bradenton, Fl. In preparation for CarSafe Dragpalooza VII presented by LenMar Motorsports, Halsey went a blistering 3.798 at 199.82 miles per hour, surely catching the attention of everyone in the loaded PN class.“We got everything together,” Halsey said. “We struggled last year and regrouped over the winter. We got our old team back together and I think that helped more than anything. The chemistry is back and we made a real good run.“We’re looking forward to going to Houston.”It wasn’t an official run, but it still is the first time a PN car has gone in the 3.70s in the United States. Halsey, who currently holds the ADRL speed record (198.99 mph), also nearly came close to being the first car in the world to reach the 200 mph mark.Halsey was surely excited about the run, which was backed up by several other runs in the low 3.80s, but his trademark laid-back attitude didn’t indicate any celebrations yet.With an impressive .954 60-foot time, Halsey felt there was even a little more room for improvement.More importantly, he hopes the noteworthy test session isn’t fools gold.Halsey had a strong testing session leading up to the 2010 season, but Halsey was admittedly ticked off for most of the year and “a lot over the winter, too.”Now, Halsey’s 2010 wasn’t a total loss, as he set the speed world record, advanced to the finals of the Hardee’s Independence Drags IV and finished third in the points standings.But Halsey will quickly admit it wasn’t the year he hoped for and he’s ready to make up for it on the 2011 ADRL Tour. With the 3.70s that Khalid Al-Balooshi and Shannon Jenkins put up in Qatar during the Arabian Drag Racing League, Halsey knows he’ll have to be on his game immediately.“Well, you have to follow up a bad year with something more successful,” Halsey said. “You see those guys in Qatar run those numbers and that motivates you to get your act together and get back at it. The competition is what keeps me going.”Halsey’s ‘68 Camaro got a new engine from Gene Fulton last year, but chose not to get anything new for 2011.He’s confident his team figured out last year’s problems, as evidenced by what they ran last week in Bradenton.“It got to a point where every spring we were spending 2-3 races figuring out a new car and combination,” Halsey said. “This year, we stuck with the same car and new engine, and the second run out there, we hit it right on the nose.”As for motivation, Halsey points to last year along with a growing PN class that was wildly competitive in 2010.With more new names joining the mix, coupled with the fact that there were seven different event winners on the 2010 Tour, things could be better than ever in the Pro Nitrous class.Halsey likes the direction the class and the ADRL as a whole is headed, but he’s also locked in with his own goals staring in less than two weeks.“I think this year has the potential to be the best field of Nitrous cars you’ve seen in a long time,” Halsey said. “It’s going to be a tough year for everyone. The wins are going to be more meaningful and everybody likes to be top dog. “That’s what we’re shooting for between my car and (Pat) Stoken’s car. We want to finish 1-2 this year. I’m looking for big numbers and I want to run them consistently. I want to qualify well, go rounds and win some races.”(Photos by ADRL/Richards)

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