Marty Ladwig grabbed the win at Pomona with an exciting round against Gary Gardella, who took home the season championship. And one more accolade for Gary Gardella this season: UrbanRacer.com Driver of the Year! What a great surprise for Gary to be awarded this honor.
In case you didn't notice, Chevy Cobalts swept the Pro FWD category in 2007 with three wins for Jason Hunt, three for Marty Ladwig, and four for Gary Gardella. All three held the top spot in the championship point race at some time during the season. All three set national elapsed-time records over the course of the season. I couldn't be more proud of our Chevy Cobalt teams. They worked their butts off this year and deserved every bit of glory they got.
Looking back over the season, itâs amazing how much Pro FWD has progressed. I remember when a 200-mph run was a big deal. Marty Ladwig set the speed record above 200 mph for the first time in May at NHRA's Spring Englishtown event. Now, speeds above 200 mph are a common occurrence, and Gary Gardella holds the record at 202.79 mph. The elapsed-time record was reset six times this season. It was exciting to see that record creep down, down, down, finally settling on 7.15 seconds, set by Gary Gardella at the Fall Englishtown event.
Congratulations to Gardella Racing on their championship, Marty Ladwig Racing on their event win, and to all the Chevy Cobalt teams for putting on such a great show this season.
Thank you to our great group of engine builders, engineers, fabricators, and machinists that keep the ECOtec-powered Chevy Cobalts running strong. We couldn't have done it without you. And all the great sponsors that support our Chevy Teams' RedBull, Matco Tools, Lucas Oil. I hope you are as proud of your teams as I am. See you all in 2008!
