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2006 Pro Modified Preview PUBLISHER'S NOTE - Throughout this week, we've summoned our beat reporters to provide our readers with a look into the 2006 season and some of the known news tidbits and some unknown. Join us throughout the week as we conclude with our seventh annual championship predictions. In today's installment, Torco's CompetitionPlus.com managing editor and longtime ProModified.com writer Brian Wood takes a look at the stuff to look for in the sixteenth year of the class.
TOMORROW'S PROFILE - Top Alcohol Divisions
It was a struggle emblematic of the class, hard fought and costly. Despite the never-ending rule changes, sanctioning body indifference and interference, personality clashes and in-fighting, “Pro Mod” survived, emerging stronger than ever. As proof of the evolution of the class, new performance records were established in both sanctions during the 2005 season. In IHRA, Mike bell set the elapsed time mark of 6.046, while Steve Bareman raised the bar with a top speed of 236.46. In NHRA, Jay Payne came oh-so-close to the storied five-second zone with his pass of 6.000 and Canadian Al Billes took the speed mark with his 239.73 mph effort. Heading into the 2006 season, there are, as always, questions and concerns regarding the immediate future of the class in some arenas. As far as the teams are concerned, however, the time for political wrangling is over. Let the “suits” work out the details – it’s time to race. In a few short weeks, the roar of supercharged and nitrous-injected engines will fill the air, and the battle will be rejoined; the struggle for Pro Mod supremacy will begin anew. Here are some notes on the who, what, when and where of the 2006 version of Pro Modified:
In 2005, Castellana claimed his first IHRA Torco Race Fuels Pro Mod championship, and he was followed in the year-end points tally by Jenkins, who is known to many in the racing world as the “Iceman.” The chase to the title went right down to the wire last season, with four competitors vying for the big prize – Castellana, Jenkins, Carl Spiering and Jim Halsey Castellana wrapped up the championship at the second-to-last event of the year in Budds Creek, Maryland, and his teammate clinched the No. 2 spot at the season finale in Rockingham, North Carolina. It was the first time in the history of the class that teammates had finished 1-2.
“We’re working to improve on the nitrous systems we incorporate on our cars,” said Castellana. “We have a few new things in the works and hopefully they’ll work out as well as we think they will. We have the same cars as we had in 2005 and the same core team, so hopefully there will be no surprises in that respect.”
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Looking ahead, Spiering said that his team plans to maintain the status quo at the beginning of the season. “We are not looking at making any changes in the early going. During the year we’ll implement improvements that we have made during the off season, but we’ll do it slowly. We want to come out with the same set-up we had in the car at the end of 2005. That package worked so well for us that we don’t see any reason to make big changes. “2005 was the best year of my career, and a great confidence booster for me, my sponsors and my team,” he said. “We know that we can contend for the championship, and we’re planning to run the full schedule this year so that we can give ourselves the best shot at accomplishing that. It’s a great feeling when you know that you can win every time you go down the track, and we feel that way now.”
Halsey’s nitrous-injected, Tim McAmis-built ’68 Camaro has been joined by a second, identical machine for the 2006 season, and Halsey will do extensive testing with both cars to determine which will be his primary ride and which will be a back-up and test car. “We’re not making any major changes for 2006,” Halsey said. “We’re going to take our existing program, add a few things we learned last season and move forward. We plan to run the whole schedule and contest for the championship. If we can keep problems to a minimum and be consistent out on the track then I think we have a good chance to be there at the end of the year. There are a lot of tough teams in IHRA, but we ran a best of 6.15 in 2005, and if we can get that kind of performance out of the car again this year we’ll be in good shape.” a
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Even though no official announcement has been made as of this writing, sources close to the situation indicate that the NHRA program will go forward this season with new sponsors. Consequently, the champion’s crown will be up for grabs, and there are several drivers ready, willing and able to step into the role. a
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Late last season Critchley’s trademark “Jackhammer” ’41 Willys was destroyed in a crash at the ADRL’s Dragstock event at Carolina Dragway. The good news for Pro Mod fans is that Critchley’s cigar-chomping kangaroo mascot will soon make a return appearance. This time he’ll be adorning a unique blown ’71 Cuda being built by Larry Jeffers. One of the things that makes Pro Mod popular with fans is the wide variety of body styles utilized, and this will just add to the appeal. “It’ll be the first of its kind, and I think the car will raise a lot of eyebrows,” Critchley said. He plans to get the new machine completed and out to the test track in the near future in preparation for the IHRA season opener in San Antonio. Before that, however, Critchley will have his second car, a ’93 Corvette, set up in outlaw trim for the first ADRL event of the year in Valdosta, Georgia. a
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Outlaws on Parade – With the future of Pro Mod
under the NHRA umbrella still up in the air, and the IHRA version of the
class dedicated to creating the much-discussed “level playing field”
for both blown and nitrous-injected entries, many in the “Outlaw”
branch of the Pro Modified family will once again strut their stuff at
this season’s seven American Drag Racing League events.
Got a comment? Drop us a line at comppluseditor@aol.com.
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Coming of Age - In its 16-year existence, Pro Modified, drag racing’s quickest and fastest “doorslammer” class, has established itself as one of the most contentious categories in the sport, both on and off the track. Spun off from Top Sportsman in the late 1980s, Pro Modified, once the darling of eighth-mile tracks throughout the southern states, has battled its way into national prominence.
Y’all Tawking to Me? – They may be from New York and Alabama, and their backgrounds, and accents, may be unique, but Awesome Motorsports teammates Mike Castellana and Shannon Jenkins have proven that dedication, talent, and hard work will transcend any geographical and environmental differences. 
Both
racers have now set their sights on the 2006 Pro Mod campaign, and they
plan to keep the pressure on the competition.
We
haven’t changed anything except for the paint job on my car,”
added Jenkins. “We are always, and I have to emphasize always, looking
for more horsepower, and that’s what we’ve been doing all
winter. You have to do that to stay ahead in this class, and I think 2006
is going to be the most competitive year ever. You better come to (the
IHRA season opener in) San Antonio with your ‘A’ game or not
show up at all.”
“Big Dog” Ready to Chomp – In 2005 the nitrous contingent ended up with the big prize at the end of the year, but one racer in the blower ranks above all others took the fight to them all season long. He is Canadian Carl Spiering, who parlayed a career-best season behind the wheel of his ’63 Corvette into a solid third place finish in IHRA points despite running a limited schedule. 
Halsey’s Battle Fleet – Jim Halsey, owner of Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, spends a lot of time preparing a good racing surface at his facility, and he also spends a lot of time wearing it down. He loves to mix it up on the quarter-mile, and last season he proved to be a very formidable competitor. Halsey finished fourth in IHRA Torco Race Fuels Pro Modified points, but he was in contention for the title right up to the second-to-last race of the season. 
Champ Running on Nitro – For the last two seasons Pro Modified pioneer Mike Ashley has been the man to beat in AMS/TLR Pro Mod Challenge competition at NHRA-sanctioned events. For his efforts the hard-racing mortgage banker from New York claimed back-to-back championships, but he won’t be going for the hat trick in 2006. Towards the end of last season he made the big move up to the fuel Funny Car ranks, and he has now committed to running in the class on a full-time basis. 
The Kangaroo Meets the Fish - At this point in time Troy Critchley, driver for Dave Wood’s AMS Staff Leasing team, is planning to run a full schedule of IHRA and ADRL events in 2006. It will be a switch for the transplanted Australian, as he has spent the last several seasons representing the class sponsor over on the NHRA side. “It’s time to finalize plans for the year, and since we don’t know what’s happening as far as the NHRA is concerned, at least not right now, I’m planning on running in the ADRL and the IHRA this year,” Critchley said. “I’ve got to race or I don’t have a job – it’s as simple as that. If the NHRA deal comes together, then we’ll have to adjust our schedule accordingly.” 
Hernandez
Ready to Rage - With a brand-new 1968 Camaro now carrying the
“Dr. Moon’s Rage” colors, Josh Hernandez is ready to
launch his sophomore Pro Mod season in style. Hernandez finished third
in TLR/AMS points last year, behind Jay Payne and champion Mike Ashley.
That
New Car Smell – In addition to Hernandez, a number of other
racers will be bringing new cars to the track this season. Among them
are Scott Cannon Jr., who will be behind the wheel of a 2006 Pontiac GTO;
Alan Pittman, who has a unique 1962 Chevy Bel Air “bubble top”
just about ready to go; Mike Janis, who swapped his year-old Dodge for
a 2006 Chevy Cobalt, and Canadian Scott Wildgust, who is making the move
from Funny Car to a new 1957 Chevy Pro Mod machine for this season.
The
ADRL runs an eighth-mile program and splits cars into two classes - Pro
Extreme, which will feature 16-car qualified fields this season, and Pro
Nitrous
Turbo cars are
popular with race fans, as witnessed by the crowds in Annette Summer’s
pit area when she ran her wicked ’63 Corvette at the recent U.S.
Street Nationals in Florida. Summer proved that the turbo combination
is a viable alternative as she outlasted some heavy hitters and finished
runner-up to Mike Castellana. 
© Competitionplus 2005
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