With chamber-of-commerce Spring-break weather at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx mostly adapted to the conditions and delivered thrilling performances, while others struggled to keep their cars from riding the guard rails.
 
Qualifying was greatly abbreviated due to the extensive track cleanup required after George Landis banged the wall in his '05 Stratus. According to the local Florida racer, he blew a piston through his engine and punctured the diaper, spreading oil and engine fluids down the full length of the track. Landis was unharmed in the incident, but his Stratus will need serious repair.. With chamber-of-commerce Spring-break weather at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx mostly adapted to the conditions and delivered thrilling performances, while others struggled to keep their cars from riding the guard rails.
 
Qualifying was greatly abbreviated due to the extensive track cleanup required after George Landis banged the wall in his '05 Stratus. According to the local Florida racer, he blew a piston through his engine and punctured the diaper, spreading oil and engine fluids down the full length of the track. Landis was unharmed in the incident, but his Stratus will need serious repair..
 
In all, only five racers made a pass in the third round of qualifying and the field was set based on the best times of the event. Friday's pole-sitter Roger Burgess held on to the No. 1 position with his career-best 5.993/243.55, and Taylor Lastor held the bump with a 6.132/232.95.
 
In the first round of eliminations, Jay Payne and Rickey Smith faced off in a staging duel that saw Payne take the pre-stage light first and Smith waiting till he was "good and ready" to go in. As the lights turned green, Payne was off first but his ‘68 Camaro danced around the lane, almost crossed the centerline, rolled up on two wheels and then lightly tagged the left guard wall before coming to a stop. Payne was uninjured and his car was only lightly scratched.
 
In the very next pair, Harold Laird and Tim Tindle faced off for a great side-by-side race with Laird crossing the line first, 6.063/234.61 to 6.077/237.42. As the Pride, Louisiana driver pulled his chutes, however, the rear end of his '63 Corvette jumped slightly to the left and aimed the car at the guard wall. Laird banged the front right of his car into the wall and slid down the track to a stop.
 
"It was just the craziest thing," Laird said. "It happened so fast, like the parachutes just picked the rear of the car up and headed me toward the wall."
 
Tindle said, "We were both on a good pass until after the finish line when he just took a hard right into the wall when his chutes came out. It was weird, but I'm just glad he's ok."
 
If Laird can get his car repaired before eliminations Sunday afternoon, he will face off against Rick Stivers who ran a career-best 5.987/240.25 against Mike Knowles.
 
Stivers said, "Brad had this car hopped up and loaded for bear. That run was on a string, right down the center of the track, and I knew when I left the line it was going to be awesome!"
 
His time of 5.987 seconds was low for the round and the event thus far, and one of only two drivers to break into the five-second zone.
 
Pole-sitter Roger Burgess also advanced into round two, as did all three nitrous cars from the Al Anabi stable: Rickie Smith, Burton Auxier and Mike Castellana. Castellana beat IHRA world champion Kenny Lang in the first round, 6.039/232.19 to 6.097/240.81, and will face Burgess in round two.
 
Burgess said, "When you qualify number one, you know everyone is coming after you, but I know that Al [Billes, Burgess' crew chief] has the car ready to fight off the competitors.
 
"Al has everything ready for tomorrow, and so we're just going to come out here and get after this thing one round at a time --  'uno alla volta' - one at a time," Burgess said.
 
Eliminations in the first of ten events in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx are scheduled to be completed Sunday afternoon.
 
 
 
FINAL QUALIFYING ORDER
1 Roger Burgess 5.993/243.55
2 Danny Rowe 6.001/240.59
3 Rick Stivers 6.01/238.17
4 Chip King 6.015/237.00
5 Joe Baker 6.026/241.02
6 Tim Tindle 6.029/235.97
7 Jay Payne 6.035/237.50
8 Mike Castellana 6.042/232.19
9 Kenny Lang 6.047/241.11
10 Rickie Smith 6.052/234.45
11 Harold Laird 6.054/236.22
12 Billy Gibson 6.085/227.80
13 Brad Personett 6.086/242.32
14 Mike Knowles 6.093/239.40
15 Burton Auxier 6.102/232.79
16 Taylor Lastor 6.132/232.95