2009 NHRA VIRGINIA NATIONALS - GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD NOTEBOOK
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
FRIDAY QUALIFYING - STIVERS STEAMS TO FRIDAY NO. 1
The racing forecast for Virginia Motorsports Park was fast, and the drivers in the Get Screened 
America Pro Mod Challenge definitely proved the prognosticators right. In two rounds of qualifying on Friday, the top nine cars crushed the five-second zone with Rick Stivers leading the way at a blistering 5.906 at 242.32 mph. Kirk Kuhns currently sits at No. 16 with a 6.092.
The points battles for first place continued to blaze as both Roger Burgess and Danny Rowe took the provisional No. 2 and 3 spots with 5.911 and 5.948 respectively, while current points leader Burton Auxier was limited to just one run because of a blown motor in the first round and landed No. 10 with a 6.002 at 233.72 mph. His teammate Mike Castellana, No.4 in the points overall, landed just ahead of him at No. 9 to lead the nitrous cars with a 5.995 at 236.26 mph.
Turbo powerhouse Brad Personett blasted to the provisional No. 7 spot with a 5.967 and delivered the top speed of the day at 246.75 mph.
Notably not qualified with one scheduled round remaining is Mike Knowles who is ensconced in a battle with Tim Tindle and Rick Stivers for the No. 8 spot overall and the last qualifying spot in the $35,000 Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash to be run in Las Vegas.
The final qualifying round is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. and eliminations begin Saturday evening with the B&J Transmissions Bonus round scheduled for 4:00 p.m. The balance of eliminations is scheduled to run Sunday afternoon.
AGATE:
1 Rick Stivers 5.906
2 Roger Burgess 5.911
3 Danny Rowe 5.948
4 Raymond Commisso 5.948
5 Jay Payne 5.949
6 Tommy Gray 5.961
7 Brad Personett 5.967
8 Melanie Troxel 5.969
9 Mike Castellana 5.995
10 Burton Auxier 6.002
11 Tim Tindle 6.013
12 Chip King 6.018
13 Joe Baker 6.027
14 Dennis Radford 6.027
15 Scott Ray 6.07
16 Kirk Kuhns 6.092
---NOT QUALIFIED---
17 Adam Flamholc 6.135
18 Mike Knowles 6.153
19 Rickie Smith 6.156
20 Rick Distefano 6.24
21 Frank Patille 6.404
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -
NOTHING STOPS A TRAIN, LITERALLY - The best way to follow up on a win, according to Pro Mod driver Rick Stivers, is with another win - and that's exactly what the driver of the Trane 2006 Stratus Pro Mod is planning for this weekend's event. On the heels of his first win of the season at the last event in Charlotte, N.C., the Kentucky-based HVAC entrepreneur is returning to the site of his first Pro Mod Challenge win - the 2007 event at Virginia Motorsports Park.
After two qualifying sessions, he's running strong on the mainline with the provisional No. 1 qualifying position. Stivers leads the 16-car field with a 5.906 elapsed time at 242.32 miles per hour.
"Brad (Anderson, team owner and crew chief) and all the guys have really worked so hard since we got the new car back, and the last race everything came together for us," explained Stivers, who crashed earlier in the season during the GSA event in St. Louis. "I can't thank him enough. Bad Brad, Andre, Donnie, Scott, Jeremy and all the BAE people for getting me and the car back on track. And my teammate Jay Payne, Shelly, Toby and Maddie -- everyone. This Trane hot rod is on a tear, and there's no reason why we can't come out this weekend and repeat the win. I've done it here before, and we've done it this season, too."
Stivers still has a mathematical chance to qualify for the $35,000 Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash later this month in Las Vegas. The difference will come from Tim Tindle or Jay Payne not qualifying or losing first-round combined with a top qualifying spot and going to the finals. He entered the weekend out of the field by 59 points..
"And then there's Knowles and Personett who are ahead of me too - and they will have to do the same early-round exits also. Every one of those guys - Tindle, Knowles, Personett, even my teammate Jay - they are all amazing drivers and have cars that can go rounds. The thing for me is, Brad's put together a car that I can win with, and I could even get 20 points for setting a world record. IF there's any place to do this, this is it," Stivers said.
"This is why we race them on the track, not on paper - and this will be an amazing weekend," he added.
Currently Knowles is unqualified while Personet is seventh.
JOCKEYING FOR POSITION - After firmly placing his '68 Camaro Z/28 Pro Mod in the No. 5 position in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge, Milton, Fla.-resident Joe Baker is just 117 points out of the lead with two races left in the season and an opportunity to move up, possibly into the lead. All he has to do is get to the finals twice in two races, something the former rookie of the year was able to do in his freshman year.
Baker won the first two races of the 2008 season, so the winners circle is not a new place for him, but is a place he has been unable to reach so far this season.
"Every round counts, and we need to win as many as possible. We've made some changes on the car, and worked through so much. Things are running real well - we're peaking at the right time to go round," Baker said.
"There's so much drama going on in the battles - people trying to get into the lead, people trying to get into the Matco Clash - we're just trying to keep our heads down and be consistent with our program so we can move up in the points.
"We'll just take it one round at a time. The competition is fierce out here, and Richmond can be such an awesome track. It'll be a great weekend," he said.
Baker is presently 13th in the field after two sessions with a 6.027 elapsed time.
R2B2 NEED TO'S - This weekend is critical for team R2B2 at the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event at the NHRA Virginia Nationals. Roger Burgess is number two in the points, just 54 points out of first with two races left to catch the leader Burton Auxier. Raymond Commisso is currently sixth and solidly in the top eight to compete in the Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash, but the Toronto restaurateur and current ET world record holder will be fielding a new car, adding an unknown commodity for the team; and Melanie Troxel is looking to follow-up on her runner-up finish at the last event and take it all the way this weekend. Each driver has a specific mission, and each is anxious to hit the throttle on the quarter-mile at Richmond.
"It's now or never," Burgess said. "Burton has had the most consistent car and so far, he has been the best driver in our class this year. It will take a combination of getting the tune up right, getting the job done as the driver, and finding some luck to catch him. Having said that, we can't wait to get to Richmond. As always, we will do our best, una alla Volta."
Commisso said, "After we crashed the car in Grand Bend earlier this year, we've been struggling to get the program back together. We tried with the old Firebird, but just couldn't get the right combination, so we went and found another car that would work for us. That's no easy feat in just a short amount of time.
"We were able to buy a car, and Al Billes (crew chief) and the guys have all been working overtime to get things ready for this weekend. It's a proven car, and we should be able to run it well. I know that we're all up to the task and excited about racing in Richmond."
Troxel said, "Charlotte was a great race for us, we ran better and better every lap, and I know that we can just pick up right where we left off. We've got a great team, and the conditions should prove to be really positive for running fast. Our goal is to get all the cars into the show, and then work hard to keep the team going."
Currently all three cars are in the top half of the field led by Burgess, who is second quickest. Commisso is fourth while Troxel is eighth.
LOOKING FOR A SPOT - Mike Knowles headed into this weekend's Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event with the singular goal of moving into the top eight and qualifying for the Matco Tools $35,000 Pro Mod Clash. To do that, he has to qualify better than Tim Tindle or Jay Payne and win at least two more rounds than either.
After two qualifying sessions and the threat of bad weather on Saturday, his chances are looking slim. Knowles is currently in the second alternate position with a 6.153 best.
Knowles has pulled within 43 points of Tindle, and his Chuck Ford-tuned Corvette has recently delivered its best performances of the season.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
EVENT PREVIEW - POINTS ARE THE FOCUS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S NHRA VIRGINIA NATIONALS
This weekend is all about the points for drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge 
presented by ProCare Rx. The swan-song event at the NHRA Virginia Nationals is the second-to-last event in the season and the last event for drivers to qualify for the $35,000 Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash, and it's the last time the tour will visit the Virginia Motorsports Park. The points battles are fierce for the World Champion title with four drivers vying for the top spot, and five competitors are battling for the last three available positions in the Matco Clash.
Burton Auxier has fielded the most consistent car all season and has carried the first-place bragging rights since his victory in the fourth race of the season at Bristol, Tenn. in May, and is currently holding on to a 54-point margin over Roger Burgess and a 57-point lead over Danny Rowe. Mathematically, Auxier's teammate Mike Castellana along with Joe Baker also have a shot at snagging the top-spot, sitting just 103- and 117-points out with more than 230 points still on the table for the season in the two remaining races.
In the Matco Clash, No.'s 6-8 - Raymond Commisso, Jay Payne and Tim Tindle - sit precariously close to the qualifying edge and within striking distance at this race, the last possibility to make the top eight and qualify for their shot at the $25,000 grand prize to be won in Las Vegas at the end of October. On their heels are Brad Personett, Mike Knowles, and Rick Stivers - each of whom could jump into one of the last three spots as less than three round-wins of competition separate them from making the cut.
"Anything is possible," said Rick Stivers, the winner of the series' last event held at Charlotte, N.C. and currently just 59-points out of the top eight. "I don't remember ever seeing such a tight race to make the points. It just goes to show you how well-matched the top cars in this series really are. It doesn't matter if they are nitrous, blower-cars or even turbo - they're all in the hunt.
"This truly is a winner-take-all weekend. I love it," Stivers said.
The track at Virginia Motorsports park has proven exceptionally fast in the past, producing record-times and a series-quickest bump-spot of 6.03 seconds just last year, and although the weather forecast looks stormy for Saturday of this week, Friday's forecast is cool, dry and fast.
Hoping to act as spoilers for the embattled leaders are a group of cars that represent the best of the rest. Scott Ray will field the Ohio Crankshaft entry once again, while Rick DiStefano, Dennis Radford, "Tricky" Rickey Smith, and Chip King all hope to crush some dreams this weekend along with 'Tombstone" Tommy Gray, Frank Patille, Sweden's Adam Flamholc, Kirk Kuhns and Melanie Troxel. In all, 21 drivers will be competing for 16 qualifying positions with the hopes of taking home their very own Pro Mod Challenge 'Warrior.'
Qualifying rounds are scheduled for 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, and 2:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Eliminations begin Friday evening with the B&J Transmissions Bonus round scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Saturday, and the balance of eliminations scheduled to run Sunday afternoon.
Track History:
2008 Jay Payne winner/ Scott Ray runner-up
#1 Qualifier: Josh Hernandez 5.900
Bump: 6.033 (only three cars in 6's, 13 cars in the five-second zone)
Low e.t. Hernandez
5.900 seconds
Top Speed Pontieri 243.99 mph
2007 Rick Stivers-winner/ Raymond Commisso runner-up
#1 Qualifier: Hernandez 5.99
Bump: 8.740 seconds
Low e.t. Hernandez 5.990
Top Speed Hernandez 241.67
Entry List for the NHRA Virginia Nationals Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx
1. Burton Auxier
2. Joe Baker
3. Roger Burgess
4. Mike Castellana
5. Raymond Commisso
6. Rick DiStefano
7. Adam Flamholc
8. Kirk Kuhns
9. Jay Payne
10. Dennis Radford
11. Scott Ray
12. Danny Rowe
13. Rickey Smith
14. Rick Stivers
15. Tim Tindle
16. Melanie Troxel
17. Tommy Gray
18. Chip King
19. Mike Knowles
20. Frank Patille
21. Brad Personett
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
