2010 NHRA SUMMIT NATIONALS - GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY FINAL - MUSI EARNS GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES VICTORY AT SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
Veteran drag racer Pat Musi raced to his first NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series victory Sunday at Summit Racing Equipment 
Motorsports Park.
Musi, who outran Troy Coughlin, Ed Hoover and top qualifier Raymond Commisso in the first three rounds, defeated Brad Personett in the final round. It was Musi’s first victory in NHRA competition since 1981, when the New Jersey driver won a Wally in Pro Stock competition at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Musi’s Dodge Stratus posted a 5.981 at 239.44 to hold off Personett’s hard-charging ’68 Camaro, which trailed with a 5.996 at 251.02.
Series points leader Von Smith, winner of three events this season, was upset in the first round by Rickie Smith. Smith leads Danny Rowe by 85 points with three races remaining in the 10 event series.
The NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series continues Sept. 1-6 in Indianapolis at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious drag race.
Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series final round-by-round results from the Fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park:
ROUND ONE -- Burton Auxier, Pontiac Firebird, 5.994, 237.17 def. Mike Knowles, Chevy Corvette, foul; Danny Rowe, Chevy Camaro, 6.104, 243.06 def. Joe Baker, Firebird, 6.058, 237.05; Rickie Smith, Camaro, 6.075, 230.96 def. Von Smith, Camaro, 8.716, 102.89; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.050, 238.47 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, foul; Brad Personett, Camaro, 6.020, 253.52 def. Melanie Troxel, Camaro, 6.062, 242.76; Ed Hoover, Camaro, 6.081, 236.84 def. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.056, 238.38; Pat Musi, Dodge Stratus, 6.020, 239.10 def. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 13.078, 63.87; Raymond Commisso, Camaro, 6.029, 244.16 def. Rick Stivers, Stratus, 12.164, 68.41;
QUARTERFINALS -- R. Smith, 6.174, 230.84 def. Castellana, 6.283, 234.04; Musi, 6.083, 237.30 def. Hoover, 6.135, 236.05; Personett, 5.993, 251.95 def. Rowe, 6.322, 237.75; Commisso, 6.050, 243.33 def. Auxier, 6.276, 233.68;
SEMIFINALS -- Musi, 6.052, 238.68 def. Commisso, 6.011, 242.98; Personett, 6.045, 250.46 def. R. Smith, 6.111, 232.19;
FINAL -- Musi, 5.981, 239.44 def. Personett, 5.996, 251.02.
Point standings (top 10) for Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series following the Fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park:
1. Von Smith, 483; 2. Danny Rowe, 398; 3. Kenny Lang, 368; 4. Jay Payne, 349; 5. Troy Coughlin, 336; 6. Mike Castellana, 312; 7. Ed Hoover, 293; 8. Scott Ray, 289; 9. Joe Baker, 278; 10. Raymond Commisso, 276.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - IN BATTLE OF SMITHS IN PRO MOD, RICKIE GETS FIRST ROUND WIN AT SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT NHRA NATIONALS
Veteran drag racer Rickie Smith beat three-time NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series winner and current points leader Von Smith in the first round of competition Saturday at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.
The upset –- Rickie was No. 14 and Von was No. 3 in the eliminations bracket -- was one of several notable upsets in the first round. No. 15 qualifier Brad Personett upset No. 2 Melanie Troxel, No. 11 qualifier Mike Castellana beat No. 6 Scott Ray and No. 10 Danny Rowe took out No. 7 qualifier Joe Baker.
In other rounds, top qualifier Raymond Commisso beat Rick Stivers, Pat Musi outran Troy Coughlin, Burton Auxier beat Mike Knowles and Ed Hoover beat Gainesville winner Kenny Lang.
Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series eliminations continue Sunday at approximately 1 p.m.
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FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - COMMISSO LEADS CRASH-MARRED FIRST DAY QUALIFYING
Raymond Commisso raced to the qualifying lead Friday in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the Summit Racing
Commisso, who failed to get his ’68 Camaro down the track in the day’s first qualifying session, covered the quarter-mile distance at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in 5.910 seconds at 248.20 mph in the second session to take the top spot in the 16-car field.
“I do feel fortunate to be the No. 1 qualifier,” Commisso said. “It will probably stay that way because the final round of qualifying will be in the sunshine so it shouldn't be as quick. I know every time I step off the clutch in my racecar that I can go to the No. 1 spot. We have the horsepower and the people to get it done.”
The second qualifying session was interrupted by two spectacular crashes. Tony Pontieri’s ’68 Camaro went out of control and impacted the guardwall and crashed, as did Roger Burgess’ ’63 Corvette, which also hit the wall and barrel-rolled before coming to an upright stop. Both drivers were checked and released at the track.
“It's always a little tough when you see two of your fellow racers, two of your friends, wreck their cars,” Commisso said. “It kind of takes the excitement out of being No. 1 tonight. Thank God they're OK. Credit the NHRA Safety Safari, the guys that build these racecars, and all the safety equipment we wear.”
Melanie Troxel was second in her new In-N-Out ’67 Camaro with a 5.940 at 245.40. Three-time tour winner and current series points leader Von Smith was third in his Al-Anabi Racing/Dr. Moon ’68 Camaro with a 5.951 at 245.05. Veteran racer Pat Musi, who topped the first session in his ’09 Dodge Stratus, moved to fourth with his performance of 5.961 at 229.98.
One round of qualifying remains for the Pro Mods on Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by the first round of eliminations, scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series results Friday after the first two of three rounds of qualifying at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.
1. Raymond Commisso, Chevy Camaro, 5.910, 248.20; 2. Melanie Troxel, Camaro, 5.940, 245.40; 3. Von Smith, Camaro, 5.951, 245.05; 4. Pat Musi, Dodge Stratus, 5.961, 229.98; 5. Ed Hoover, Camaro, 5.963, 239.02; 6. Joe Baker, Pontiac Firebird, 5.976, 239.48; 7. Scott Ray, Chevy Corvette, 5.989, 238.30; 8. Burton Auxier, Firebird, 5.989, 237.30; 9. Mike Knowles, Corvette, 5.990, 242.54; 10. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 6.018, 235.43; 11. Brad Personett, Camaro, 6.020, 250.55; 12. Rickie Smith, Camaro, 6.027, 235.10; 13. Mike Janis, Ford Mustang, 6.046, 241.50; 14. Kenny Lang, Corvette, 6.073, 237.75; 15. Rick Stivers, Stratus, 6.096, 240.25; 16. Chuck Cheeseman, Corvette, 6.116, 235.19. Not Qualified: 17. Chip King, 6.466, 165.09; 18. Dennis Radford, 7.718, 112.82; 19. Roger Burgess, 8.108, 145.89; 20. Jay Payne, 9.151, 98.90; 21. Mike Castellana, 9.505, 91.49; 22. Danny Rowe, 10.387, 104.54; 23. Tony Pontieri, broke.
SCARY MOMENT -
NHRA GSA Pro Modified driver Tony Pontieri emerged uninjured from a fiery crash during qualifying for the NHRA Summit Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.
Pontieri, of Bolton, Ohio, had completed a 6.06 second run when his supercharged Camaro drifted right, outside of the groove, and flipped. He made contact with the retaining wall and the car erupted into flames upon contact. His car slid to a stop in the shutdown area.
He was extracted from the race car which suffered minimal damage to the driver’s compartment.
Pontieri was checked by onsite medical personnel and released.
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THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - SMITH ON THE CUSP OF THE TITLE ALREADY
It ain’t over til it’s over, but if Von Smith wins again this weekend it’ll certainly be close.
With two straight wins entering this weekend’s event at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, June 25-27, the driver of the Barwa/Al-Anabi ’68 Camaro has a chance to take complete control of the points race in the first-year NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series.
“We’re hoping to take the positives from the last two races and carry it into this weekend and win another one,” said Smith, who already has three wins and a 92-point lead through the first six races of the 10-race Get Screened America Pro Mod Series season.
This weekend’s race marks the third in a row that the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series drivers will be in action, the most taxing stretch of the 10-race schedule for the drivers in the first-year Series, but one that Smith welcomes.
“The more we race back-to-back the better it is for me and the team, just staying jelled,” Smith said. “We’re very fortunate that we had the Englishtown race and then we came home, that just helped us logistics-wise to come home. I’ve always said the more I can race back-to-back the better we race and it’s showing that that’s the way it is.”
The win in Bristol was his third overall this season – the Oak Ridge, Tenn. native had previously won at the AAA Insurance NHRA Nationals in St. Louis on May 2 and the NHRA SuperNationals in New Jersey on June 13 -- in the first six events and it’s given him a commanding 92-point lead over Danny Rowe and a 97-point lead over Jay Payne.
“While I like the lead, I want to have a bigger lead leaving Norwalk,” he said. “It’s not (comfortable), if you listen to (the other teams), we heard (in Bristol), ‘you win this and it’s done’ and it’s not even close to done. On this team, (the mindset is) keep your head down. The lead could be taken up in one race by us not qualifying.”
The last time Smith was in Norwalk, in 2007, he advanced to the Top Alcohol Funny Car final round in the Centre Pointe Collision Camaro and he finished runner-up to current NHRA Full Throttle Series Funny Car racer Bob Tasca.
While he’d certainly like a third straight win, a repeat of that runner-up this weekend would put him in a great position heading into the two-month break before Indy. After this weekend’s event, the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series will not race again until Labor Day weekend at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, which is the first of the three final races to end the season – they will finish with races in Charlotte and Las Vegas.
“I’m not crazy about (the break),” Smith said. “But hopefully, at least we’re in a good position going into it.”
READY TO MOVE - Series founder and primary financial supporter Roger Burgess is very pleased with the inaugural season of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series initiative. He's not so happy, however, with the performance of his own three-car stable, which includes himself, Ray Commisso, and Melanie Troxel.
"It's time for all of us to make a move," Burgess said. "Things haven't gone as well as we would have liked for them to go but I've got a lot of confidence that we will do better.
"The team stayed after Bristol and tested the wheels off these things. I know they've got Raymond's ProCare Rx car running good, and they figured out Melanie's new In-N-Out Burger car and got it running really quick with a couple of very promising hits, so I expect them to step it up immediately. My car should be fine as well."
Burgess is the highest ranked driver on the team, although it's unlikely he'll crow about his current 13th-place perch. Commisso, who missed one of the first six races after the death of his father, is five points back in 14th place, while Troxel, who led the points after the second race of the year, is 16th overall with three DNQs on her scorecard.
"We put Melanie in a new car for Bristol and we've now switched (crew chief) Bob Newberry over to my car and put Al (Billes, crew chief) on Melanie's and Raymond's cars so that he'd have two identical cars to work on," Burgess said. "They both drive Camaros now and my car is Corvette, and they do react a little differently, so we thought this move made sense.
"We're doing all we can. I'd like to see all three of us get into the top 10 before we're done and maybe steal away a win or two. The team certainly is ready to make a move."
As for this weekend's event in Norwalk, Commisso is excited to return to a track where he's had great success in the past.
"I won an IHRA race there in Pro Mod so I'm looking forward to going back," the Canadian restaurateur said. "Hopefully we can repeat that earlier success we had there when we arrive for this weekend's race. It's a great track.
"Al tried some different combinations in testing and ran some new stuff he made. He was pretty excited with how the cars reacted. I think we'll all be running stronger."
NEW ENGINE, NEW CONFIDENCE - Coming off of a successful test following the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series NHRA race in Bristol, Tenn., Melanie Troxel and the In-N-Out Burger team are brimming with confidence heading into this weekend's Summit Racing Equipment Nationals.
A switch from a Corvette to a Camaro wasn't enough of an elixir to get Troxel's early-season woes completely fixed, but an engine switch during the test seems to have completed the job.
"All of last weekend in Bristol we had the feeling something was wrong," Troxel said. "Even though it was new and it didn't have a lot of runs on it, it should have performed closer to the car of my R2B2 Racing teammate Raymond Commisso."
Instead the numbers were way off and Troxel failed to qualify for eliminations.
"We were off three mph and quite a bit of elapsed time," Troxel said. "We were trying a lot that weekend, swapping out a lot of stuff to see what was holding the In-N-Out Burger car back. Unfortunately we didn't find it during the race weekend."
Test sessions are designed for radical moves and the wholesale engine swap did the trick.
"The second run down the track with the new engine we went 5.97 seconds at 243 mph," Troxel said. "That would have been low ET and top speed of the race. At that point we loaded up the car and put it away. We knew we had found the problem.
"Every race is different and this doesn't guarantee things will be perfect in Norwalk but we do feel we've successfully addressed the problems that were plaguing us last weekend."
Troxel added that a better performing car should enhance what is normally a pleasant racing experience at Norwalk.
"The Bader family try their best to create a family atmosphere at this track," Troxel said. "They do a great job and make it enjoyable to come to the track."
SUCCESS NOT OPTIONAL, IT'S MANDATORY - The last of three back-to-back races on the Get Screened America NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series tour, the NHRA’s fourth appearance at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk is shaping up to be a make or break moment for a number of today’s top teams. For Danny Rowe, who suffered an uncharacteristic first round loss to Kenny Lang during last weekend’s NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, it’s critical for the Sterling Bridge Pro Mod team to bring their “A” game to the Buckeye State.
Some 92 points behind points leader Von Smith, Rowe has a considerable amount of real estate to make up before the two-month layoff for the GSA Pro Mod Series competitors between Norwalk and the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. In drag racing, though, things can change in a matter of seconds, and that’s what Danny Rowe and company are counting on this weekend.
“Brandon Bernstein really explained it well here recently when he said, ‘Drag racing is fickle. As soon as you start to turn the corner, something happens to humble you again.’ I couldn’t have said it any better myself, honestly. It’s amazing the highs and lows of this sport, but that is also what makes it so exciting,” says Rowe, in transit from his home in Laguna Hills, California to the race facility in Norwalk, Ohio.
“The fact that every round of drag racing is basically a sudden-death deal, you either win or you go home, it’s a high-pressure situation from the start. I’ve got a lot of faith in this Sterling Bridge/Hottinger Group Pro Mod team, though, and I like to believe we operate at our absolute best when our backs are against the wall.
“Von Smith and those guys over there have done a great job this year,” says Rowe, “but we can’t let them get any further out on us. We’ve proven time and time again that we’ve got as mean of a hot rod as anyone on the property, it’s just not translating into success on race day. We’re looking to change that this weekend in Norwalk. Jimmy [Rector, crew chief] and I have been talking and we’re well aware of the fact that we need to close the gap this weekend.”
For the last two seasons, the ever-competitive NHRA Pro Mod teams have taken the points battle down to the final race of the season and Danny Rowe, with a win in Norwalk, could ensure that it’s another wire-to-wire, nail biter in 2010.
SHOOT FIRST, ASK QUESTIONS LATER - Pro Mod driver Rick Stivers' endurance has been tested in the past several weeks as the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series has had three events in the same number of weeks. This weekend the series visits Norwalk, Ohio for the last event before the summer break, and for Stivers, he knows he has to come to the battle with guns-a-blazin' in order to stay in the hunt for a spot at the top of the pack.
His Trane 2006 Dodge Stratus has suffered a few hiccups along the way, but the Kentucky entrepreneur said he is confident the bugs are gone and the car is ready to race. This weekend's Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals is the sixth of ten events for the Pro Mods.
"I told Brad [Anderson, team owner and crew chief] that I wanted to make sure I didn't bring a knife to a gun fight this weekend," Stivers said. "The competition has been so fierce - it's a battle every time we get out on the track. The past two weeks have been difficult for us because we had issues first with the batteries and then with the balance of the car. We got some points last week in Bristol and made it to the quarterfinals, and this weekend we've got the opportunity to make a good move, too.
"I really want to be well into the top ten before we head to Indy in September. At that point, there will only be three events left, and making a move then will be that much harder," he said.
Stivers currently sits in the No. 12 spot with 230 points; seven points out of the top ten and just 64 points out of the top five. With 95 points on the table to win the race, making a big move up is definitely on the table for the Trane/Brad Anderson Engineering team.
"Every lap counts, every fraction of a second - and I'm all-in every time I drive the car. This team has proven it has what it takes to set records and win races, and now we're to the point where we're putting it all on the line. It'll be a great weekend," Stivers said.
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