Photos by Robert Richard, Larry Pfister
FINAL NOTEBOOK – CHAMPIONS CROWNED AS ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL EVENT DRAWS TO A CLOSE
1 – DOG DAY AFTERNOON – Four different World Series of Pro Modified races and four winners. One common denominator. They weren’t supposed to win.
Steve King captured an unexpected victory in the World Series of Pro Mod final, coming from the 30th qualifying position in the Gene Pilot-owned screw-blown “Savage” ’18 Corvette. King defeated a 32-car field to take home a $150,000 prize, following in the footsteps of previous underdog winner Spencer Hyde, who triumphed from the No. 32 spot two years ago.
Although not the fastest car throughout the event, King displayed remarkable consistency with several passes in the 3.60s. In the final round, he faced two-time NHRA Pro Mod world champion “Stevie Fast” Jackson. Jackson had a quicker reaction time of .029 to King’s .052, but King’s pass of 3.629 seconds at 204.82 mph was enough to secure the victory with a narrow margin of just .001 seconds—the closest final round in WSOPM history.
“I don’t even know where to start,” King said. “We didn’t have the fastest car all day long, but we had a consistent car. We came here knowing we had a good car, but when you’re racing against guys like Stevie Fast and Jason Harris, all these guys here are badass. We’ve been flying underneath the radar, but this weekend, we capitalized and came out here…I mean, it’s unbelievable to beat 80 of the baddest guys on the planet.”
In the first round, King defeated Cameron Hensley in a close race, recording a time of 3.649 seconds to advance. He continued to demonstrate his consistent performance by overcoming Jeff Rudolf in the second round with a 3.681, marking his slowest elimination pass.
“We’re always the underdog,” King said. “I’m sure at every chip draw, guys were going, ‘I want him,’ because we were the slowest of the round. But they can’t say that anymore. We just go A-to-B every run. My guys worked their asses off with engines, transmissions…every round we had stuff tore apart.”
King’s path to victory included defeating multi-time champions, starting with six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Erica Enders in the quarterfinals. King’s 3.654 at 203.34 outpaced Enders’ 3.836. He then faced reigning back-to-back PDRA Pro Boost champion Jason Harris in the semifinals, where Harris encountered mechanical issues, allowing King to advance with a 3.638 at 203.80.
“I don’t think there’s been a tougher path through eliminations,” King said. “I didn’t have lane choice one time on race day. Today was just our day.”
Jackson also had a challenging day, defeating veteran Stan Shelton in the first round and Ty Tutterow in the second round before advancing with a bye run against Scott Taylor in the quarterfinals. Jackson handled a close semifinal race against 2017 WSOPM champion Mike Bowman.
After celebrating with his crew in the winner’s circle, King acknowledged their hard work.
“Jeff Miller’s been with me for 25 years,” King said. “The G-Force [Race Cars] guys, Jon and Evan Salemi, Eddie Whalen…they all come to help as soon as something’s broken. This is all for Gene [Pilot]. He didn’t make it this weekend, but I guarantee it’s pretty loud where he is.”
Though King claimed the biggest win of his career, he has no plans to slow down for the remainder of the season.
“We’re gonna go run PDRA this year,” King said. “Gene wants to win a championship, and we’ve got the right guys in place to do it if I can drive the car halfway decent. That’s where we’re headed.”
2 – THE “FAST” TRACK TO THE FINALS – Runner-up Stevie “Fast” Jackson defeated Pro Mod veteran Stan Shelton in the opening round, and Ty Tutterow in round two. Jackson then benefitted from a bye run in the quarterfinals against Scott Taylor, who broke immediately as his car launched. Jackson, meanwhile, went 3.625 at 206.67. In the semifinals, Jackson won a close side-by-side race with 2017 WSOPM champion Mike Bowman.
3 – SECOND CHANCE FOR STARDOM – Nearly 50 Pro Mod drivers were left out of the 32-car qualified field at the World Series of Pro Mod, competing for a $150,000 winner-take-all payday. Roderjan Busato and Zach Sackman emerged as the final two contenders in the Chicago-Style Shootout, vying for a $10,000 prize.
The non-qualified Pro Mods had one chance to race on Saturday afternoon, with the four quickest cars advancing for a second pass. After the first round, Busato, Sackman, Matt Deitsch, and Mike DiDomenico secured their spots for the final round.
In the final, Busato, a driver from Brazil, posted a time of 3.640 seconds at 206.48 mph to defeat Sackman, who finished with a pass of 3.678 at 204.39 mph.
4 – PLUCHINO DELIVERS WIN – Johnny Pluchino, a multi-time Mountain Motor Pro Stock champion, clinched the title and the $25,000 prize Saturday night by defeating Derrick Reese in the final round. The 2024 NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world champion raced his Kaase-powered Ross Environmental Services ’13 Mustang to a winning time of 4.081 seconds at 177.60 mph, beating Reese’s 4.125 at 176.03.
“I’ve only been doing this for 5-6 years now in the Mountain Motor game, but it’s been a hell of a ride and this has been one really fun race,” said Pluchino, a two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion. “I want to thank everybody for putting it on and all the Mountain Motor guys for coming out – 21 cars. We’re a really confident group, so going into this deal, we felt good.”
Due to a random chip draw that determines elimination pairings in the event, Pluchino faced No. 2 qualifier Dennis Firkus in the first round. Firkus went red, allowing Pluchino to set the low E.T. of the round with a pass of 4.078 at 177.88 mph.
“There’s no reason to sulk about it,” Pluchino said of facing the No. 2 qualifier. “At the end of the day, I turned to my dad [2016 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion John Pluchino] and said, ‘We can beat anybody.’ Mountain Motor is a tough game, no matter what the number is or who it is. If you want to hold the check and the trophy at the end of the day, you’ve got to get rid of them at some point.”
Motivated by a runner-up finish in last year’s MMPSI, Pluchino went on to win the inaugural Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world championship. With this title now secured, he aims for additional victories this season.
“My plan is race by race, go out there and win everything that we can win,” Pluchino said. “I want to leave as a champion again in 2025. My long-term goal is when you think Mountain Motor Pro Stock, you think Johnny Pluchino. It’s not just me individually, but it’s me and my team who put their heart and soul into this deal.”
Following his first-round win over Firkus, Pluchino faced Bill Neri, who shut off on the starting line. Pluchino then posted a 4.066 at 172.91 to earn semifinal lane choice against Dwayne Rice.
In the semifinals, Pluchino and Rice had identical reaction times, but Rice slowed to a 4.692 at 160.14, while Pluchino advanced with a 4.09 at 177.53.
5 – REESE’S ROAD TO THE MMPS FINAL – Derrick Reese’s journey to the final began with him qualifying seventh in his Kaase-powered Black Magic Clutches ’13 Mustang. He overcame 2023 MMPSI winner John Montecalvo in the first round with a time of 4.124 seconds. In round two, he used a steady 4.126 to defeat Daryl Stewart and then secured a semifinal win against two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion Chris Powers by a holeshot, running 4.135 to Powers’ 4.125.
6 – STEDING WINS PRO 10.5 CHALLENGE TITLE – Ethan Steding, fresh off securing the Pro Street world championship in his rookie PDRA season, added another title by winning the Pro 10.5 Challenge. Steding defeated Chris Tuten in the $25,000 final, posting a time of 3.934 seconds at 193.90 mph in his roots-blown P2 Contracting “College Fund” ’24 Camaro, while Tuten recorded a 4.104 at 192.06.
“First off, I’m pleased to be invited to this drag race and to be racing with the biggest people on this stage,” Steding said. “Without my crew, I would not be here. I came out of Jr Dragsters two years ago, and Pro Street was the class we were going into. I surrounded myself with the baddest of the baddest dudes – Ty Tutterow, Todd Tutterow, and my dad, Kurt Steding. They all taught me very well on how to handle the car and what’s good for the car and what’s not.”
Steding qualified No. 8 and faced No. 7 qualifier Jerry Morgano in the first round. Morgano was unable to compete, allowing Steding to make a solo pass of 3.96 at 194.10 mph. In the next round, he lined up against Blake Denton, running 3.967 at 193.99 mph after Denton faced mechanical issues and finished with an 8.835.
In the semifinals, Steding initially lost to Bill Lutz, but the situation turned when Lutz failed to pass technical inspection, allowing Steding to re-enter the competition.
“We had to rush to get the car back to the pits and we only had 20 minutes to get fired up,” Steding said. “Thanks to Chris Tuten for waiting that couple of minutes for us. There was a lot going through my head, but everyone in the pits calmed me down. That’s my main thing is keeping calm, cool, and collected. You do that, you’ll go up there and do great things and not even think about who’s in the other lane, and that’s what I did right there.”
Tuten also faced challenges during the event. He narrowly missed qualifying for the 16-car field, landing in the No. 18 spot. When two qualified drivers encountered breakage, Tuten and No. 17 qualifier Dmitry Lisin were brought into the race as alternates.
Tuten made the most of his opportunity, defeating newcomer Tim Dutton with a time of 4.147, eliminating No. 3 qualifier Joel Wensley Jr. with a 3.995, and advancing past Kallee Mills in the semifinals with a 4.143.
7 – PROCTOR’S PAYDAY – Ronnie Proctor, a past NHRA Top Sportsman world champion, secured a $50,000 payday Saturday night by winning the Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship. Driving his nitrous-fed ’09 Mustang, Proctor triumphed after opponent Brian Tiffe left the line .012 seconds too soon, while Proctor posted a full pass of 4.215 on his 4.19 dial-in.
“This is dead-on the top of the list,” Proctor said. “From the NHRA world championship [in 2018], this is right just with it, if not above it. It is definitely way up there. I’m in awe. It’s crazy to race for this kind of money. We came through with the grace of God because there’s no way, the way I started out this weekend, that we were going past first round.”
Proctor was one of 33 Top Sportsman drivers competing for the historic $50,000 prize. He faced familiar competitors from the PDRA and NHRA Division 1, as well as racers who traveled from across the country.
“You better be on your game,” Proctor said. “There’s a lot of good, talented racers with some really good cars in this whole deal here. We didn’t know who signed up until we got here, and that actually keeps some people away, but we don’t have anywhere to run for this kind of money.”
Hailing from Hedgesville, West Virginia, Proctor began eliminations with a win over Earl Folse from Raceland, Louisiana, who broke out. Next, he faced Texan Bob Gulitti, who went .002 red, while Proctor ran a 4.226 on a 4.21 dial. Proctor also won on a double breakout against Jonathan Smiddy in the third round. He cut a .009 reaction time in the semifinals, but Vonnie Mills handed him the victory by going red by .002.
Tiffe, competing in the nitrous-fed Schween Motorsports ’21 Corvette, advanced to the final after defeating Mike Clark, David Crafts, Jeff Simons, and John Benoit.
8 – WHEN IT’S YOUR DAY – Hailey Hawkins entered the Intercontinental Top Dragster Championship with an untested engine in her ’06 Race Tech dragster. After one full qualifying run due to tire shake, she faced race day with limited data but excelled in eliminations and capitalized on a break in the final round.
In the final, Hawkins faced Lucas Salemi, who suffered a mechanical issue and couldn’t stage his car. Hawkins’ dragster also shut off because of a bad fuse, but her crew replaced it on the starting line, allowing her to stage and take the tree for the $50,000 victory.
“This is my first win, so to do it out here is incredible,” Hawkins said. “I drove well today on both ends. I missed it one time, but overall, I think I put in the work to deserve it today.”
Hawkins acknowledged that the final round wasn’t conventional but noted it created a memorable experience.
“I know everybody was frantic, including myself, and Randy Lee [chief starter] reached into my car and said, ‘I need you to calm down, get the car cranked, and stage it,’” Hawkins said. “Got the body panels off, and I staged the car with no top body panels, so I think that’s kind of epic. It’s special for sure.”
This win was also motivational for Hawkins, who previously recorded semifinal and runner-up finishes.
“Some days I do have bad days,” Hawkins said. “But being able to put it all together on both ends for an entire day just encourages me and tells me I’m not that bad and I can hang.”
Qualifying No. 13, Hawkins advanced past 2023 WSOPM Super Pro Shootout winner Brooks McMath in the first round after McMath went red. In the second round, she had a .004 light and ran a 4.335 on a 4.32 dial-in to defeat Anthony Bertozzi, one of the most accomplished Top Dragster racers in history. Hawkins won against Johnny Tolisano in the third round and eliminated No. 2 qualifier Les Feist in the semifinals.
Salemi, son of Pro Mod tuner Jim Salemi, qualified No. 11 in his ’07 S&W dragster and won against Randy Perkinson, Larry Strickland, No. 1 qualifier Russ Whitlock, and bracket racing star “Sugar Shane” Carr to reach the final round.
9 – GUNNER WINS FIRST LIL GANGSTAS TITLE AT WSOPM – Tom Gunner, known as “Jimmy Dale,” secured the inaugural Lil Gangstas title at the 2025 WSOPM, driving John Herring’s nitrous-fed “50 Shades of Brown” Mustang. The class, created by Gunner and Michael Poland two years ago, attracted over 50 drivers and features a cap of 5.30 seconds in the eighth-mile without displaying times on scoreboards.
Gunner won the final round against William Colson, who red-lighted, and collected a class-record $30,000 payday.
“We really didn’t have a ton of confidence in the car going into the weekend because we had just raced Lights Out and went to the finals there and runnered up, but the car was inconsistent,” Gunner said. “We changed some grounding stuff on our nitrous and Nitrous Express helped us out with some solenoids. Man, when we got here, this thing was just printing slips. Just so, so consistent, and fortunately for us, I got a badass tuner. ‘Cheeseburger’ over here is the guy who tunes my car.
“Cheeseburger told me every time, ‘Don’t be scared to run it all the way out,’ and you need that kind of confidence when you’re running a class like this.”
10 – PUTTING A WRAP ON THIS – In the $5,000 Super Pro Shootout final round, David Braskett used a quicker reaction time and a 6.65 on a 6.63 dial-in in his Marengo, Ohio-based 2000 Sonoma to secure the win over Gerard Hamlik. The Clearwater, Florida-based ’03 Miller entry of Hamlik ran a 4.788 on a 4.78 dial-in, but his .099 reaction time put him behind from the start, as Braskett cut a .023 light. The win made a long trip and several rounds of competition worth it for Braskett.
“My uncle built a new car and he wanted to test it down here, so I came along,” Braskett said. “I was gonna come anyway, so I figured I’d bring [my car] and have something to do. It is a pretty cool experience out here. Most stuff we run, there’s never really this big of a crowd. It was pretty cool. It’s something different. I like it.”
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK – IT’S MICKE’S WORLD AND THE PRO MODIFIED COMMUNITY IS JUST LIVING IN IT
1 – OH MICKE! PT. 13 – Sometimes, the Big Dog needs to deliver a reminder that the bite is still as big as the bark.
Mark Micke rebounded from a challenging Thursday to dominate Friday’s qualifying session, posting a 3.575-second pass at 223.65 mph. This performance marked Micke’s 13th consecutive event as the No. 1 qualifier in his twin-turbocharged M&M Transmission ’69 Camaro.
“We got behind during testing, and Thursday, we just couldn’t put it together,” Micke said. “We had changed the car up a lot at U.S. Street because there’s radial prep, and we found out we couldn’t run it like that at this race. We put our heads together, looked over the data, and were pretty confident this morning.”
Micke added, “We ran a .61 in the morning, and that got our confidence back. Things just fell our way in the next round – we watched the weather falling and the track getting cooler, and I said, ‘Boys, I think this is our run.’ To put together 13 No. 1s in a row against the baddest Pro Mod racers in the world, I’m just really proud of our guys. Thick and thin, hot or cold, whatever the prep, we’ve been able to pull it out with the car. To be standing on top, that’s pretty badass.”
As the No. 1 qualifier, Micke had the first pick during Friday night’s chip draw and selected the No. 2 chip, setting up a high-profile matchup with No Prep Kings star Kye Kelley. Both drivers are in the running for the DI Winter Series points championship.
“Those guys ain’t no joke,” Micke said of Kelley’s team. “They’ve got Jeff [Pierce] and Billy [Stocklin], so they’re going to run fast – and Kye’s a machine on the tree and one of our oldest NPK customers. But we talked, and if we can knock Kye out, that jumps us ahead, and then we gotta pray we get (points leader) Ken Quartuccio in the next round. That’s the only shot we got. It’ll be a stretch, but our best shot is to get him early.”
2 – PARTY TIME! – Jason Harris, the reigning back-to-back PDRA Pro Boost world champion, secured the No. 2 qualifying position with a run of 3.583 seconds at 209.04 mph in his ProCharged Party Time Racing ’69 Camaro. He faces Jay Cox in the first round on Saturday.
“I can’t be any more proud of my team and everyone that stands behind me,” Harris said. “Being the second-quickest car here with the fastest cars in the world means a lot to me. The confidence level has to be high, but I don’t think there is a good draw. You can’t draw anybody and feel good about it.”
Harris acknowledged the challenges of competition, saying, “Once you draw those chips, you just gotta hope for the best and do the best you can. This is the largest stage you’ll race on in our level, and to go in knowing I’ve been to the semis before, all I’ve got left is to win it.”
3 REMEMBER ME? – Lest anyone forget, longtime turbo racer Mike Bowman was a World Series of Pro Modified champion before anyone.
Bowman clinched the No. 3 qualifying position with a career-best time of 3.589 seconds at 220.37 mph in his twin-turbo ’69 Chevelle. He races 2025 U.S. Street Nationals runner-up Lyle Barnett in the first round.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” Bowman said. “It doesn’t feel like winning it the first time, but you feel like you won just qualifying. The biggest race of my life was that race that I won, and it was nothing like this – we had a field of 16. But to do it again with 80 Pro Mods will be absolutely amazing. These are the baddest of the baddest in the world, and I’m going to have to dig deep to get a good reaction time to run with Lyle. We’ll see what happens.”
Rian Hayward also posted a career-best run, securing the No. 4 spot with a time of 3.593 seconds at 208.62 mph in his ProCharger-powered “Code Blue” ’69 Camaro. Ken Quartuccio, the 2025 U.S. Street Nationals winner, and current DI Winter Series points leader, rounded out the top five with a run of 3.594 at 208.75 mph in his Scott Tidwell Racing screw-blown ’69 Camaro.
Tommy Franklin, a three-time PDRA Pro Nitrous world champion, anchored the 32-car field with a run of 3.637 seconds at 208.36 mph.
4 – THE PRO MOD PAIRINGS – A staple of the WSOPM, dating back to the original days at Bandimere Speedway, the defunct facility formerly located outside of Denver, CO., has been the randomness of the chip-draw format.
The match-ups are as follows: Melanie Salemi vs. Keith Haney, Mark Micke vs. Kye Kelley, Ken Quartuccio vs. Spencer Hyde, Jason Harris vs. Jay Cox, Kurt Steding vs. Isaias Rojas, Jeff Rudolf vs. Sidnei Frigo, Cameron Hensley vs. Steve King, Scott Taylor vs. Raymond Matos, John Ricca vs. Victor Alvarez, Ty Tutterow vs. Joel Wensley Sr., Mike Bowman vs. Lyle Barnett, Rian Hayward vs. Johnny Camp, Tim Dutton vs. Erica Enders, Amber Denton vs. Billy Banaka, Stevie Jackson vs. Stan Shelton, Alex Laughlin vs. Tommy Franklin.
5- IT’S A NEW WORLD – This statement is precisely what five-decade drag racing photojournalist Larry Pfister is finding out in his venture into drag racing’s modern digital news-reporting world as a shooter with CompetitionPlus.com at the World Series of Pro Modified.
It’s a shock to the system for the Northwestern icon outside of the strictly structured world of NHRA.
“I’m watching young shooters loading from card readers to phones right on the line,” Pfister admitted. “It’s a bit different than carrying an old desktop and big computer monitor up the tower stairs in the 1990s to a dial up 64k modem.”
Pfister is proud of his elder statesman status, and accepts some of his most iconic photos were published before his starting line counterparts were born. He takes the ribbing in stride.
“Best line from a photog I met here, ‘I wasn’t even in my dad’s [testicles] when you took that,” Pfister said with a smile.
6 – PLUCHINO’S HORSE AT FULL GALLOP – Johnny Pluchino continued his strong showing in the Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational, achieving the No. 1 qualifying position with a 4.061-second pass at 177.60 mph. The Kaase-powered Ross Environmental Services ’13 Mustang driver is a two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion and the reigning NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world champion.
“We’ve made four really good runs all weekend, but our No. 1 run was good,” Pluchino said. “I’m honestly more impressed with what we did in the heat. Both of our runs during the daytime were low for the session and very impressive runs. As happy as I am to be No. 1, I’m really happy that we have a car that’s capable of going out in the heat and going .09, .10 when the conditions are difficult.”
Typically, the No. 1 qualifier would face the No. 16 qualifier, but like other classes at the event, random chip drawings determine eliminations. Pluchino match up against Dennis Firkus, who qualified second with a run of 4.069 at 178.99 mph in his Done Rite Auto ’07 Cobalt.
“Yeah, so the chip draw,” Pluchino said with a smile. “No. 1 qualifier versus No. 2 qualifier – that’s the beauty of the chip draw, right? I got Dennis Firkus. They made a really good run tonight. I’ve raced them before. We’re going to go at it again. I think I’m on the right side of that deal in the past, but tomorrow’s a new day.”
Pluchino praised his Long Island-based team, including his father, 2016 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion John Pluchino.
“I just want to thank my team,” Pluchino said. “I want to thank Ross Environmental Services for coming out, supporting our team, and joining forces with us. I’m just excited for tomorrow. I want to get out there and do what we need to do, go round-by-round, and hold this trophy.”
7 – MORE MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK GOODNESS – Two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion Chris Powers qualified third with a time of 4.074 seconds at 178.10 mph in his Sonny’s Racing Engines/ATI Performance ’21 Camaro. Multi-time world champion John Montecalvo, the 2023 MMPSI winner, finished fourth with a 4.08 at 178.00 in his Kaase-powered JM Racing ’19 Mustang.
Tony Gillig, filling in for 2023 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion Alan Drinkwater, secured the No. 5 position with a 4.096 at 176.93 in the Drinkwater family’s Kaase-powered Flatout Gaskets ’08 Mustang.
First-round matchups are set and feature: Bill Neri vs. Larry Pearce, Matt Giangrande vs. Daryl Stewart, Scott Benham vs. Jordan Ensslin, John Montecalvo vs. Derrick Reese, Johnny Pluchino vs. Dennis Firkus, Chris Powers vs. Kurt Neighbor, Rick Cowger vs. Dwayne Rice, and Tony Gillig vs. Elijah Morton.
8 – BLASTING HIS WAY TO THE TOP – John Carinci blasted by Thursday leader Joel Wensley Jr., and others in his turbocharged ’04 Corvette in the final Pro 10.5 qualifying session, recording a 3.903-second pass at 205.69 mph to claim the No. 1 position.
Carinci steadily improved throughout the four qualifying sessions, starting with a 5.072 and later posting a 4.049 to move up in the rankings.
“We’ve been struggling all weekend,” Carinci said. “We did some work on the car. It’s got a lot of new chassis work on it, and it’s got a fresh engine in it. We were struggling, but then we were able to figure out a few little glitches and got them all taken care of. Carl Stevens Jr.’s tuning, Xtreme Racing Engines, Mark Micke’s transmission, Neal Chance Racing Converters, Precision Turbos, Atomizer Injectors, Aeromotive fuel pumps – these guys are all on board helping us out.”
Carinci also expressed gratitude for those who supported him during the event.
“Shoutout to my boys back home in Canada, my son James and good buddy Vince, and a big shoutout to Ronnie Partap and his brother and Chassis Stop,” Carinci said. “They have all helped out big time, and without them, this wouldn’t happen. But I thank Wes Buck, Tom Kasper, and all the people associated with this race, and all the racers. This is an absolute class act – I love this.”
For Carinci, this performance validated years of competing in Outlaw 10.5. He was one of the 24 participants in the inaugural Pro 10.5 Challenge last year and now leads the 25-car field in this year’s $25,000-to-win race.
“It’s fun, it’s exciting,” Carinci said. “I drove 30 hours to come down here [from Canada]. I’ve been doing 10.5 for a long time, and when they opened up the 10.5 in the World Series of Pro Mod, I said, ‘We’ve got to be part of that because that’s what we love.’ The 10.5 tire is the wildest tire – the cars look cool and people love them.”
9 – THE OTHER 24 – 25 entries whittled down into a 16-car field.
Rob Valden, driving for Charlie Cooper, secured the second position with a time of 3.914 seconds at 204.39 mph in his turbocharged ’22 Mustang.
Wensley Jr., who held the provisional No. 1 spot with a 3.925 at 194.32 in his ProCharged ’14 Camaro, slipped to third. Blake Denton qualified fourth in the late Lizzy Musi’s nitrous-fed “Bonnie” ’69 Camaro with a time of 3.952 at 191.73 mph, while Ty Kasper rounded out the top five in his family’s turbocharged Victus Sports “Sinatra” ’05 Mustang with a 3.953 at 199.76 mph.
First-round matchups include: John Carinci vs. Adrian Herrera, Bill Lutz vs. Bill Riddle, Rob Valden vs. Lance Knigge, Joel Wensley Jr. vs. Ty Kasper, Tim Dutton vs. Chris Tuten, Kallee Mills vs. Dmitry Lisin, Blake Denton vs. Lyle Barnett, and Jerry Morgano vs. Ethan Steding.
10 – THE SPORTSMAN REPORT – Nitrous-assisted vehicles again led the way in Top Sportsman during the final qualifying session on Friday. Glenn Butcher locked in the No. 1 position with a time of 3.835 seconds at 196.13 mph in his Albert-powered ’69 Camaro after winning the 2024 PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world championship.
Thomas Brown from Virginia moved up to second place in his Camaro with a run of 3.967 at 190.35 mph. Bruce Thrift secured the third spot in his “Color Me Gone” GTO, posting a time of 4.006 at 183.54 mph.
In Top Dragster, the top three drivers remained unchanged from Thursday’s qualifying session. Russ Whitlock clinched the No. 1 position in his ProCharged ’08 Race Tech dragster with a time of 3.885 at 188.96 mph.
Les Feist, who traveled from Minnesota, earned the second spot with a 3.888 at 184.93 in his ’13 Miller dragster. Multi-time NHRA national event winner Matt Sackman qualified third in the supercharged SB Metal Fab ’10 Spitzer with a time of 3.889 at 185.21 mph.
THURSDAY NOTEBOOK – THE WSOPM IS UP AND RUNNING
6 – DOORSLAMMER STATE OF MIND – If there’s one thing that Lyle Barnett is, it is a doorslammer aficionado to the bone. He’s pulling double duty, racing in the Pro Modified division as well as the Outlaw 10.5 category.
10 – WHAT’S UP FOR TODAY – Pro Mod will be the first class on track Friday morning at 10 a.m. for its third qualifying session, followed by Q3 for Pro 10.5 and Mountain Motor Pro Stock. Additional Pro Mod sessions are scheduled for 4 and 8 p.m.
