David Reher, after years of excellence as a Pro Stock engine builder and championship-winning team owner, made the transition to a nitrous Pro Modified engine builder nearly four years ago. Since that time, the Texas-based engine builder and his Reher-Morrison Race Engines business has more than made a mark on the class, and has proven to be a major contributing factor to the advent of five-second nitrous doorslammers.

At this weekend’s ADRL Battle for the Belts, five of the eight participants from the Pro Nitrous division running his engines. CompetitionPlus.com caught up with Reher recently to discuss the advances of the nitrous cars in today’s Pro Modified competition.

CP – What do you think the Nitrous cars could do this year if presented with the same conditions that were present at last year’s Shakedown at E’town outlaw event?

DR - If you had those kind of conditions, and those were real hard conditions to make a run in last year, [Jim] Halsey did really well; about everybody else couldn't make a run. You know it’s kinda hit or miss when the track gets that cold. I would think that you'd see some kind of mid 5.80's for sure.  I mean [Mike Castellana] went a 5.91 without slipping the clutch 1600 rpms on the gear changes at Richmond. When they go to Englishtown [for Shakedown event, postponed until November] they [the nitrous cars] can be like 80 pounds lighter.

CP – Are quarter-mile 5.70s within the realm of reality?

DR- Well you have to quantify that statement. NHRA … at NHRA weight … you’re going to see 5.80s. Now if you’re talking ADRL, no weight rule, but that’s an eighth-mile … so, you’re not going to see a 5.70 this year or next.

CP – Would you say the nitrous technology from last year to this year has increased dramatically?

DR - I don't think dramatically. I mean we're chipping away at it. I don't think dramatically is the right word. But I mean there's definitely room, it’s not tapped out.

CP – Do you think you’re at the point in terms of performance gains where you are just chipping away for each little bit or are there still big gains to be made.

DR – Like I said, I think you’ll see 5.80s. I mean whether you want to call that chipping a big gain. I can already see where just a good run can get you a 5.88 or 5.89 in NHRA trim and then you know with some of the things that are in progress I'm thinking you're gonna see another .03 or .04 basically.

CP – As we see more competitive nitrous engine builders enter the mix, do you foresee nitrous doorslammer racing getting tighter than ever?

DR - Of course. We're working on it. I mean [Sonny] Leonard's working on it, [Gene] Fulton's working on it. It's just the interest is increasing and they're going to get faster. I mean plus you got the guys at Speedtech, they're working on nitrous systems, and they’ve got an in-house flow bench. That's a big part of a nitrous motor and you put that development together with the hard part development and you know there are more gains to be made and they will be made.

CP – Do you believe splitting the traditional Pro Modified format apart into a nitrous and supercharger division was what it took to advance the nitrous technology, and in turn escalated spending for this breed of race car?

DR – Yes. I think when they weren't separated they had just bout killed everybody. You had a number of nitrous racers who just switched to blowers.  If you wanted to race you needed a blower and there's no way to run those two cars. You know that's about like NHRA forever has tried to figure out how to run A/Fuel Dragsters with the Blown Alcohol Dragster. I think there’s eventually going to be a problem with letting the turbo cars run in the NHRA. There was a big back-half difference in the three combinations in Richmond [2.001 – blower, 2.03 - nitrous, 1.94 – turbo] and that’s not going to work for very long.

It’s pretty hard to mix that stuff. When the ADRL split the combinations, it brought a tremendous interest to the nitrous deal. People could go and race and compare their efforts with another nitrous racer. I think you’ve got a group that still wants to run nitrous but if that didn't exist it would be like you're seeing in IHRA, because you know IHRA kinda in a way … they just legislated nitrous cars out. What did they average the last two or three years, two or three [nitrous] cars a race? They never would make any rules to try to balance them, and they'd sit there and talk to them, and they would say well you know we would consider ideal is eight of each qualified. Well that'll never happen the way the way you're running the rules. I mean you’ve got a blown engine ... that's a big, big power blowing motor man. A nitrous motor cannot make that much power, period.

CP – Are you still having the time of your life out here?

DR - I enjoy it. I've been racing a long time. I mean it's not exactly the same as the first time you won a national event in your life, but I'm sure enjoying working on the Pro Mod stuff because at least it’s an area you hadn't been working on, so I would say it's pretty exciting.

CP – At the time you were building Pro Stock engines you fielded your own Pro Stock team. Have any feelings that you’d like to take a shot at owning a Pro Mod team?

DR – No. Bruce [Allen] is back here at the shop busy building parts and working on the stuff and to be honest, we’re all at the age where we enjoy working on it, building and running the dyno, and not having the responsibility of keeping a racing operation on the track and running it, works for us. By building the engines, you can be a part of it and help out. There’s no desire to field a team. I just want to stay involved in building the engines.

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REHER-MORRISON IS IN THE HOUSE - Reher-Morrison Race Engines provides horsepower to five of the top eight point earners from the 2009 Pro Nitrous Battle for the Belts point earners. The championship-determining event, which pairs those eight teams for a one-day shootout during the ADRL Len-Mar World Finals, is expected to yield tight racing and record-setting performances at the Texas Motorplex, located in Ennis, Texas, outside of Dallas.

Shannon Jenkins (No. 2), Mike Castellana (No. 3), Khalid Al-Balooshi (No. 4), Burton Auxier (No. 6), and Stan Allen (No. 7) accounted for six wins in nine races, as well as five runner-up performances. 

Saturday marks the first point-earning opportunity towards the 2010 season and in powering an average of eight race teams in the 16-car field, Reher-Morrison, located in Arlington, will give their fellow Texans plenty to cheer about.

“No matter what happens, the ADRL World Finals will be a great racing weekend that fans will definitely enjoy,” said Laura Reher. 

Castellana won the 2009 championship season opener last season.