Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com, through the assistance of a key group of Pro Modified historians and enthusiasts, has compiled a list of the Top 20 all-time drivers based on their contribution to the class, historic achievements, statistics and fan appeal.

Starting on Friday, January 8, 2010, the electronic magazine began revealing those names on the list, and will announce two drivers per week, until the No. 1 driver is unveiled on Saturday, Mar. 20, during the ADRL Dragpalooza in Houston, Texas.

Attitude’s CompetitionPlus.com narrowed the list from hundreds of drivers down to 20. Today, we reveal No. 6 on the list.

Wentzville, MO.

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
•    First Doorslammer Driver over 200 mph
•    Won first Exhibition Pro Modified Event [1989]
•    Established World’s Quickest/Fastest Doorslammer Mark 23 Times



His list of drag racing accomplishments reads like a never-ending story, but for Wentzville, Mo.-based Pro Stock racer Bill Kuhlmann, his most famous moment in drag racing began with a 900-mile [one-way] journey to Darlington, SC. Up until this point, Kuhlmann had been a regular on the UDRA Pro Stock tour and brought to the IHRA season opener the hope for a brighter future, and a home-built Camaro truly capable of notching a spot in drag racing history.

Until then, no doorslammer driver running under the major sanctions had ever gone as fast as 200 miles per hour. No one else would for almost a calendar year, either.

“I left Missouri headed for Darlington with the plan to run 200,” Kuhlmann said. “The only plan I had was to be able to race on decent race tracks, which I considered the IHRA had, compared to what I had been on. I wanted to help create enough excitement to where I could eventually race heads up without having to fall under the umbrella of rules the NHRA had for Pro Stock.”

Kuhlmann not only ran 200 miles per hour, but did so with an exclamation point. On Saturday, March 14, 1987, a little after 7 PM, Kuhlmann ran 202.24 miles per hour in Darlington, SC.

While it can be argued that Kuhlmann gained a lot of clout from the significance of his remarkable run, the truth is, he was a fierce competitor, who understood the value of making the most of his resources. He brought a level of professionalism and image to a fledgling group of racers on the cusp of a movement larger than they could imagine. His vision of using nitrous on large engines, huge rear wings, dual parachutes on doorslammers and double frame rail chassis will likely never be credited properly.

Kuhlmann was clearly a visionary.

In 1988, Kuhlmann debuted sponsorship from Summit Racing Equipment on a brand new Beretta and marked the first of the “big” sponsorships for the movement, even though the marketing package wasn’t as large as some might have believed.

He was a shoot from the hip quotable driver but the things he said made a lot of sense.

His most famous line established the groundwork for the early Pro Modified movement when then IHRA President Billy Meyer questioned how can you have a class where there are no rules. The quick-thinking Kuhlmann responded, “You run whatcha brung, and hope ya brung enough.”

When Kuhlmann came to race in those early days of the Pro Modified movement, he always brought more than enough. He is credited with winning one of the preliminary Quick Four events sponsored by NOS and two of the Top Sportsman Quick Eights.

Kuhlmann also won the first “exhibition” IHRA Pro Modified event in 1989.

In five years of racing IHRA Pro Modified, Kuhlmann won four national events in six final rounds. He finished in the top three twice in the same period.

In a sheet of accomplishments 400 words in length, Kuhlmann also has 41 Super Chevy Nitro Coupe finals, winning 19 times. He was a two-time champion in the series.

The performance-driven Kuhlmann also set the world’s quickest and fastest doorslammer marks a combined 19 times.

And there are so many more accolades many Pro Modified aficionados will never realize. This isn’t an issue with Kuhlmann, who still holds visions of returning to the class he helped pioneer.

“I have no regrets about my time in Pro Modified,” Kuhlmann said. “I am proud of every accomplishment that every single guy had out there. Whoever really gained benefits from that whole deal, more power to them. I am proud of every one of them. I just wish life didn’t go by so dog-gone fast. I am bordering on an age now where I wonder should I even think about this anymore. I got a big boost when I saw Chris Karamesines qualify in a Top Fuel dragster.”

And for Kuhlmann, the cagey veteran, he’s hoping for one more score before his biological racing clock stops ticking. He’s glad the Pro Modified class will be around for many years to come. He’s even more glad he could contribute to its legend.

“Drag racing is never going to end until someone gets to the finish line before we leave the starting line,” Kuhlmann said. “There’s always a goal out there and something to go faster. I look at the Pro Mods and so much that I did in drag racing, and see how individuals and teams really benefitted from that. Sometimes I always think that I’m a little too early to take advantage of the situation. I just lay groundwork and groundwork, and then other people get to cash in. That’s just life.”

For the complete list visit: ATTITUDE'S COMPETITIONPLUS.COM'S ALL-TIME TOP 20 HOMEPAGE