2012 NHRA 4-WIDE NATS - GSA PRO MOD NOTEBOOK

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		EVENT NEWS EVENT NOTEBOOK GSA PRO MODS POINTS AFTER EVENT ROUND-BY-ROUND FINAL ROUND RESULTS			EVENT GALLERY

FINAL: CASTELLANA WINS SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST SUNDAY AT ZMAX

pm final Mike Castellana was awarded his third career NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series ProCare Rx victory at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in a single pass during the final round after his competitor was unable to make it to the starting line. Castellana was to face Leah Pruett in the finals but she suffered extreme engine damage in the semi-final round and her team wasn’t able to fix the car in time for the final.

This was the second consecutive final round appearance for Castellana who was defeated in Gainesville by Rickie Smith. Castellana faced Smith in the quarterfinals during eliminations on Sunday and was able to avenge his loss at the prior event. Castellana also defeated Chip King, and the No. 1 qualifier of Danny Rowe en route to the finals. With the win Castellana takes over the point lead from Smith.

The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx will next be in action at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Super Start Batteries on April 27-29.

Sunday's final results from the Third annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway. The race is the second of 10 in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx:

Final round-by-round results from the Third annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, the second of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx:

ROUND ONE -- Ike Maier, Chevy Corvette, 6.062, 234.82 def. Donald Martin, Chevy Camaro, foul; Mike Knowles, Camaro, 6.031, 243.50 def. Troy Coughlin, Camaro, 6.005, 250.97; Leah Pruett, Ford Mustang, 5.953, 251.81 def. Steve Matusek, Mustang, 6.092, 247.38; Donald Walsh, Mustang, 6.146, 239.87 def. Mike Janis, Mustang, 6.720, 162.35; Mike Castellana, Camaro, 5.967, 231.95 def. Chip King, Dodge Daytona, 12.716, 96.18; Rickie Smith, Camaro, 5.952, 243.15 def. Robert Patrick Jr., Mustang, 9.965, 92.03; Brad Brand, Corvette, 5.926, 248.48 def. Pete Farber, Daytona, 13.480, 65.23; Danny Rowe, Camaro, 5.958, 244.12 def. Scott Ray, Corvette, 6.073, 236.01;

QUARTERFINALS -- Rowe, 5.919, 245.85 def. Maier, 6.405, 228.23; Pruett, 6.701, 246.08 def. Walsh, 7.221, 190.06; Castellana, 5.874, 244.16 def. Smith, 5.949, 243.55; Brand, 5.924, 249.95 def. Knowles, 6.118, 240.34;

SEMIFINALS -- Pruett, 6.912, 160.19 def. Brand, 9.203, 100.47; Castellana, 5.935, 242.71 def. Rowe, 5.977, 243.50;

FINAL -- Castellana, 6.250, 180.45 def. Pruett, broke.

Point standings (top 10) for NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx following the Third annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway, the second of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx -

1. Mike Castellana, 181; 2. Rickie Smith, 158; 3. Leah Pruett, 146; 4. Danny Rowe, 130; 5. Donald Martin, 111; 6. Mike Knowles, 109; 7. Ike Maier, 97; 8. Donald Walsh, 96; 9. Troy Coughlin, 89; 10. (tie) Pete Farber, 85.
Steve Matusek, 85.

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK -

MOVING INTO SUNDAY - Danny Rowe held onto to his No. 1 qualifying position following three rounds of qualifying and used the top spot to win his opening round match-up against the rowe No. 16 qualifier Scott Ray at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. This was the third No. 1 qualifying position of his 21 race career and first at zMax Dragway.

In eliminations Rowe recorded his fourth near perfect run of 5.958 seconds at 244.12 mph to the losing effort of 6.073 at 236.01 mph by Ray. When eliminations continue on Sunday Rowe, will face Ike Maier who defeated Donald Martin in the first round of eliminations.

Other quarterfinal races will be Rickie Smith vs. Mike Castellana, Brad Brand will face Mike Knowles, and Leah Pruett will race Donald Walsh.

Eliminations will continue on Sunday afternoon.

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK -

FIRST DAY LEADER - Danny Rowe powered his Sterling Bridge ’67 Camaro to the top of the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx qualifying order at the rowe NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Rowe raced to the current No. 1 qualifying position during the first of the two sessions with a run of 5.874 seconds at 247.97 mph. If it holds going into eliminations on Saturday afternoon it will be the fourth career No. 1 qualifying position for Rowe.

“When we left Gainesville last month we couldn’t help but feel like we were a little bit behind the eight-ball performance wise,” said Rowe. “Jimmy [Rector, crew chief] and the whole crew have been working around the clock to find more power so that we can hang with these other combinations, and we’re clearly making progress.

“To be running at the front of the field with this particular group of cars is definitely a feather in our cap, but anything can happen – and usually does – so we have to maintain our focus tomorrow and Sunday.

“It never hurts to get off on the right foot and we did that today with a 5.88 and 5.87 – it’s exactly what we needed to do. Any of these guys can step up at any time, but I couldn’t be more confident this weekend. Not to mention, we love to race here at zMax Dragway. Bruton and Marcus Smith have done a tremendous job here; we’re always looking forward to racing at zMax.”

Gainesville winner Rickie Smith qualified in the fourth position with his 5.934 second pass at 242.36 mph run, Brad Brand is currently second at 5.918 seconds at 248.84 mph, Leah Pruett sits in the third position at 5.934 seconds 249.95 mph and Mike Castellana rounds out the top five at 5.967 seconds at 241.80 mph.

The third and final qualifying session for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the first round of eliminations to take place at 4 p.m.

PINCH HITTING - A few days ago, R2B2 Racing crew chief Brad Brand filled in for team owner/driver Roger Burgess during a test session in advance of this weekend's third annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals. A few hours before the opening round of qualifying for the Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx, Brand got a call from Burgess asking if he'd stay in the driver's seat for this weekend's race.

"Roger isn't feeling well and he called at 10 o'clock this morning and asked me to drive his car," Brand said. "Thankfully, my gear was still in the trailer and the NHRA granted me a license. It's all happened pretty quick.

"I'm certainly excited about the chance to race in the NHRA for the first time and I know from testing what this car is capable of, I just wasn't expecting this at all."

The current world record holder in the ADRL's Extreme 10.5 category with a pass of 5.94 seconds and the first man in history to break the 200-mph barrier in a 10.5 racecar, Brand certainly has the driving acumen to do well in Burgess' 1953 Corvette. He says the time behind the seat during the team's recent test also will go a long way to calming him down when he pulls to the starting line.

"These turbo cars are not very easy to drive," Brand said. "The starting line procedure is fairly involved and you have to be mentally prepared for all the steps it takes to launch. But things went really well in testing and I've driven turbo cars before. We'll be alright."

The 38-year-old Brand, who hails from Loganville, Ga., will still tune both cars racing out of the R2B2 stable, which includes the ProCare Rx Mustang of past Charlotte winner Leah Pruett.

"Everything will be pretty much the same with the exception for the starting line duties I usually perform," Brand said. "But we've got a team full of professionals and I'm confident everyone will step up.

"I'm not nervous about driving. I do feel pressure as the crew chief to get this team a win. This is only the second Pro Mod race of the year but we only have 10 on the schedule so they're all very important. No matter whose in the car, it needs to run well."

Brand drove his way to the No. 2 position after the first session with a 5.91 elapsed time.

robert patrick

Longtime Ford Pro Stock racer Robert Patrick has decided to write a new chapter in his storied racing career. The past mountain motor Pro Stock champion turned 500-inch NHRA racer is prepared to debut his first Pro Modified entry this weekend during 2010 06 11 0097 the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway located on the grounds of Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Patrick will pilot a Rickie Smith-tuned, electronic fuel injected 2012 Ford Mustang built by Jerry Bickel Race Cars. The 903-inch engine from master large displacement engine builder Sonny Leonard will employ nitrous oxide.

This is an abrupt change of direction for the Fredericksburg, Va.-based driver of the Purvis Ford/Easy Care-sponsored driver.

“We came into this season planning to run Pro Stock based on the off-season engine gains made by Bob Ingles in our 500-inch program,” Patrick explained. “While we had some significant sponsorship deals working for 2012, none of them really panned out in time for this season. We had enough funding on our own to run a significant part time schedule. In the end, the lack of major sponsorship at the time and the need to couple those horsepower gains with r & d, along with more races, made us step back and look at the big picture.

“We had a really good 500-inch program but if you really want to make a big impact in this class, you really have to have your own in-house program and run all of the races. We had, through my dad [Eli Patrick] and Don Beverley put together an exceptional engine program with Sonny Leonard and Bob [Ingles]. We were really close to where we needed to be.

While Patrick is a seasoned veteran, sometimes it takes another set of veteran eyes to see the big picture.

Credit Rickie Smith, a legend in doorslammer racing, for inspiring this dyed-in-the-wool Pro Stock racer to consider racing with nitrous oxide in Pro Modified.

“Rickie just pointed out for what I was spending to be part of the program in Pro Stock, that I could take the same amount and be a front-runner in nitrous Pro Mod racing,” explained Patrick. “Plus it became apparent there were more opportunities within 5 hours of my home to race this style of car.”

Patrick has known grown up in admiration of Smith’s drag racing talents.

“Before I could drive on the street legally, I knew and revered Rickie Smith,” explained Patrick. “Back then, the mountain motor Pro Stock cars were the fast doorslammers of the day. There was no Pro Modified. My dad used to have Rickie come to our family dealership to sign autographs. It was a big deal to me when he came to town. Getting to race on the same team with him is a dream come true.”

Smith will oversee the tuning duties on Patrick’s new 2012 Jerry Bickel Mustang. The car will feature an electronic fuel injected, 903-inch engine from Sonny Leonard. Assisting on the crew will be longtime crew chief Rich Purdy as well as past Pro Modified world champion Scott Cannon Jr. Pro Modified EFI expert Pat Musi will be involved in the program as well. Nitrous expert Brandon Switzer will round out the nitrous dream team.

This championship caliber lineup of talent has Patrick brimming with excitement.

“Excited just doesn’t adequately explain the feelings I have now,” Patrick said. “I really feel we have a great group here. I feel good about our chances and while I know that I have a lot to learn about nitrous racing, I do know the set-up is similar to a mountain motor Pro Stocker and that’s something I do know a lot about.

“I am surrounded by a group of people who know how to win and this excites me. This is a new chapter I am excited to write.”

Patrick plans to run a number of NHRA Pro Modified presented by Pro Care RX events, as well as hitting the ADRL Pro Nitrous and Northeast Outlaw Pro Modified tour.

“The car has shown a lot of early potential,” said Patrick. “I’m just excited to get back out there and start having fun again.”

When the first 2012 event in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx concluded in Gainesville, Fla., veteran driver Rickie Smith had outlasted a tough field to take home his first NHRA Pro Mod victory. It was the second time that pm winner Smith had advanced to a final round in the series, and the breakthrough performance jump-started his season and helped put memories of a rough 2011 behind him.

“After the year I had last year, from surgery on my back to hitting the wall at Bristol (Tenn.) and having knee surgery, I guess you could say it was a disaster of a year,” Smith said. “This win is definitely a big boost in my confidence. It is a good way to start the year for sure.”

Smith’s King, N.C. residence is located a little more than an hour’s drive from zMAX Dragway, site of the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 13-15. The race is the second stop in the 10-event NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by ProCare Rx.

The veteran driver considers this world-class facility his home track, but admits there isn’t any extra pressure to perform there. He enjoys the level of passion that local fans have for the Pro Mod series.

“You are in the heart of Pro Mod racing here in the Carolinas,” Smith said. “North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia are where you get those fans. I would definitely say that this area is where you would find the most passionate fans for Pro Mod racing.”

No stranger to the winner’s circle, having scored Pro Stock victories in the 1990s and Pro Mod exhibition wins in Indianapolis and Gainesville, Smith said that the recent Gainesville triumph trumps them all.

“I have to say that this year’s win was at the top of the charts out of those wins,” he said. “That week before Gainesville, we were testing in Bradenton, Fla., and we blew up the engine, which caused a lot of damage to the car’s front end. We drove 17 hours to St. Louis, stayed at (Jerry) Bickel’s shop there, worked 12 hours straight, then at 12:30 that night, we drove straight back to Gainesville and got there that Thursday. It took a whole lot out of me and my crew, so this win will definitely stand out.”

Another racer preparing for the event at zMAX Dragway is the driver of the R2B2 ProCare Rx 2012 Ford Mustang, Leah Pruett, who posted her first Pro Mod victory at the facility in 2011. Pruett, who got her racing start in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League, said that though the nerves were evident in that final last year, she worked hard to live in the moment and remember all the aspects of the title round.

“I was actually more nervous about doing everything right from a driving perspective in the car than worrying about winning the race,” she explained. “Most of my focus was on my new staging and launching procedure, as it was my first race in the turbo car, and I only had a few hits in the car before that event. As much as I tried to stay calm, I was super-pumped for the final round; you could see how hard I was breathing in the in-car camera by my chest moving, even under the supertight belts. I remember telling myself as I backed up from the burnout to remember and enjoy this moment for the rest of my life because you never know when it may come again.”

SALUTING A HERO - It always takes a little while to dial-in a brand new racecar and world champion drag racer Jay Payne believes the supercharged FireIce Chevrolet Camaro is getting closer every day as the NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by ProCare Rx heads to zMax Dragway for this weekend's NHRA 4-Wide Nationals.

"We got a brand-new car towards the end of last year," Payne said. "It made plenty of power but we've had some problems with the chassis."

The issues made the car unpredictable and Payne and his FireIce crew having been chipping away at the setup. They plan on having one more quick test on Wednesday and Thursday to iron out any remaining bugs.

"We've made so many adjustments on it," Payne said. "Hopefully it will go straight down the racetrack now. The car is the biggest problem we're facing right now, but we're confident it's all fixed and will be much more consistent."

This weekend Payne and FireIce are saluting a quick thinking off-duty firefighter from Greensboro, North Carolina, by dedicating the race to his heroism.

Fireman Scott Robbins was doing some yard work earlier this month when he witnessed a car crashing into a utility pole. Robbins leapt into action and discovered the driver of the car had suffered a heart attack behind the wheel. He quickly began administering CPR, ultimately saving the driver's life.

"That's the kind of bravery that America's firefighters display every day," Payne said. "I'm proud to have all 1.1 million of them by my side with this FireIce racecar."

Payne and FireIce have a continuing mission to honor America's 1.1 million firefighters through Payne's racing program and support causes such as the Leary Firefighters Foundation (www.learyfirefighters.org), Angel Faces (www.angelfacesretreat.org) and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (www.firehero.org) -- all of which are represented on Payne's hot rod.

MUSTANG LEAH, BETTER SLOW YOUR MUSTANG DOWN - Late last season there was no slowing down Pro Modified racer Leah Pruett and her turbocharged Mustang. That is, until the NHRA administered a pair of crucial rule changes intended to slow not only Pruett but also every racer with a turbocharger as a pm winner power adder.

This weekend, headed into the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, Pruett hopes to regain the same dominant form that carried her to the Pro Modified title last September. First, she’ll have to overcome the 50-pound weight adjustment to her car’s combination as well as running a spec turbocharger. The other power adders in the class, supercharger and the nitrous-injected, experienced no rule changes during the off-season.

"We came in here last year with a brand new car that had just won the U.S. Nationals and was basically just crushing everybody," Pruett said. "All I had to do was not screw anything up. It was a challenge because I'd only made four passes in a turbo car and the starting line procedure takes some practice but we got it done and won the race.

"This time is totally different. I'm a lot more comfortable in the car and my mindset is more on cutting good lights, going rounds and earning as many championship points as I can. But at the same time, even though we may have won the last race here, the extra weight we're carrying and the way the blown and nitrous cars ran in Gainesville, I feel a lot like an underdog."

The past NHRA Heritage Series champion is a veteran of drag racing but when it comes to the volatile doorslammers, she’s still learning the ropes. That's not to say she hasn't been a quick learner. In just five races, she holds an impressive 13 – 3 elimination record.

"I have plenty of confidence in Brad (Brand, crew chief), this team and my driving ability," said Pruett, who is currently third in the points after a semifinal showing at the season opener in Florida. "I just have this thing in my head that we only have 10 races on the schedule so we can't make a bunch of mistakes. I don't want to let this get away from us.

"We tested both cars at this track a few weeks back and although no one was running world record numbers we did pretty well. (Team owner and teammate) Roger (Burgess') car was quickest and I think we were second or third overall. There were a lot of Pro Mod cars testing and everyone was bunched up on the time sheets.

"It's pretty hard to pick a favorite. I think it's going to be a great race for the fans."

FAITH IN PETTY - When world champion drag racer Troy Coughlin looks for positives heading into NHRA Pro Mod Series action at the third annual VisitMyrtleBeach.com 4-Wide Troy-ProMod-Charge1 Nationals, he needs to go no further than his own JEGS.com pit and new crew chief Steve Petty.

Petty was signed to head Coughlin's 2,500-horsepower, turbocharged Chevrolet Camaro during the offseason. Prior to this assignment, Petty tuned the turbo entries of Leah Pruett and Melanie Troxel, who raced to the Pro Mod final the last time the NHRA tour ran at zMax Dragway.

"Steve didn't just win the Charlotte race last year, he had both cars in the final," Coughlin said. "You can't get much better than that. It was quite an accomplishment and one of the main reasons we're so happy he joined our team. He actually won four of the last five races on the 2011 schedule, so he obviously knows what he's doing."

Adding to his wealth of experience at zMax Dragway, Petty recently brought the JEGS team back to the track to test in advance of the upcoming national event. Although Coughlin missed the session due to work commitments, crewman Mike Rees filled in and rode Petty's tune-ups to several 5.9-second passes at speeds just below 250 mph.

"There were quite a few Pro Mod cars at the test so we were able to measure where we were in relation to the nitrous and blown cars," said Coughlin, the 2009 NMCA Pro Street world champion. "We ended up being the second fastest and third quickest in a real tight bunch at the top of the charts so we were relatively pleased with the test. We know there's more in this car so the goal is to continue finding all those little hundredths and thousandths of a second we'd like to have."

Coughlin thinks he's already burned up some of the wiggle room a racer has to make it through the season so he's intent on going rounds in Charlotte.

"We qualified pretty well (No. 6) at the season opener in Gainesville but we lost in the first round of eliminations so even though we're just entering the second race of the year I feel some pressure," he said. "We only have 10 national events in this series so each race represents a tenth of the season.

"I feel like we need to make up some ground already. I'd really like to reach at least the semifinals. We simply have to go rounds every race to stay in the mix. We have the car and the crew to do it. If the driver does his job, we'll have a great chance."

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