Eric Gustafson secured the $10,000 Low Qualifier Bonus and 32 critical championship points Friday night by earning the No. 1 qualifying position at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil.
Gustafson’s 3.553-second pass at 211.16 mph in the opening Friday qualifying session at Bradenton Motorsports Park led the second-quickest 32-car field in eighth-mile Pro Mod history.
The run placed the Winter Series championship contender firmly in control entering Saturday eliminations. It also reinforced his consistency across the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service.
Gustafson entered the finale ranked third in points following late-round finishes at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and the U.S. Street Nationals. His ProCharged Coast Packing Company “Lard Machine” ’69 Camaro carried a weight penalty after the previous race, forcing the team to adjust its combination.
Tuner and teammate Jason Lee responded alongside the crew, refining the setup despite the handicap. The result was a No. 1 qualifier effort against one of the deepest Pro Mod fields assembled this winter.
Gustafson’s performance earned the Jerry Bickel Race Cars Low Qualifier Bonus and positioned him at the top of the ladder before a random chip draw assigned him the No. 16 chip. That draw places him in the final pair of Saturday’s opening round against Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey.
“You never know when you’ll be No. 1 in anything ever again,” said Gustafson, the 2020 NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod champion. “For me, it’s important. I wanted to recognize my team as well, and had Jason [Lee] and Cam [Hensley] come up for that picture. They’re the guys who help make this thing run. I’m just lucky enough to let go of a button and have a good time.”
Winter Series points leader Jason Harris qualified second for the second consecutive race in his Harts Charger-boosted “Party Time” ’69 Camaro. Harris posted a 3.555 at 211.26 mph, missing the top spot by two thousandths.
Harris, who qualified No. 1 and won the Snowbirds earlier in the series, will face Pro Mod newcomer Greg Blevins Jr. in the first round. The margin between first and second underscored the tight competition throughout the 32-car field.
“We definitely have a fast car; I think we proved that point in the first and second race,” Harris said. “And losing No. 1 by four thousandths – two thou this race, two thou last race – it’s just part of the way this game goes. I think right now the chip draw throws it all out the window. Once you’re in, you’re in, and all these guys can win. You’ve just got to do the best you can. Tomorrow the weather might change and change your tune-up. But I’m pretty confident going in. I know nobody here wants to draw me, so that gives me a little confidence going in.”
Spencer Hyde, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year, qualified third in the screw-blown Tidwell Nesloney Racing ’69 Camaro with a 3.560 at 205.16 mph. Hyde previously won the 2023 edition of the event before transitioning to nitro racing and a full 2025 NHRA Funny Car campaign.
Hyde did not compete at the Snowbirds but returned after reigning Winter Series champion Ken Quartuccio stepped aside from driving duties. Hyde will face fellow Canadian Kenny Lang in the opening round.
“Making it down all five runs is definitely something that you can take into race day with some confidence in the car, and my lights were pretty decent all five runs,” said Hyde, who will take on fellow Canadian Kenny Lang in the opening round. “Going in there, driving well, and having a good hot rod is a good recipe for race day.
“To think that I wasn’t even going to race this (Winter Series) starting off, I missed the first race. When Ken Q and Scott Tidwell called me and said, ‘Hey, we want you to fill,’ I jumped at it right away. It’s pretty exciting to jump into the car that won [the championship] last year. Any time you can jump into a high-level car like that’s got Steve Petty on the keyboard, you’re in good hands. You’ve just got to show up and do your job. It does add some extra pressure, because you’re expected to be as good as they are, and they’re the best.”
Johnny Camp, the 2023 World Series of Pro Mod No. 1 qualifier, returned to form with a 3.566 at 210.73 mph to secure the fourth position in his ProCharged “Hells Bells” ’69 Camaro. Stevie “Fast” Jackson qualified fifth in Dave and Jeff Pierce’s screw-blown M&M Transmission/Motion Raceworks “Purple Heart” ’68 Firebird.
Past No Prep Kings winner Robin Roberts rounded out the 32-car field with a 3.602 at 211.00 mph. The qualifying effort illustrated the narrow separation between the top and bottom of the ladder.
The Winter Series also presented several special awards during the event. Peter Norton earned Rookie of the Year honors, while Derek Menholt’s PRC-built ’19 Corvette received Best Engineered Car recognition.
Jason Harris’s “Party Time” Harold Denton tribute ’69 Camaro won Best Appearing Car, and Kallee Mills’ team captured Best Appearing Crew honors. Teams that did not qualify for the main event will compete in the Outlaw Light Beer Wild Card Shootout, a five-round race paying $15,000 to win.
First-round Pro Mod pairings include Rian Hayward vs. Joey Martin, Adriano Kayayan vs. Kye Kelley, Spencer Hyde vs. Kenny Lang, Victor Alvarez vs. Jacob McNeal, Mike Decker Jr. vs. Robin Roberts, Kallee Mills vs. Billy Banaka, Randy Weatherford vs. Mike Bowman, Aaron Stanfield vs. Sidnei Frigo, Johnny Camp vs. Tommy D’Aprile, Ned Dunphy vs. Jason Lee, Lyle Barnett vs. Peter Norton, Ryan Martin vs. Shawn Ellington, Steve Jackson vs. Raymond Matos, Jason Harris vs. Greg Blevins Jr., Derek Menholt vs. Ethan Steding, and Eric Gustafson vs. Travis Harvey.
In Pro 10.5, Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox recorded the low elapsed time of the first round with a 3.906 at 190.14 mph in his nitrous-fed “Training Day” ’69 Camaro, defeating J.R. Webb’s 4.072 at 182.72. Nick Agostino, Steve Halprin, Tim Partin, Ty Kasper, Joel Wensley, Bill Riddle and Chris Tuten also advanced.
True 10.5 completed its first round as well, with Bill Lutz and Russell Stone dipping into the 3.90s to advance. Larry Larson, Brad Eglian, Scott Taylor, Jason Terrell, James Daniels, Kyle Canion, Ryan Martin and Greg Chandler moved on to the second round.
Eliminations at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil begin Saturday at 10 a.m., starting with Pro Mod.
