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NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge - Houston
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The
latest results from the second stop on the ten race AMS Pro Modified
Challenge tour
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By Bobby Bennett Photos by Roger Richards |
SUNDAY - Ashley wins Houston AMS Pro Modified Challenge in convincing fashion
(4-18-2004) - If preparation leads to success, then New York Mortgage Banker Mike Ashley provided an excellent example during the 17th annual O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas. Ashley provided nothing short of dominating as he won the second stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour from the top qualifying position. Qualifying only served as a precursor of things to come as the Unique Performance/InfiNet Insurance-sponsored entry laid down the low elapsed time of the weekend as well as outreacting three consecutive opponents en route to stopping 19-year old Zach Barklage in the final round. A strenuous regimen of testing that netted nearly 120 runs before the first race of the season proved to be the fuel for such a tremendous performance. A less than spectacular 2003 season served as his major motivational tool. “This victory is so sweet because we struggled so much last year,” explained Ashley, who is credited with being the first-ever low qualifier in the class. “Our season actually began last October when 2003 ended. We tested non-stop and actually had well over 100 runs on the car headed into the first race. I think it’s starting to show.”
With the victory, Ashley ascends to the top of the AMS Pro Modified Challenge points standings and also assumes the lead of the AMS Pro Modified Shootout points standings. The special eight-car event will be held at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals in October. Ashley had a special wish that inevitably came true before firing for the first round as he added, “I really wanted this win for my sponsors Unique Performance and InfiNet Insurance as well as for Carroll Shelby.” Ashley carried the strength of a 6.165, 229.74 into the first round of eliminations. Ashley’s efforts were testing briefly in a head-to-head battle with one of Pro Modified’s most-seasoned veterans. The classic Ford got off of the starting line first and that served as added insurance when Cannon shook the tires and lifted. Ashley found a good raceday baseline with a 6.224, 228.96.
The semi finals created another Ashley versus Mitch Stott duel and that match was decided 60-feet into the race. Stott shook the tires violently, but it was a moot point as Ashley had the quicker reaction time and established the quickest run of the event, a 6.155, 229.31. For his part, Barklage was the third quickest qualifier and took out pre-season favorite Von Smith. Barklage continued his torrid pace of consistency with a 6.194, 231.99. To advance to the finals, Barklage drove around #2 qualifier Ed Hoover by a 6.229 to 6.217 margin. In the final round, Ashley snagged .058 out of the gate and never relented as he pulled the parachutes following a 6.180, 229.98. Barklage gave it a valiant effort with a losing 6.193, 232.59. All was not totally lost for Barklage as his speed netted the Top Speed honors. The next stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour will be in two weeks at Thunder Valley Dragway for the fourth annual NHRA O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals, April 30 – May 2.
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| Be on the lookout for a drag racer named Shrek. He's coming to a strip near you. |
The Mysterious Powder – Many wondered what the abundance of powder was for that Roy Hill was dousing the Chip King Dodge Avenger with prior to his run as the car staged. Apparently, Hill was using the powder to determine if and where the rear window was leaking air. At times, the incoming air was actually lifting the rear section of the car at the top end. The only downside to Hill’s procedure was described by King, “He had thrown so much powder out there that it covered up the windshield and I couldn’t even see the tree.”
They call him Shrek – That’s the nickname
afforded Scotty Cannon by members of the Gotham City Racing team.
For those unfamiliar with the children’s film, it is about
a fearsome green ogre living in isolation in his own little swamp.
He prefers to not have visitors and was always quick to push away
the villagers that often invaded his space. When asked about the
nickname which has already made its way to the Internet via Larry
Sullivan and Dragracecentral.com, Cannon laughed it off and admitted
that he didn’t mind a nickname from others. He added, “I’m
not like some of the guys out here who give themselves nicknames.
I’m sure if I did give myself one, it might be a lot better
than Shrek.”
One of the popular phrases floating around the pits for Cannon’s tendency to hop the motor up beyond its limits is known as “Shreking It Up.”
The Battle of Old Times – When today’s eliminations opened, three of the eight qualifiers were also participants in the first-ever national event. Two of those combatants met up in the first round as Ashley stopped Cannon. Interestingly enough, the only time the two met head-to-head in 1990 resulted in a victory for Ashley.
Feast or Famine – For the second event in a row, Mitch Stott and Mike Ashley locked horns in battle. Last season the friendly rivals battled in five events with Stott winning all. This year Ashley has returned the favor both times.
God Bless Texas – At least that’s how Mike Ashley views his success in this state. His last national event victory can be traced back to 2002 in Dallas, Texas during the NHRA O’Reilly Fall Nationals. Here’s another tidbit – the last event was also sponsored by O’Reilly Auto Parts.
Just how close was it? – Less than 10 feet if you measured the time and distance differential of the top qualifier to the eighth in the final qualifying order of the second stop on the NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge.
Something to look for – In testing tomorrow, Scott Cannon, Jr. will make several runs in the Oakley-sponsored Studebaker in an attempt to procure his Pro Modified license. Cannon has also driven a nitro Funny Car and a Pro Stock Bike.
Uncle Roy’s coming to Bristol – The
word comes to us from Roy Hill that he will have a new Jerry Haas-sponsored
2004 Mustang in Bristol with former 500-inch Pro Stock racer Richie
Stevens behind the wheel. The car is expected to sport a new sponsor.
Whoah Buddy
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| Scott Ray got a little sideways at the launch during AMS Pro Modified Challenge qualifying. (Ron Lewis Photo) |
SATURDAY - Ashley remains strong in claiming pole position at Houston AMS Pro Modified Challenge event
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| Mike Ashley dominated qualifying from start to finish. |
(4-17-2004) - There was a lot of jockeying going on during the final day of qualifications for the 17th annual NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park, but it wasn’t for the top spot. That issue was resolved during the first day as Mike Ashley pushed his Unique Performance-sponsored Shelby GT 500E to a 6.165, 229.74 in leading the 20 entries in attendance. Today’s atmospheric conditions made Ashley’s pace-setting run a safe venture and with that knowledge used the second day of qualifying as a means to work on his raceday tune-up and establish solid consistency.
The New York mortgage banker took full advantage of the situation and as an end result, claimed his first top qualifying spot of the season. At times, it seemed if Ashley was on a level by himself. The fact of the matter is that he was. While an incredible .034 separated the top to the bottom in the eight-car field, Ashley’s spread from first to second accounted for .02.
“This is great,” Ashley said. “As great as qualifying on top is, our focus has now shifted to tomorrow’s eliminations. This is a great day for our sponsors Unique Performance and our team as well as our fans. We had a special guest with us this weekend from the U.S. Navy and we wanted to do well for Master Chief Lee McKinney.
“For us, this serves as an interim victory. Qualifying is hard enough for these things, but to go to number one speaks for itself. It makes a statement and that is that my guys did their job. We knew the atmospheric conditions were not going to be available to beat our previous mark.”
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| Ashley scored his first pole position since 2002 in Gainesville. |
Ashley produced a 6.188 in his final qualifying attempt and was poised to have the quickest elapsed time in three of four sessions. He would have enjoyed that success, but it was Ed Hoover behind the wheel of Paul Trussell’s 1963 Corvette who slipped into the second spot with a 6.185, 229.00.
Young Zach Barklage at 19-years old continued to make impressive strides. After missing his first qualifying attempt due to a faulty solenoid, he delivered a solid 6-teen performance en route to a 6.188, 230.53.
Rounding out the top-half of the show was the Radiac-sponsored Mitch Stott. Stott leapt back into the field after getting bumped out earlier in the last session. He rebounded with a 6.189, 230.65.
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| Ed Hoover's final shot proved to be his best . |
Points leader Al Billes remained a figure of consistency all weekend with a 6.196, 230.17 as he concluded qualifying just ahead of Von Smith’s 6.197, 230.45 behind the wheel of Tom Lipar’s sleek Mustang.
Chip King continued his Houston success story as he managed a 6.199, 231.24 to edge out Scotty Cannon, who landed on the bubble with an identical 6.199, 230.10.
Sunday’s pairings include Ashley versus Cannon, Hoover versus King, Barklage versus Smith and Stott versus Billes.
SATURDAY NOTES – Happy Birthday Mustang, Zach's triple threat and Welcome to the NFL Scotty
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| Scotty Cannon is officially back on the NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour after a DNQ in Gainesville. |
What a co-incidence – Mike Ashley’s top-qualifying effort came on the same day as the 40th anniversary celebration of the Mustang in Nashville, Tenn. Carroll Shelby is the featured guest at that show and ironically, Ashley’s sponsor Unique Performance has the exclusive rights to reproduce what some say is his finest custom effort – the Shelby GT500E.Shelby is expected to attend at least five events over the course of the season as Ashley’s special guest.
Powderpuff Racing? – Just moments before Mopar runner Chip King staged, consultant Roy Hill dabbed powder across the roofline and rear deck of the team’s Dodge Avenger. Apparently, this was a measure to test the aerodynamics of the Mopar. The off-season brought forth quite a bit of streamlining to the car. More could be forthcoming.
Three out of four ain’t bad – Zach Barklage’s weekend could have taken a terrible path had he let missing the first qualifying session get to him, but instead, the 19-year old Missouri native ran the most consecutive 6-teen laps over the course of qualifications. His 6.188 served as he best, while his worst was a 6.196. His best effort also marked a personal best.
Scotty the fireman – “Heck I just came from a fire and jumped into the middle of one here in Pro Modified,” Scotty Cannon commenting on the tough prospect of the eight-car fields.
Scotty and the cardiac crew – Headed into the final session of qualifying, Cannon was on the outside looking in. In dramatic form, he was in the final pair of cars to make an attempt and once his 6.199. So what did Cannon do? He’s not revealing his secret, but according to the six-time World Champion, he made wholesale changes. He added, “We had plenty of horsepower, but getting it to the ground was something else. We knew that we had to stop the shake and once we did, things would fall into place.”
How close was the field? – Consider this…the top eight spots in Pro Stock were separated by .053. Pro Stock Bike was .085. Pro Modified was .034.
Tough day for champions – Two of the more prominent DNQ’s included Fred Hahn and Shannon Jenkins. Incredibly, last year Hahn recorded the quickest-ever lap. Jenkins won the event in 2002.
No nitrous – For the first time during the 2004 season no nitrous cars will participate in Sunday’s eliminations. Five of the eight qualified drivers at one time ran a nitrous combination.
The original gangstas – Three of the eight qualifiers in the field are credited with qualifying in the first-ever Pro Modified event back in 1990. Mike Ashley was the top qualifier, Ed Hoover was the eventual winner and Scotty Cannon made the show as well with his nitrous combination.
FRIDAY - Ashley continues domination on Friday qualifying
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| Mike Ashley continued his unblemished qualifying record on Friday's with the provisional pole. |
(4-16-2004) - If this weekend’s second stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour was being held in Las Vegas, a gambler would be wise to cast his money on Mike Ashley. The reasoning would be simple for such a wager. In the first two events thus far this season, the New York mortgage banker and driver of the Unique Performance-sponsored 1967 Shelby GT500E has exemplified total domination. Ashley continued the trend at the 17th annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals by not only becoming the first car into the six-teens during the weekend, but also by distancing himself by over .02 from the rest of the field. He remains perfect on Fridays in 2004.
Ashley’s 6.165, 229.74 came just two minutes after watching the 19-year old Barklage overtake his previous best, a 6.190, 227.34. Barklage rebounded from missing his first attempt due to solenoid failure to card a personal best with a 6.188, 230.53.
Ashley admittedly put over 100 laps on his car in testing before the season began.
“I’m excited and this is a great day for my team,” explained Ashley. “To see their hard work and efforts paying off is very gratifying. Our goal is to carry that momentum through to raceday. We want to finish the job right.
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| Zach Barklage was the low qualifier for a stretch of about 3 minutes. |
“When you’re representing a legend like Carroll Shelby and a company like Unique Performance, it tends to bring out the best in you,” added Ashley. “This is for Richard Kearby, Doug Hasty and Chris Lane of Unique Performance, who stuck with me through thick and thin. I also wanted to do it four our fans and my team. They all deserved it.”
Falling in the pecking order behind Ashley and Barklage was Canadian Al Billes. The current points leader took advantage of improving atmospheric conditions in the second session to step up from a 6.28 to a 6.219.
Rounding out the top half of the show was the Hemi-powered Dodge Avenger of Chip King, King, of Semora, NC, fell from his second quickest perch in the first session to settle into fourth with a 6.228, 228.96.
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| Dennis Radford waved the nitrous banner proudly on Friday. |
Texan Frankie Taylor impressed the spectators with a long smoky burnout well past the eighth-mile mark, backed up quickly and produced his best lap with a 6.236, 227.04.
Quain Stott made the best of his first appearance on the tour with a 6.247, 227.46 to edge out the only nitrous car to earn a provisional position. Dennis Radford claimed that honor with a 6.252, 224.62.
Rounding out the field was Mitch Stott with a 6.260, 228.96.
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Friday Notes – Rough ride for Castellana, Not Beneficial to be a multi-time champion and Family Ties in the King Household
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| Rickie Smith didn't bring his Corvette to Houston, but he didn't leave home without his new Mohawk hairdo. |
Shake, Rattle & Hold on – Nitrous runner Mike Castellana’s “Raging Bull” Camaro had plenty of realism during the first day of qualifying. In his first qualifying attempt, a nitrous malfunction caused the car to get the juice and then lose and gain it again. In the midst of this, the car encountered a measure of tireshake. He gave a classic example of what a Pro Modified rodeo would be.
Still the same – The frustration for six-time World Champion Scotty Cannon continued during the first session on Friday. A severe bout of tireshake vaulted the rpm’s severely into the red. With the rods hanging out the side of the motor, Cannon’s crew pulled the motor out to the comment, “Yeah, it still looks the same as it did back then.”
From the outhouse to the Penthouse – Zach Barklage was plenty disappointed after his car failed to fire for the first qualifying session. The team dejectedly returned to the pits to make the necessary repairs to a broken solenoid. Their sadness was short lived as Barklage momentarily held the pole position with a 6.188. The zeal lasted approximately 2:24 minutes as Mike Ashley reclaimed the top spot.
2 + 2 = 1 – Mike Ashley exhibited during the first day over qualifying that he has a talent at turning the number two into a one. This marked the second event in a row that the Unique-sponsored 1967 Mustang Shelby GT500E claimed the top spot on Friday. In both of those sessions, he posted the quickest runs. In reality, of six sessions this year Ashley has paced four of them.
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| Dennis Radford admitted that he's finally discovered the real use for nitrous oxide. |
Hillbillies on Nitrous – “That’s not bad for a bunch of old hot rod hillbillies from Oregon. We had been snorting this stuff for years and we just figured out how to make it work.” – Nitrous racer Dennis Radford on his impressive Friday performance.
If Mama Ain’t Happy – Chip King is quick to point out that his recent performance surge is family related. Unless he does well, his wife Wendy is going to pull the plug on his racing endeavors. He added, “It’s all simple. If I don’t qualify in the top of the field, she’s gonna make me stop writing.
The DNQ Dozen – Among the 12 DNQ runners after the first day, three of them account for 12 World Championships. Scotty Cannon shook the tires violently, yet pedaled his Oakley-sponsored Studebaker to a 6.281. Fred Hahn was 16th, while Shannon Jenkins resides in 20th, the victim of two aborted attempts. The interesting thing is that none of the three past champions have yet to qualify in 2004.
Unbalanced Scales – Of the 20 Pro Modifieds on the grounds at Houston Raceway Park, only three were nitrous-injected.
Bad Hair Day – It’s often been said that the hairstyle of the driver often lends a lot of value to the image they are trying to convey at the strip. Rickie Smith decided to forgo competition in Houston but showed up sporting a Mohawk. Smith’s assessment was, “My hair was getting a little
Thursday Notes - Ashley's hyped up, Smith's Texas connection and the Scotty/Mitch Saga...
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| As news breaks, we'll pass it on to you. |
Unfinished Business - Mike Ashley’s Unique
Performace-sponsored Gotham City Racing team feels they have some
unfinished business to tend to in Houston. In Gainesville, Ashley
momentarily held the top spot in qualifying and finished one round
away from the final round.
“We had a great outing at the Gators,” admitted Ashley.
“We qualified well and we were the most consistent car through
the three days. We even had the legendary Carroll Shelby in our
pit, but we didn’t finish the job. Finish means to put one
of my two cars in the winners circle.”
Ashley debuted a totally new car and engine combination as well
as a different sponsor at the season-opening event. His new ride
is a 1967 Shelby GT500E which is sponsored by Unique Performance
and endorsed by legendary musclecar icon Carroll Shelby.
If Ashley’s looking to seal the deal his history of success
in Texas is well documented dating back to 2002 when he announced
InfiNet Insurance & Financial Network as a major sponsor at
the NHRA Fall Nationals and proceeded to win his first national
event on the NHRA tour. The strength of that victory propelled him
to a second place point finish for the year.
The ties that bind (Houston Style) - One Pro Mod driver who wants to stand out among his peers this weekend is Von Smith. Although Smith, driver of the Tommy Lipar Racing-owned supercharged Pro Mod, is from Oak Ridge, Tenn., he has several ties, through his car owner and sponsors, to the Houston area.
LGI Developments, a land developer, home builder and mortgage company, headed by CEO and President Tom Lipar, is the primary sponsor on the Pro Mod driven by Smith. LGI has developed communities north and south of Houston and in Dallas.
Both LGI Development and Tommy Lipar Racing are based in Conroe, Texas.
Additionally, Angel Bros. Construction and Century Asphalt Materials have signed on for 2004 as an associate marketing partner on the Tommy Lipar Racing 2004 Ford Mustang GT.
Both Angel Bros. Construction and Century Asphalt Materials are under the leadership of partners and brothers Glenn and Greg Angel, who along with the Gay family are the principals behind Houston Raceway Park.
"You want to do a good job in front of all the people that give you the opportunity to race," said Smith, "and Houston is the place to do that. You want to get into the show and go rounds and give it 110 percent. You want to know at the end of the day, even if you don't win, you have given those who support you the best this team has to offer."
Hometown advantage or slump? - That's exactly what Thomas Patterson is wondering. In both Houston AMS Pro Modified Challenge events, he's lost in the first round of eliminations. He didn't even get a chance to emply the hometown advantage last year. Patterson lost to Frankie Taylor, who also calls Houston Raceway Park his home. To his credit, Patterson did win the pre-season Pontiac Pro Stock Super Bowl in February.
Cannon, Mitch and Match Racing - After much hype, Scotty Cannon and Mitch Stott finally met in a two-out-three match race in Georgia last week. Cannon boasts one overall loss in best two out of three competitions, but the recent victory over Stott has him smiling. The two are scheduled to meet head-to-head on several dates in 2004. The events do a lot to stir up the competitive juices for Cannon.
“I guess we are one up on Mitch, but as you know match racing and eliminations at a national event are two different things,” Cannon admitted. “That was a big positive for me because we beat up on him knowing he wanted to beat up on us real bad. He was watching us and made the comment that he wasn’t too impressed with our match racing. If that’s the case, in watching his effort, he can’t be too impressed with himself either.
Cannon, Mitch and Gainesville - "I guess he qualified and I didn't, so I guess that speaks for itself." - Cannon pointed out.
(Rowe)ing in a positive direction - Danny Rowe
is as competitive of a driver as exists on the AMS Pro Modified
Challenge Series and that’s exactly why the Laguna Hills.
Ca-based driver was smiling after each run during the InfiNet-sponsored
team’s debut last month in Gainesville. Each run down the
drag strip, regardless of atmospheric or track conditions yielded
a positive, which in turn, makes the chances for success even greater
headed into this weekend’s event in Houston. Rowe is eager
to settle into the same groove that has made him a two-time finalist
on the tour. It should be noted that one of those final rounds transpired
at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the most prestigious
of all Pro Modified events.
“We have a good car and our team may be new, but you wouldn’t
be able to tell,” added Rowe. “Each outing yields improvement
and that’s exactly what we needed in the early going. When
things work together in a positive fashion like that, it just works
well for everyone – including the driver. It’s a huge
confidence builder.”
Rowe joined Ashley’s Gotham City Racing team late last year
and the expectations have been high ever since.
“I like high expectations,” Rowe admitted. “It
can only help to make me better. When we go out there to run this
weekend, we are going to convey that momentum we built in Gainesville
into something positive. That’s exactly how you win races.”
Hoover's assessment - I sure hope Houston Raceway
Park loves me as much as I love it - Gainesville runner-up Ed Hoover
on his chances this weekend.