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NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge - Indianapolis, Ind.
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The latest results from the sixth stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour |
By Bobby Bennett Photos by Roger Richards |
MONDAY - The nitrous cars dominate Indy again; Halsey scores first career NHRA AMS Pro Modified victory
(9-6-2004) - It was rumored last year when Rickie
Smith brought home the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals victory in
Indy that the most prestigious race on the That suits Halsey, operator of Cecil County Dragway in Maryland, just fine. “I can’t talk too badly about the supercharged cars, because we have one,” Halsey said. “I am glad this was an all-nitrous final. When you race nitrous and that’s the end result, it’s a great feeling. It really can’t get any better than that.” This event marks only the second appearance on the tour in 2004 for Halsey, which permitted him to fly under the radar screen. Those that are up to speed will recall that it was Halsey who used to run a potent Corvette ZR-1 with Castrol GTX backing.
Eliminations opened with a battle for bragging rights among the upstate New Yorkers. Fred Hahn was undeterred by a quicker reaction time from Mike Janis as he bridged the gap and won with a 6.216, 229.51. Janis’ day ended with a 6.266, 226.28. Halsey scored a big win for the nitrous fans as he used nearly a tenth of a second holeshot to fend off Danny Rowe with a slower 6.257, 225.79. Rowe, a past U.S. Nationals finalist, lost despite a quicker 6.250, 227.42. Richie Stevens redeemed himself from a Memphis loss to Mike Ashley. However, Ashley didn’t make it easy for the former Pro Stock standout. Ashley was slightly quicker out of the gate, but didn’t have enough on the top end to fend off Stevens, who won with a 6.198, 231.00. Ashley retained the points lead despite losing with a 6.233, 226.32. A battle of nitrous stalwarts closed the round as low qualifier Martin blasted out the low elapsed time of the round with a 6.196, 230.13 to take the measure of Memphis champion Mike Castellana. Castellana shook the tires and coasted to a 6.615, 206.07. The semis opened with a tire shaking, pedal-fest between Halsey and Stevens. Halsey recovered in time to score the victory with a 6.640, 218.97. Stevens gave it up early and coasted to an 8.906, 132.11. Martin didn’t have to labor as hard when Hahn struck the tires at the one-two shift. That enabled him to reach the final for the first time in his career with a 6.640, 218.97. Hahn coasted to a 12.607. In the final round, the reaction times were on the conservative side, but it was Halsey that was the quicker of the two. Martin, who was behind the eight ball at the start, hurt his engine halfway into the run. Halsey scored the victory with a 6.271, 223.76, as Martin coasted to a losing 6.898. As much as Halsey hates to admit it, this may be his last race in 2004. He has yet to make his schedule for 2005.
SUNDAY - Martin reclaims top spot in AMS Pro Modified qualifying in Indy
(9-4-2004) - Harold Martin may have stumbled in Sunday’s second qualifying session, but he never fell. The ACDelco-sponsored driver from Michigan vaulted to the top of the qualifying list with an incredible run that greatly mirrored his first qualifying attempt. His 6.183, 229.13 was more than enough to propel him from the third spot to the pole position for the second time during the weekend. Martin’s top qualifying effort marked the first time he’s accomplished such a feat on the NHRA AMS Pro Mod Challenge tour. The ironic part of it all is that this was his very first time qualifying for one of the exhibition events – period. The nitrous juggernaut continued as Jim Halsey, operator of Cecil County Dragway, put his new 1968 Camaro solidly into the field in the No. 2 spot. Halsey thundered into the show on the final session with a blast of 6.196, 226.89. Richie Stevens, driving the Roy Hill-owned, Valspar-sponsored Mustang, failed to improve in that final session and banked on his earlier 6.201, 230.65. That run had actually put Stevens on top after the second session despite tying Martin’s run. The deciding factor was a quicker mile-per-hour for the Ford.
Defending World Champion Fred Hahn rounded out the field with a 6.219. 227.31. Hahn’s best effort came during the first session. The second half of the show was separated by less than .02 of a second from the fourth spot to the bump. Leading the pack was former World Champion Mike Janis, who nailed down a 6.234, 226.96 in the final session. Alongside Janis in that same pair of cars was New York mortgage banker Mike Ashley, who also gained a spot in the show with a mark of 6.236, 224.62. Ashley entered the final session on the bubble and had actually been bumped out by the time he ran. Just one rung lower on the ladder, Ashley’s teammate Danny Rowe was seventh with a 6.242, 227.23 behind the wheel of the InfiNet Insurance 1963 Corvette. Memphis champion Mike Castellana resided on the bubble with a healthy 6.249, 225.63. The first round pairings include some key match-ups. Martin and Castellana will battle it out for supremacy amongst nitrous cars. In a match reminiscent of a classic upstate New York match race, Hahn mixes it up with Janis. Stevens and Ashley square off for the second first round in a row. Closing out the first round will be an epic battle between Halsey and Rowe. |
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| Jim Halsey performed impressively in qualifying second with his brand new Camaro. |
(9-4-2004) - Jockeying for Position – With two runs lost due to schedule and rain delays, several of the Pro Modified teams laid down the gauntlet as best they could in the heat and humidity. Richie Stevens tied Harold Martin’s Saturday effort to the thousandth. The deciding factor was Stevens’ faster 230.65 mile per hour. When it was all said and done, however, Martin leapfrogged to the top again.
Sorry to be a Payne – Jay Payne made his quickest pass in NHRA AMS Pro Modified competition as he jumped into the show with a pass of 6.264, 229.00. The Valvoline-sponsored Camaro has suffered many bouts of tireshake in 2004. The shake and inconsistent performance has led Payne to abandon the Camaro in favor of a new Dodge Stratus.
The failure to improve in the final session caused Payne to get bumped out of the show. This marked the third consecutive time he’d been bumped in the final session.
1-2 punch? Or is that 7-8? Or maybe 6-7?– The last three events on the NHRA AMS Pro Mod Challenge tour have provided the Gotham City Racing team the opportunity to put both cars in the field. This marks the most consecutive times that a two-car team has qualified for final eliminations. Headed into the final session, Danny Rowe was seventh and team owner Mike Ashley was eighth.
In the final session, Ashley jumped to sixth and Rowe ended up seventh.
Did you know? – At 29 entries, this weekend’s event has the largest number of participants of any AMS Pro Mod Challenge held to date.
No Announcement Yet – The anticipated announcement for the future of the Pro Modified division is expected to come at Las Vegas.
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| Despite stout incrementals on his final attempt, Scotty Cannon failed to make the show. |
The two-car streak continues – For the fourth event in a row, the Gotham City Racing camp has put two cars in final eliminations. The previous record was two consecutive events.
The interesting part of the two car team and this weekend is that Rowe and Ashley have paths that actually go back to the U.S. Nationals. Rowe reached the final round of the 2001 event. Ashley made his debut that same weekend in a nitrous car. It was Ashley’s last race with a nitrous car before going supercharged.
One comes to an end – After making the show in seven consecutive events, the Tom Lipar team failed to make the cut. Driver Von Smith had qualified for five consecutive events until heart bypass surgery forced him to take a leave of absence. Tommy Gray assumed the driving job and qualified at Memphis.
Tough Break for the defending champion – Rickie Smith, last years event champion, failed to make the cut despite a nitrous surge that put three cars into the field. Last season, only one nitrous car made the show largely in part to a mass withdrawal when the event was rescheduled on top of the IHRA event in Epping.
SATURDAY - Martin blasts way to top of AMS Pro Modified Challenge qualifying
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| Harold Martin used his one shot of qualifying to nail down the top spot. |
(9-3-2004) - Harold Martin, an infrequent runner on the NHRA AMS Pro Modified tour, could have easily left one with the impression that he participates on a regular basis. The ACDelco-sponsored driver pushed his EFI-equipped, ACDelco-sponsored entry to the provisional pole with an impressive 6.201, 229.19 during the 50th anniversary MAC Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The run came during oppressive humid conditions.
Martin’s success on the first day is yet another accolade in a season that has proven tremendous.
“We’ve had a great season to date with our ACDelco Grand Am and to be able to come to a track such as this one, with all the best Pro Mods in the world in attendance, and perform as well as we did is very special. It puts an exclamation point on our season so far.”
The AMS Pro Modified division lost a session on Friday due to earlier weather delays. They met the same fate when a lengthy Top Alcohol Dragster oildown forced officials to cancel Saturday’s second session.
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| Richie Stevens produced the quickest of the supercharged runs on Saturday. |
Slipping into the second spot was the Valspar-sponsored Richie Stevens, who drove Roy Hill’s Mustang to a 6.202, 229.78.
Defending World Champion Fred Hahn produced an excellent starting point as he pushed his machine to a 6.219, 227.31.
The quickest nitrous entry belonged to Mike Castellana as he thundered down the Indianapolis Raceway Park quarter-mile with a 6.249, 225.63. Castellana won the most recent stop on the tour in Memphis, Tenn.
Al Billes, a three-time winner on the tour, turned in a good performance as he slipped into the fifth spot with a 6.251, 229.20.
St. Louis champion Danny Rowe was sixth as he conjured up a 6.269, 227.15 in his InfiNet Insurance/Gotham City Racing 1963 Corvette.
Tommy Gray continued the qualifying streak for the Tommy Lipar
team as placed seventh with a 6.280, 227.46. Nitrous runner Dennis
Radford anchored the field with a 6.289, 223.73.
SATURDAY - The King and Cannon connection, The fine art of tireshake and the bad thing about traction control
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| Pro Modified runner Shannon Jenkins was one of the many racers at the local go-kart track. Reportedly, he had a match race with CompetitionPlus.com's Roger Richards and whipped him like a rented mule. |
That Sucketh - Already smarting from a cancelled session on Friday, the Pro Modifieds got nailed again when the mother of all oildowns brought about an hour-long oildown clean-up. The staging lanes were filled with nearly 31 entries when NHRA officials instructed the cars to return to the pits.
That’s the connection – What is the one thing Pro Modified runners Scotty Cannon and Chip King have in common besides the fact they both run a Hemi and have at one time or another used veteran tuner Bill Barrett to help them fine-tune their combinations?
They share the same birthday of July 13, 1962. The interesting thing is that they were born on a Friday. Hmmm…Friday the 13th. King smiles when he boasts that Cannon is five hours older.
However, Barrett is not as impressed with their special piece of togetherness.
“Friday the 13th?” Barrett asked. “Now I know what’s wrong with them.”
Late Model Issue - Sources indicate that next years rules might not be so favorable to the late model cars. Officials have stated on the record that they have no interest in sponsoring a class that resembles Pro Stock. Word has it that the rules could provide a significant weight break for the nostalgia cars. The late model cars would remain at 2,700 pounds.
Seven might do it – Of the nearly thirty Pro Modifieds in attendance this weekend, the seven nitrous cars entered comprise the largest contingent of bottle rockets the class has seen thus far in 2004.
New things come in threes? – Word floating around the pits has at least three new cars surfacing next year. Jay Payne should be in a Dodge Stratus, as will Mike Janis. GM fans beware; we hear Zach Barklage’s younger sibling Cody will have a new GTO.
Sh-Sh-Sh-Shaking – Tire shake has been the largest problem that team owner Jim Oddy and driver Fred Hahn have battled since the 20% overdrive reduction was put into effect. That’s the word according to Dave Oddy, who shares crew chief duties with his twin brother Dan.
“We’ve tried comparing all of our notes of past runs to get rid of it,” explained Dave. “We’re trying to look at it from an analytical point of view.”
The team debuted a Hemi combination several years ago, but let it be known that they had a Wedge combination sitting in the corner of the shop “just in case.” They admit they have their hands full with the Hemi now.
“When they change the rules as they did with the overdrive, it makes setting these cars up almost like a crapshoot,” Dave added. “The window for tuning the complete package gets smaller. It affects everything from the transmission to the weight distribution. There’s a lot more to consider than just the engine.”
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| There was no tireshake for Mike Ashley during Saturday's lone session. |
Shake Quote of the Day – “We tested the car and it shook the tires so much that if he had kidney stones he’d be peeing BB’s now.” – Mike Ashley crew chief Chuck Ford commenting on the test session prior to Indy where the team’s testing driver High Scott battled tire shake at a special session in St. Louis.
Loving that Ford – That’s something that Tommy Gray wholeheartedly professes these days as driver of the Tommy Lipar Mustang. Gray is filling in for Von Smith, who is recovering from quintuple bypass surgery. Smith was in the pits on Friday.
“I like this old Ford, she sure knows how to mile per hour,” Gray said.
Gray, a longtime Chevrolet and nostalgia-bodied Pro Modified racer, says the thing that he had to get adjusted to was the windshield angle on the Mustang.
“When you run the old Corvettes and a Willys for as long as I have, that’s the first thing you notice.”
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| Kirk Kuhns plans to make it to the remainder of events on the 2004 tour. He plans to run all events in 2005. |
Guess Who’s Back – The correct answer would be Californian Kirk Kuhns, who sold his trusty Corvette after the first year of Pro Modified on the NHRA tour and went with a Dodge Viper as part of a two-car team with Dennis Radford. Kuhns is running that same Viper that netted him a berth in the Dallas AMS event in 2003. However, parts attrition and no spare engine left him out of the final eliminations.
This time he’s ready. Kuhns is armed with two spare engines and a game plan that includes finishing this season and running the entire tour in 2005.
On a performance-related note, Kuhns ran 228 miles per hour in 6,000 feet of air in Boise, Idaho. In testing prior to this event, Kuhns ran as quick as 6.32.
Test Firing the Cannon – No one seems to be more frustrated with their 2004 season than Scotty Cannon, and he’s certainly not taking the shortcomings lightly. In fact, following Memphis, the Oakley-sponsored Cannon took a haul up to St. Louis where he made lap after lap until he felt confident that he’s exorcised the tire-shaking demons that have plagued his efforts to return to prominence in the class where he is still the winningest driver.
“We got it going straight and it’s making some very good short times,” Cannon said. “We changed around some weight in the car. We did a lot of stuff getting the Studebaker ready for Indy.”
Reportedly, Cannon went back to the stuff he did in the late-1990s and started over.
“This old car likes the old stuff. It doesn’t seem to like today’s stuff.”
That’s a sweet ride – On display in the Indy pits was a new Corvette from Jeffers Race Cars. This slick ride is destined for veteran outlaw runner Ron Muenks. Reportedly Muenks is planning to debut the car at the AMS All-Stars versus Outlaws event in October. Word has it that he will be running the car as close to legal specs as possible in preparation for the 2005 season and a possible run at both the NHRA and IHRA tours.
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| This is the new Corvette being displayed by Jeffers Race Cars in the Pro Modified pits. |
Substituting – Former IHRA Top Sportsman Quick Eight standout turned Pro Modified racer Brian Daniels is getting a trial by fire on the NHRA AMS Pro Mod Challenge tour. It was last season that the Jackson, Ohio native purchased an engine from Richard Patterson and the Headhunter team. When Daniels crashed his Camaro earlier this year, he bought into the 1963 Corvette formerly driven by Patterson’s son Thomas. With business commitments forcing the Pattersons to keep their noses to the grindstone, Daniels has been filling their spot on the AMS roster. Patterson crew chief Brandon Pesz has been helping out with getting Daniels headed on the right track.
Just say no to traction control – That’s what the lion’s share of nitrous runners are saying to the legalization of traction control for their combination. Their dislikes depends on who you talk to. West Coast Pro Modified runner Dennis Radford chooses not to run it because he says it hurts his engines. Mike Castellana and Shannon Jenkins say they can’t afford to run it because the retarding of the ignition system often takes more horsepower out of their combination than they can afford to lose.
The one thing that both parties agree on is the damage running on the ragged edge causes their combination. Radford admits that he cycles through at least five pistons a weekend or more. Jenkins confessed that he’s in the same ball park.
However, each lays claim to having a “special thing” that makes their respective combinations better. For Radford, consultation with and help by Rickie Smith and engine builder Charlie Buck helps him all the way.
Jenkins and Castellana have found the opening of their Speedtech Nitrous firm to be a major asset in the development of their combination. Just last week, Jenkins posted a 6.24 in a session that saw the second-quickest time a 6.30. Ironically, that .30 came from Radford.
Jenkins credits that success to new discoveries that have the team performing better when the conditions are unbearable outside. While they are playing close to the vest on their discovery, Jenkins alluded to gains being made in the nitrous to fuel ratio.
“We haven’t had time to really use the flow-bench to its maximum potential,” Jenkins added. “I guess the performances increases like this show the benefit to having your own company. It also helps the customers as well.”
If things continue to progress on a positive note, Jenkins has confided that the nitrous cars could be running consistent mid-six teens. He wouldn’t guarantee it, but he admits the quickest run could dip close to a 6.13, if not quicker.
“We’re not going to throw everything out there and blow it up for the glory of one good run,” Jenkins said. “We want four or more good runs in a row. This program is being built on consistency.”
FRIDAY – Early rain delays force cancellation of Friday’s qualifying
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| As news breaks, we'll pass it on to you. |
(9-3-2004) – Friday’s lone qualifying
session for the 50th annual NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals was cancelled
when rain delays put the event behind schedule. AMS Pro Modified
Challenge qualifying will resume on Saturday with two sessions,
one at 2:30 PM and the second at 5 PM.