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NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge - Memphis, Tenn.
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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 |
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| Mike Castellana stopped Mike Ashley in an all-New York final round. |
(8-23-2004) - Mike Castellana remembers the times when he used to run a nine-second bracket car at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. During those days, he used to pay close attention to a trend that was taking the country by storm – the Top Sportsman revolution. One of the more colorful characters in that class was a kid from Long Island named Mike Ashley.
Castellana admitted that he used to sit there in awe watching these cars run, but he never envisioned himself behind the wheel of one. Proving that dreams sometimes come true, Castellana not only met Ashley during the final round of the 17th annual NHRA Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., but he also scored his second win of the season in NHRA AMS Pro Modified competition.
If there’s strength in numbers, then Castellana’s victory came on sheer determination. Castellana and his teammate Shannon Jenkins accounted for the only nitrous representation among 22 entries.
“We were a little outnumbered this weekend, but the important thing is that we pulled together when we needed to,” explained Castellana. “We held our own in qualifying and made consistent laps when we needed to. That’s what it takes to win one of these. Unfortunately the final round wasn’t one of our better ones, but it was enough to win and that’s all that counts.”
When it was all said and done, Castellana gave the credit to Jenkins’s tuning prowess during the extreme humid conditions.
“The key to winning this weekend was Shannon making the right calls,” Castellana said. “He’s been working on these engines for a while and brings a wealth of knowledge to this program. He’s found something and we keep picking at it and keep picking up.”
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| Mike Castellana's victory marked his second victory this season on the tour. |
The first round opened with Ashley dismissing Pro Modified rookie Richie Stevens by beating him on both ends of the track. Ashley snagged .027 worth of starting line advantage and extended it at the finish line with a 6.279, 222.88. Stevens made a respectable race out of it with a losing 6.295, 225.90.
Tommy Gray scored a huge shot that had points standings implications as he took out points leader Al Billes. Billes rattled the tires and that was enough for Gray to pull away for the win with a 6.315, 223.73.
Castellana made easy work of Californian John Scialpi as the latter fouled away with a -.154 reaction. The veteran nitrous racer ran it to the stripe with a 6.309, 225.22.
The closing pair of the first round yielded the low elapsed time as Jenkins reeled off a 6.265, 223.80 to pull away from recent St. Louis winner Danny Rowe. Rowe was first out with a slight starting line advantage, but his 6.345, 224.62 just wasn’t enough to fend off Jenkins’ 6.265, 223.80.
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| Richie Stevens in the Valspar-sponsored Mustang lost on a holeshot in the first round to Mike Ashley. |
In the semis, Ashley showed off his driving talents as he used a holeshot to stop a quicker. Ashley pulled a .062 starting line advantage and combined that with a 6.265, 224.58 to beat out Gray’s 6.236, 227.57.
On the other side of the ladder, an all-Awesome Motorsports match between Castellana and Jenkins provided a special treat for the nitrous fans. Castellana was slightly quicker off the line and that worked to his favor as he laid down a 6.264, 226.92 to stop Jenkins, who recorded a 6.282, 223.17.
Castellana was quick to point out their team refuses to play the dive game.
“We don’t play that game,” Castellana said. “Our agreement five years ago when we started this deal was to race heads-up and that’s what we intend to honor. The better man should win.”
“Actually I was surprised,” Castellana admitted. “I had terrible lights all weekend and I had a .11. I’m usually in the .03 range. We made some changes in the car that made it react much better.”
By virtue of .001, Castellana earned lane choice in the final round. That may have made the difference as Castellana sent Ashley back to the left lane after running the right in the semis.
The end result was a foul start by Ashley (-.180) and Castellana was crowned the automatic victor. Ashley’s Mustang encountered severe tire shake just past the starting line and made a sharp right toward Castellana. He managed to correct the car, but by then Castellana had aborted the run and coasted to the victory with an 8.571, 113.93.
The next stop on the tour is in two weeks during the NHRA MAC Tools
U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
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SATURDAY - Billes goes from zero to hero in final session
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| Al Billes traveled from DNQ status to the top qualifier in the final session. |
(8-20-2004) - Al Billes might not be the kind of guy who makes a habit of procrastinating, but when it came to this weekend’s qualifying for the NHRA O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn., he waited to the absolute last minute to lay down the quickest elapsed time of the weekend and effectively steal the top qualifying spot.
Billes used a 6.204, 228.15 to loosen the stranglehold the only two nitrous cars entered in this weekend’s competition held on the top two sports in the field. Mike Castellana and Shannon Jenkins both took turns during qualifying pacing the eight-car field. Despite improving in their final attempts, however, neither could wrestle control of the pole position from Billes.
Castellana led Friday’s final session and Saturday’s first, but a 6.218, 226.13 was not enough to demote Billes’ last-ditch effort. Jenkins also made a valiant bid, but he too fell short with a mark of 6.225, 223.17.
Rounding out the top-half of the field was first-time Pro Modified racer Richie Stevens, who was piloting Roy Hill’s Valspar-sponsored Mustang. Stevens produced his best effort of the weekend when he laid down a 6.227, 227.38.
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| John Scialpi qualified for his first ever AMS Pro Modified event. |
The second half of the field was headlined by New York mortgage banker Mike Ashley as he pushed his new-look Shelby Mustang to a 6.255, 223.17 to pull ahead of teammate Danny Rowe’s 6.278, 226.66.
First time AMS Pro Modified qualifier John Scialpi earned his historic berth by laying down a pass of 6.287, 222.88 in his Red Line Oil-sponsored 1957 Chevy.
Anchoring the bubble was Tommy Gray behind the wheel of Tommy Lipar’s “Dr. Moon’s Rage” Mustang. Gray, substituting for regular driver Von Smith, improved on Saturday to a 6.297, 226.13.
This marked the seventh consecutive qualifying berth for the Lipar Racing team in 2004, a mark unparalleled in the series.
Sunday’s eliminations will match Billes against Gray; Castellana against Scialpi; Jenkins versus Rowe and Stevens will mix it up with Ashley.
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SATURDAY NOTES - The superchargers fight back, Humidity rules the day and Payne pushes it to the 11th hour...
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| Scotty Cannon endured another frustrating weekend by missing the eight-car field. |
Tightening up – An impressive second session tightened the gap between the pace-setting nitrous cars and their supercharged adversaries. With as much as .07 spacing the two, freshman Pro Modified racer Richie Stevens pushed Roy Hill’s Valspar-sponsored Mustang to a 6.232, 227.42. That run should have put Stevens in the second spot, but as fate would have it his run came opposite of Shannon Jenkins’ 6.231, 222.99.
The second session flip-flopped the advantage as Billes went to the top with a 6.204, 228.15. Castellana and Jenkins didn’t take it lying down, however, as they improved with a 6.218 and 6.225 respectively.
Water in the air – Many of the supercharged Pro Modified tuners were scratching their heads at today’s atmospheric conditions. But it wasn’t the 68-percent humidity that was causing all the problems. Instead it was the 104 grams of water in the atmosphere. The high water content could be related to evaporation.
As one crewchief put it, “You can’t burn water.”
Finding his groove – Just last week Tommy Gray made
his first laps in the “Dr. Moon’s Rage” car of
Tommy Lipar and as a result failed to qualify in his first outing
at an IHRA race in Martin, MI. Gray earned his way into the field
during the second session and during the first session on Saturday,
he picked up the pace with a 6.297.
The team entered the event as the only one who had qualified in all seven events to this point. Gray maintained the streak with his previous run, which landed him on the bubble.
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| For the first time in three events, the Gotham City team will enter eliminations on opposite sides of the ladder. |
Did you know? - At least 50% of the qualified field was comprised by two-car teams.
Rowe Rowe Your ‘Vette – Headed into this weekend’s event, Danny Rowe had two consecutive final round showings with one win during the most recent event in St. Louis. Rowe’s weekend started with two frustrating tire-shaking aborted efforts. However, in the third session, lined up alongside of teammate Mike Ashley, Rowe found his mark by landing in the sixth spot with a 6.310, 224.73.
This marked the third consecutive time that Ashley's Gotham City team had been able to put both cars into the eight-car field. However, this time marks the first time they are on opposite sides of the ladder.
Sorry to be a Payne – For the first time in his Pro Modified career, Alcohol Funny Car racer Jay Payne went into the final session having been qualified in the three prior sessions. The unfortunate thing for Payne is that his best effort was bumped out by fellow Californian John Scialpi. Payne had a great view of Scialpi’s efforts because he was in the other lane.
Scialpi was enjoying his first NHRA AMS qualifying effort of his
career with a 6.287, 222.88.
FRIDAY - Castellana and Jenkins provide potent one-two punch in first day Memphis qualifying
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| Mike Castellana was only one of two nitrous cars on the grounds at Memphis. That didn't prevent him from going to #1. |
(8-20-2004) - At the start of the 2004 AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour, one had to wonder if this would be the season that the nitrous cars would ride off into the sunset.
Whoever thought such a thing greatly underestimated the resolve of Westbury, NY.-based nitrous front-runner Mike Castellana and his four-time World Champion teammate Shannon Jenkins. The duo provided a potent one-two punch during first day qualifying for the NHRA O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.
Castellana’s 6.226, 227.04 was the result of a perfect run during the Friday evening session. Jenkins was second with a 6.245, 223.21, which was recorded earlier in the day.
The quickest of the supercharged contingent was former 500-inch Pro Stock standout Richie Stevens. Piloting the Valspar-sponsored Mustang of Roy Hill, Stevens used his first run as his best with a 6.300, 225.90. He lost a blower belt in his second qualifying attempt and failed to improve.
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| Jay Payne earned his way into the field on the strength of his first qualifying attempt. |
Mike Ashley was the quickest blown car in the second session as he cranked out a 6.323, 223.62. His previous effort netted a 6.366.
Pacing the second half of the field was past Top Alcohol Funny Car champion Jay Payne as he produced a 6.323, 223.62. His efforts barely edged out the 6.328, 225.67 of Zach Barklage.
Tommy Gray put the Tommy Lipar Mustang in the show with a 6.385, 223.54. Gray is substituting for Von Smith, who had heart surgery last week. Smith was dismissed from the hospital earlier this week.
John Scialpi completed the first day on the bubble with a 6.391, 218.12 behind the wheel of his Red Line Oil-sponsored ’57 Chevy. Scialpi has yet to qualify for an AMS Pro Modified event in his career.
FRIDAY NOTES - Uncle Roy and that Stevens kid, Ashley's new look and a whole lotta shaking going on...
Uncle Roy’s Back – “Uncle” Roy Hill has been threatening for a long time to return to Pro Modified after selling his entry last season to businessman Tom Lipar. There have been rumors of one-car, two-car and even a three-car team. On this weekend, the former Pro Stock standout Hill made good on his threats and he did it in style. Hill debuted a new supercharged Jerry Haas Mustang with former protégé Richie Stevens behind the wheel. Sporting backing from major auto paint producer Valspar, Stevens looked anything but a person who was driving a Pro Modified entry for only the second time in his career.
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| This is the Mustang being driven by Richie Stevens, he is third after two sessions. The impressive part is this is only his second time out driving a Pro Modified car. |
Prior to this weekend’s debut, Hill and Stevens were both in St. Louis with the former making a few get acquainted laps. Stevens looked like a natural as he made passes of 6.26, 6.28 and 6.27.
Tuning Stevens in this endeavor is Ronnie Capps, formerly with Kenny Bernstein.
“This is totally awesome,” Stevens explained. “The car went smooth and straight. It’s a real challenge to drive. I didn’t really know what to expect from this car headed into the deal. It just kind of threw me back in the seat. I can get used to this.
“Oh yeah, and it’s a lot louder.”
New Look – New York mortgage banker and veteran Pro Modified racer Mike Ashley debuted a new paint scheme during the first qualifying session for the NHRA O’Reilly Auto Parts Mid-South Nationals in Memphis, Tenn. This scheme plays tribute to one of the greatest car chase films of all time “Gone in 60 Seconds.” This high-horsepower work of art is the brainchild of talented designer Roderick Burke and Illusions Paint & Body in Bristol, Tenn., featuring graphic specialist Mark Brown.
This paint scheme enhances the Carroll Shelby tribute debuted in March of this season in Gainesville. Using an unusual Pro Modified marketing twist, the Unique Performance/InfiNet Insurance-sponsored driver will continue the moniker “Gone in 6.0 Seconds.”
“We wanted to do a little something this time to tie in closer
to the movie,” explained Ashley. “When you have a theme
car like ours, you always are looking for ways to improve and enhance.”
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| Mike Ashley debuted his new paint scheme on Friday. |
A tip here and there – Prior to this weekend’s event, former Alcohol Funny Car driver turned Pro Modified team owner Brad Anderson has had an admittedly tough go of things. Driver Jay Payne has experienced almost every different style of tire shake known to man. Just a few weeks ago, Anderson made a call to veteran chassis man Tommy Mauney. Mauney provided a few tips, and that, combined with a generous amount of changes by Anderson led to Payne’s best run of the day – a 6.327, 225.82 to finish as fifth.
Mauney was scheduled to attend the event, but business commitments prevented it.
Dr. Moon’s Substitute – Tommy Gray was added to Tommy Lipar’s team as a substitute driver for Von Smith, who recently underwent quintuple by-pass surgery. The "Dr. Moon’s Rage" car is starting to regain the same form that propelled Smith to six consecutive qualifying efforts. Smith was the only driver out of 27 on the tour to have qualified for every event in 2004. Last season, no driver qualified for all ten events.
If Gray can maintain his spot in the show, he can continue the team’s qualifying streak.
Shaking the Day Away – At least ten of the fourteen non-qualifiers experienced tire shake that resulted in the abortion of both runs.
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| Tommy Gray is helping the Tom Lipar team to maintain their 2004 qualifying streak. |
Same thing, Different Day – Just one week ago Mike Castellana paced the Pro Modified show at the IHRA Torco Northern Nationals. The nitrous runner pulled off the same feat for the second weekend in a row after the first day of qualifying. In fact, the Awesome Motorsports team of Castellana and Shannon Jenkins swapped the top two spots after two sessions. Jenkins drew first blood during the first session with a 6.245, 223.21. Castellana’s 6.226, 227.04 was more than enough to gain the provisional accolades.
Humidity and 20%, the Great Equalizer –
After one day of qualifying for the Pro Modified division, the disparity
between the quickest nitrous car and the leading supercharged entry
was .074.