Daily coverage:
NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge - Dallas, Texas
The latest results from the ninth stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour
by Bobby Bennett
Photos by Roger Richards

SUNDAY – Rowe wins second AMS Pro Modified Challenge event of 2004; Defeats Tommy Gray in the finals

(9-26-2004) – Danny Rowe didn’t let his qualifying position deter his determination when it came to final eliminations for the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals. The Luguna Hills, Ca.-based driver of Mike Ashley’s InfiNet Insurance/Gotham City Racing was the quickest on Sunday despite qualifying on the bubble during the ninth stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge.

Rowe established low elapsed time for eliminations in repelling a determined Tommy Gray, driver of Tommy Lipar’s Mustang. Now sporting three career NHRA AMS Pro Modified national event titles, Rowe credits a strong support base for today’s win.

“This is real exciting and we’ve been very fortunate this year,” explained Rowe. “To be involved with Mike Ashley and Chuck Ford is a great thing. Their commitment to excellence and winning is very clear today. We are very excited and that’s putting it lightly.”

Rowe first joined the NHRA tour in 2001, where he won in his first outing and reached the final round of the U.S. Nationals two months later. The next few years Rowe struggled to maintain that success.

“I feel like you have to pay your dues,” said Rowe. “This is no different and one of the most difficult challenges I have ever undertaken in my career. I think we have a great team and the chemistry is unbelievable. This has turned into a true family operation and we have surrounded ourselves with good people. We all work together well and that’s why we are successful.

“Mike Ashley has done a great job in assembling a tremendous team. InfiNet Insurance and Unique Performance have been incredible in their support. I’m very fortunate to have a family like I have that has stuck with me through the good and the bad. My wife and kids have been the greatest.”

Eliminations opened with a battle of former teammates Kirk Kuhns and Dennis Radford. Radford grabbed the holeshot, but a flash of fire at mid-track enabled Kuhns to pass him by for the victory with a 6.277, 288.04. Radford slowed to an 11.057.

Ashley used a holeshot to eliminate a quicker qualified Jay Payne. Payne, who entered the show as the third quickest, was tardy off of the line with a .069 reaction. Ashley took advantage of that to win with a 6.257, 224.66. Payne lost despite a quicker 6.260, 231.04.

Gray wasn’t deterred by a quicker reaction time from Zach Barklage. The driver of Tommy Lipar’s Mustang quickly bridged the gap as he won with a 6.282, 228.69. Barklage had problems and slowed to a 9.160.

Rowe closed the round by knocking off the low qualifier Fred Hahn, who shook the tires violently and shut-off. It might not have mattered as Rowe scored a .001 reaction time en route to a 6.265, 227.88.

In the semis, Gray used a quicker reaction time to give him the advantage in a seesaw battle with Ashley. Gray pulled ahead at the stripe with a winning 6.266, 229.04. Ashley’s day ended with a 6.276, 224.62.

Rowe earned his final round berth by outreacting Kuhns and never looked back en route to a 6.246, 228.34. Kuhns exerted a valiant effort, but fell short with a 6.279, 228.42.

In the final round, Rowe saved his best for last against Gray. When the tree flashed green, Rowe was out of the gate first and never relented en route to the quickest run of the day – a 6.230, 229.16. Gray gave it a valiant chase, falling short with a 6.300, 226.47.

SATURDAY - The Champ does it on the final day; Hahn leads qualifying into Sunday

(9-25-2004) - Fred Hahn’s ability to hit the long ball played a crucial part as he advanced on to win 2003 AMS Pro Modified Championship. During the final qualifying session for the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, Texas, Hahn, behind the wheel of Jim Oddy’s Corvette, produced a shot to the upper deck with a 6.207, 231.28. This marked the first pole position for Hahn since the overdrive reduction was enacted earlier this season.

Hahn wrestled the top spot away from Tommy Gray, who is substitute for Von Smith. Smith is recuperating from quintuple bypass surgery. Gray assumed the top spot in Saturday’s first session with a 6.214, 230.29, but failed to improve in his final attempt.

Jay Payne qualified for the first Pro Modified field of his career, thanks to a strong 6.229, 229.20 run on Friday. Though he didn’t improve on Saturday, a 6.23 best has him dialed in for Sunday’s eliminations.

Dennis Radford continued to provide the nitrous fans with something to cheer for as he rounded out the top half of the show with a 6.253, 226.20. Former Radford teammate, Kirk Kuhns, was one rung lower on the ladder with a 6.270, 227.65.

Mike Ashley maintained a spot in the final qualified field despite sitting out the Saturday qualifying session. Ashley’s best run came during the second session on Friday evening when he propelled his 1967 Shelby GT500E to a 6.295, 223.99.

Zach Barklage also failed to improve on Saturday, but the strength of his 6.297 run on Friday kept him in the show, just .005 ahead of Danny Rowe, whose 6.302 anchored the field.

Sunday’s pairings include Hahn versus Rowe, Gray versus Barklage, Payne versus Ashley, and Radford mixes it up with Kuhns.

This ain't NASCAR; You can't turn left

Scott Ray got out of shape during Saturday qualifying. He managed to straighten the car with no damage incurred.

SATURDAY NOTES – Ashley’s special honor, Stevens future and AMS Pro Modified Shootout field set…

Faith wins – In observance of Yom Kippur, point leader Mike Ashley made the decision to sit out during Saturday’s qualifying session to observe the holiest of Jewish holidays. Despite atmospheric conditions that warranted an increase in performance, Ashley maintained a spot in the field. Ashley entered the day as the fourth quickest and only dropped two spots in the final order.

Ashley arrived at the track just after the conclusion of qualifying. Following a day of prayer in a local Temple, he was met with quite an honor. U.S. Navy Master Chief Lee McKinney, awarded Ashley with Honorary Chief honors from the U.S. Navy. The entire Gotham City team was also presented with letters of commendation from the U.S. Navy.

“When you become an Honorary Chief in the U.S. Navy, it signifies you’re a leader,” McKinney said. “We’ve bestowed this honor upon Mike because he represents the three core values of the U.S. Navy – honor, courage and commitment.

“It means when you lead, you lead from the front, and we have no doubt that exemplifies Mike Ashley and the entire Gotham City Racing team.”

Ashley was totally caught off guard by what transpired.

“This has been an exciting day for us,” explained Ashley. “I don’t think the full honor of what has transpired here has hit me. Only one word describes today – amazing.”

Not sure – That’s exactly what is being said for the plans in 2005 for Richie Stevens, Jr., and the Valspar-sponsored team. Rumors have floated around the pits suggesting that Stevens was parting ways with Roy Hill following Las Vegas. That’s not necessarily the case says Richie Stevens, Sr.

The elder Stevens remains largely noncommittal on the issue, he did point out that his son will go where longtime sponsor Valspar prefers. He didn’t rule out remaining in Pro Modified, but alluded the possibility was there for Pro Stock.

The real pressing issue remains the future of the Pro Modified division under the NHRA sanction. Executives at Valspar have pointed out they love the class and the excitement it generates.

Shootout Field Set for Vegas – This weekend’s event represented the final opportunity for combatants to gain points for the AMS Pro Modified Shootout. Leading the points for the special event is Ashley, followed by Fred Hahn, Von Smith, Al Billes, Shannon Jenkins, Mike Janis, Zach Barklage, and Mike Castellana. Thomas Patterson stands as the first alternate and ranks third in a three-way tiebreaker.

The pairings are as follows: Bracket (A) Ashley versus Castellana and Billes versus Jenkins. Bracket (B) Hahn versus Barklage and Von Smith versus Mike Janis.

No Butter Knife – “It may have been a small knife and a really dull, but we were able to carve a place into the field for Sunday.” – said Nitrous racer, Dennis Radford, on his assessment of bringing a knife to a gunfight by being the only nitrous car in competition.

Adjusting the traction control? – According to Radford, he expressed his concerns about dropping cylinders and the damage such a practice could cause when employing traction control. Radford made his plea to MSD and he points out there’s a good chance the company could center on the adjusting of timing.

Alive at Five – The streak continued for the Gotham City Racing team as they put two cars in the eight-car field, for the fifth time in a row.

Smith Back? – Von Smith was in attendance during this weekend’s event. A little over a month ago, the driver for Tommy Lipar, underwent quintuple bypass surgery. Word has it that Smith could make a comeback during the DragStock event at Carolina Dragway in October. The event is contested on an eighth-mile basis and should put less strain on Smith than running the full quarter-mile.

Smith could return at Las Vegas, but the deciding factor will be this first outing.

FRIDAY - Payne vaults to the top on Friday qualifying with 6.229

(9-24-2004) – A season that has produced more frustration than a racer should ever have to endure, quickly corrected itself just nine races into the ten-race tour for Jay Payne. An Alcohol Funny Car standout, and part-time Pro Modified racer, Payne, of Claremont, Calif., drove his Valvoline-sponsored, 1968 Camaro to the provisional pole position after the first day qualifying for the O’Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals hosted by the Texas Motorplex in Dallas, Texas.

Most likely, Payne’s run will be strong enough to retain a spot in the field through tomorrow’s qualifying. In doing so, he recorded a career-best 6.229, 229.20 in Pro Modified trim.

Payne has yet to qualify for final eliminations in Pro Modified. In the last two NHRA AMS Pro Modified events, Payne had been in the field prior to the final session only to get bumped out in the end.

Slipping into the second spot was defending world champion, Fred Hahn, behind the wheel of Jim Oddy’s Corvette. Hahn’s best effort yielded a 6.249, 219.61 run.

Dennis Radford gave the nitrous fans something to cheer about as he landed in the third spot ahead of point leader Mike Ashley, who recorded a 6.295 to round out the top half of the field.

Zach Barklage led the second half of the field with a 6.297, 228.42 during the second session. He beat out Danny Rowe’s 6.302, 226.09 from the first session.

Kirk Kuhns arrived as the third Californian in the field with a 6.309, 226.54 in his Dodge Viper.

Former Pro Stock racer, Richie Stevens, rounded out the show with a 6.322, 228.61.

Qualifying continues tomorrow with sessions scheduled for noon and 2 PM.

Taking the scenic route to the finish line

FRIDAY NOTES – The jumbled points chase, Ashley honors Yom Kippur and introducing the VooDoo Doll…

M.I.A. – With just one race left following this weekend’s event, the championship battle has realistically whittled down to four combatants. Headed into Dallas, Mike Ashley holds a 114 point lead on second place driver, Al Billes. There’s only one problem with this battle; opting to head to Budds Creek, Md., for an IHRA event, second ranked Al Billes was a no-show, as was fourth ranked Mike Castellana. With Ashley and the third ranked Zach Barklage both qualified in the field after Friday, the opportunity now exists for Ashley to extend his lead and for Barklage to move up into second.

The championship could come down to the final round at Las Vegas, creating a replay of last year’s battle that saw Fred Hahn clinch the crown when Thomas Patterson lost in the final round.

In Dallas, there are 608 points up for grabs and in Las Vegas, where a sixteen-car field will be in effect, 716 points will be available. Each event has the potential to see a world record which will add an additional 100 points to the mix.

Ashley’s commitment – While few would ever doubt the New York mortgage banker commitment to his race team, one could effectively draw the same conclusion that he’s equally as strong when it comes to his personal faith and his religion. Friday at sundown marked the start of Yom Kippur, the most religious of all Jewish holidays.

Prior to the event, Ashley had made the commitment to sit out during the Saturday qualifying session. Yom Kippur mandates that one must refrain from work or sporting activities from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday. The holiday is intended to be a day of prayer and fasting.

Ashley was unqualified with only one session left on Friday. Tireshake had negated his first run.

Ashley not only made it into the field on his last effort, but ascended as high as second. He eventually dropped to fourth during the session. Regardless of what happened today and what happens tomorrow, Ashley is honoring his personal commitment.

“I choose to honor my faith,” Ashley said. “Winning something means nothing if I have to compromise my morals and faith to attain it. I am very confident that we will race on Sunday.”

Sweet 16 – With an IHRA event going on this same weekend, there are 16 Pro Modified entries in competition this weekend. This marks the sixth time that the NHRA Pro Modified and IHRA events have conflicted. The first time the two conflicted was in 2001 and only four entries came to the NHRA event.

Just Mash The Gas Son – That’s exactly what Scott Cannon, Jr., heard when given advice prior to his first qualifying run. The second-generation Cannon is filling in for his famous dad, who decided to take the weekend off from driving and concentrate on tuning. Junior has licensed in Pro Stock Bike and a nitro-burning flopper, but was given a rude introduction to his dad’s supercharged 1953 Studebaker.

Cannon’s first run yielded one of the most vicious displays of tireshake known to man. However, it just confirmed something that he’s willing to confide.

“These are the toughest cars to drive,” explained Cannon. “A Nitro Funny Car is tough, but there’s a whole lot more to do in a Pro Modified.”

Cannon was unqualified after two sessions.

Last gasp – This weekend’s event provides the last chance to gain points for the upcoming AMS Pro Modified Shootout. Ashley still holds the lead over Von Smith, who will not likely have medical clearance to compete. If Smith is a no-go, that could elevate Zack Barklage into the show. Barklage’s fifth place qualifying effort on Friday might be enough to leapfrog Thomas Patterson, who is not in the show. Only three of the eight top ranked drivers are in competition this weekend.

At a gunfight with a knife – Dennis Radford gets the feeling that he’s a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest. Radford, of Baker City, Ore., is the only nitrous car entered in competition this weekend. Radford is ranked third after the first day.

Welcome back – Thomas Patterson took an unannounced leave of absence earlier this season and for good reason – he had work to do. Patterson, who runs an excavation company with his dad Richard, has been logging 16 hours

a day nearly every day since May. Patterson admits that racing is a vacation, or at least it seems that way lately.

“I had been coming home and hitting the bed well before my kid was,” Patterson admitted. “I miss racing, but my work is what pays the bills.”

VooDoo doll – The latest of the theme cars belongs to Doug Palmer of Baton Rouge, La. Palmer, a former 10.5-inch tire racer, decided to nickname his car the VooDoo Pro Modified. Palmer made his debut this weekend, but couldn’t help but notice the way the Pro Modifieds and 10.5 cars parallel one another.

“They move around a lot, that’s for sure,” Palmer said.

The team icon that is expected to get the team noticed more than the plethora of top quality parts and a top-notch paint scheme from Illusions Paint & Body is their official VooDoo doll – Doug’s fiancée Toni.