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SAME DAY COVERAGE
MAC Tools Gatornationals
Gainesville, FL.
By Matthew Brammer and Bobby Bennett
Photos by Roger Richards & Brian Wood
AMS/TLR
Photo Gallery
SUNDAY FINAL - Payne redeems himself from
past shortcomings with monumental victory
(3-20-2005) - Jay Payne encountered nearly every kind
of tireshake with his last racecar that a driver could. It was all water
under the bridge as the Valvoline-sponsored driver won his first career
AMS/TLR Pro Modified title by stopping defending World Champion Mike Ashley
and his Torco Race Fuels-sponsored '67 Mustang.
 Payne
drove his 2005 Dodge Stratus to the winner's circle after qualifying second.
Ashley was fourth.
With one round of eliminations already in the books,
eliminations opened on Sunday in the warmest conditions of the event.
Ashley advanced to his third consecutive Gators semi-final with a 6.108,
228.71 lap over a quicker-reacting Kirk Kuhns. Kuhns made it a race to
the end as he lost with a 6.235, 223.82.
Jim Halsey, the only nitrous qualifier in the sixteen-car
field, outreacted and paced Thomas Patterson to the stripe with a 6.301,
224.77. Patterson fell short of rekindling the same magic that pushed
him to take out the low qualifier Ed Hoover on Saturday night. He shook
the tires at the hit and coasted through.
 Payne
used a quicker reaction time and newfound consistency to drive around
Cody Barklage with a 6.279, 233.28. Barklage, driving a new GTO, lost
despite a quicker 6.259, 226.64.
Closing the round was the AMS Staff Leasing flagship
driven by Troy Critchley taking out a tire-rattling Rick Stivers. The
winning elapsed time for the Aussie was a 6.699, 209.83. He also pedaled
a few fight fighting tire-shake.
Ashley advanced to the final round by overcoming a
slightly-quicker reacting Halsey and fighting off an erratic racecar in
the lights, to win with a 6.199, 220.19. Halsey posted an impressive 6.226,
225.62 in a losing effort.
Payne was not deterred in the least as he was on the
losing end of a starting line battle with Critchley. However, races are
determined at the finish line and that's where Payne pulled away with
a 6.146, 235.17. Critchley posted a respectable 6.241,
The final round was a fitting battle between two fierce
competitors. Ashley pulled a slight holeshot and led much of the match
until Payne snagged the win with a 6.111, 236.03. Ashley made it a race
to the finish with a 6.177, 230.59.
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SATURDAY - No. 16 Patterson
Stuns Hoover; Payne Posts a 6.10
(3-19-2005) — A 7.10 won’t win many Pro
Mod races — especially against a No. 1 qualifier — but it
was enough for Thomas Patterson to win his first-round race at the AMS
Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR season-opener at the
Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals.
Patterson, driving the PMS Excavation ’41 Willys, overcame a loose
car
and a near-meeting with the centerline to come from behind and stun
No.1 qualifier Ed Hoover, 7.10 to 7.18, in their first-round eliminations
battle. Hoover, the only driver to dip into the 6.0-second zone during
the two rounds of Pro Mod Challenge qualifying, led to the 1,000-foot
marker and appeared to have the race won before losing power. Next up
for Patterson, who has yet to run faster than 6.91 seconds in Gainesville,
is a second-round matchup Sunday with No. 8 qualifier Jim Halsey (Cecil
County Dragway ’63 Corvette), who drives the only nitrous-oxide-injected
entry remaining in the field.
Three other lower-seeded drivers won first-round races at the
Gatornationals, the first of 14 events on the 2005 AMS/TLR schedule.
No. 14 Troy Critchley (AMS Staff Leasing ’41 Willys) ran a 6.17
to oust
Friday qualifying leader Quain Stott; No. 12 Kirk Kuhns (Red Line Oil
’01 Viper) posted a 6.34 to beat Joshua Hernandez; and No. 10 Cody
Barklage (Barklage Drywall ’05 GTO) won in his Pro Mod debut, defeating
Doug Palmer, 6.14 to 6.74.
The low e.t. of the first round was posted by Jay Payne (Valvoline/BAE
’05 Stratus), who overcame a late light to get around Zach Barklage,
6.10 to 6.29. Payne will have lane-choice when he faces Cody Barklage
(Zach’s younger brother) in Sunday’s second round.
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SATURDAY QUALIFYING - Rector backs up his
words and Hoover makes it happen
(3-19-2005) - As the track temperature
plummetted to nearly sub-50 degree temperatures, Trussell Motorsports
tuner Jimmy Rector told Torco's CompetitionPlus.com, "If that car
had went down the track, ya'll would still be talking."
After Saturday's second and final qualifying session
at the NHRA MAC Tools Gatornationals, driver Ed Hoover didn't let his
crewchief down as he ran the quickest elapsed time of the event with a
6.093, 234.61.
Jay Payne was second-quickest with a 6.116, 223.28
just ahead of Friday's leader Quain Stott, who had a 6.135, 231.54. World
Champion Mike Ashley and Josh Hernandez rounded out the qualifiers in
the six-teens.
Sitting on the bump spot was the 1941 Willys of Thomas
Patterson with a 6.914, 206.37.
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SATURDAY NOTES - Roy Hill crashes, Payne
makes doorslammer history and extra weight? No Problem...
 Roy
Hill crashes - Veteran drag racer Roy Hill got out of shape in
the final qualifying session and made hard contact with the wall. Hill
was transported to a local hospital with a possible rib injury. We'll
provide updates as details become available.
Bad timing Quote #1 - "I feel
bad now. Before this run I went over and told Roy...You no-driving <bleep>...what
are you doing in that car?" - Brad Anderson.
Bad timing quote #2 - "Roy Hill is doing much better on
reaction times. He's beat the tree twice." - Drag Race Central's
Larry Sullivan following Hill's second launch before the tree was activated.
This was before Hill's accident.
Late timing quote -
"When you guys get done, please turn off the tree and lights and
lock-up." - An unidentified NHRA officials after the Pro Modified
entries were delayed until late Friday evening.
 Good
timing if you're a female - Shelly Payne may not be the first
female Pro Modified driver to ever dip into the 6.20s, but she's getting
close to being the quickest. The Valvoline-sponsored driver pushed her
new Dodge Stratus to a 6.292, 216.39. Annette Summer is the quickest to
date with a 6.284.
Here's another tidbit to remember...Jay and Shelly
Payne are the first husband and wife team to ever qualify for a show in
Pro Modified history.
Welcome to the show - Troy Coughlin
qualified for his first-ever Pro Modified event. While this is a great
achievment for the Jeg's-sponsored driver, the downside is that he meets
teammate Mike Ashley in the first round.
A Few Vanity Pounds - While the largest
argument during the off-season was in certain body styles being assessed
weight penalties, it was actually two '63 Corvettes (2,650 pounds) and
a Dodge Stratus (2,700 pounds) that paced the field. The quickest nostalgia
entry (2,600 pounds) was fourth.
FRIDAY - Stott fires off
a shot for Dad as he leads Pro Modified field
(3-18-2005) - Earlier this year
Quain Stott had two clear-cut objectives. First, he wanted to concentrate
on getting his car from Point A to Point B under power. Equally as important,
he wanted to pay tribute to his late father Bob Stott.
A 6.135, 231.54 in a session that concluded with
a 12.889, 60.95 bump spot produced success on both counts.
"If I didn't have the extra seventy pounds
on this car, it might have gone a 6.08," Stott said. "This one
is certainly for Bob, we sure miss him."
How ironic it was that younger brother Mitch Stott,
now working with Tom Lipar's team, was announcing the session as a color
commentator.
Stott was certainly in a performance zone as the
next quickest qualified entry belonged to Doug Palmer. The "VooDoo
Pro Mod" entry posted a 6.548, 157.59. The top half of the field
required at least a 8.138 to get into as the track temperature plummetted
to 52-degrees.
The bump spot belonged to Zach Barklage with a 12.889 elapsed time.
Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals
First-round qualifying order
1. Quain Stott 6.135, 231.54
2. Doug Palmer 6.548, 157.59
3. Troy Critchley 6.662, 222.77
4. Cody Barklage 7.063, 157.34
5. Rick Stivers 7.207, 146.86
6. Kirk Kuhns 7.334, 136.01
7. Mike Ashley 7.825, 167.53
8. Eddie Ware 8.138, 154.95
9. Shelly Payne 8.856, 102.12
10. Mike Janis 9.980, 149.05
11. Thomas Patterson 10.080, 113.25
12. Joshua Hernandez 10.277, 84.19
13. Chip King 12.177, 68.55
14. Jay Payne 12.794, 75.30
15. Mike Castellana 12.875, 75.64
16. Zach Barklage 12.889, 60.95
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17. Troy Coughlin 16.051, 70.29
18. Ed Hoover 23.247, 29.55
19. Scott Ray DQ
20. Glen Kerunsky DQ
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FRIDAY NOTES - Delays cut a session; New
Mopar for Janis and Attitude is everything...
 (3-18-2005)
- Remembering the old school - The era of Mopar has officially
begun for longtime Chevrolet campaigner Mike Janis. This weekend he is
debuting a new Sinny Kids Race Cars-built Dodge Stratus with backing from
Eaton/Aeroquip.
While running a Dodge product may be new to Janis, it is not new to the
team at Jan-Cen Motorsports. Jan-Cen Motorsports is a family-owned business
that was begun Mike Janis’ father, Jim Janis, and is now run by
Mike and his three brothers, John, Rick, and Joe.
Jim Janis campaigned a factory supported HEMI Dodge Dart during the Super
Stock wars of the late 1960's. With Dick "Barney" Oldfield behind
the wheel of the Jan-Cen powered Super Stocker, the duo known as "The
Goodguys" once held the fastest HEMI Dart in the United States.
 Making
the Marketing Impact - When Torco Race Fuels signed world champion
Mike Ashley to a multi-year deal, the DeCatur, Michigan-based sponsor
knew that he was well practiced in the arena of underpromising and overdelivering.
This weekend's event marks the national event debut of Ashley's program
with a new Tommy Mauney-prepared 1967 Shelby GT 500E.
Ashley loves the attitude of the sponsor that deems themselves as distributors
of the fuels with an attitude.
"Evan and the gang love the impact factor," Ashely said. "We
have tried to capitalize on that."
Ashley's new website at www.gothamcityracing.com has done just that.
"If this website were a car, I'd be able to run 300 miles per hour,"
Ashley added.
Maybe he ought to market Rain-X - For those that watched
the slip-sliding session on Friday night, they may have noticed that Ashley
actually put the car on two wheels at one time during the course of the
run after launching very softly. There's a good reason - he couldn't see.
"I don't know if it was scary or not," Ashley said. "I
couldn't see."
Ashley new helmet fogged up in the frigid conditions and with the NHRA
already cancelling one session, he knew he had to get in the show in case
the remaining attempt was cancelled on Saturday.
"I had to do it," Ashley added. "I had no other choice.
We were just trying to cover our butts."
 Filling
big shoes - After a number-one qualifying performance in Houston
at the Pro Stock Super Bowl, freshman AMS/TLR Pro Modified driver Josh
Hernandez is ready to show the world that he really has what it takes
to get down the quarter mile like a winner at the 36th annual Mac Tools
Gatornationals this coming weekend. In his rookie season behind the wheel
of a Pro Mod, Hernandez knows he has big shoes to fill, replacing former
teammate and veteran-racer Von Smith as driver.
“Von was a great teacher and was great to have on the team. It’s
a little intimidating, coming out and driving one of these cars after
someone like Von had such a great season last year.
“There’s a lot of pressure on me to perform, and I’ll
just try to do the best that I can. That’s all I can do,”
he said.
 Quotable
- "If that car had went down the track, ya'll would still
be talking." - Trussell Motorsports tuner Jimmy Rector after driver
Ed Hoover made an intense launch that resulted in severe tireshake.
Squelched before it began - Due to the weather and preparing
the track for racing, the first session of Pro Mod was been scratched,
pushing the only qualifying session for Friday to some time around 4:00
p.m. -- after the second run of Top Fuel. By 7 PM, the Pro Modifieds had
yet to run and the temperature had cooled to 48-degrees.
M.I.A - Four of the original invitees to the AMS/TLR
opener couldn't make the call. Scott Cannon, Shannon Jenkins, Rickie Smith
and turbo racer Mike Moran couldn't make the trek. With a ready list of
alternates, those positions were quickly filled by IHRA World Champion
Mike Janis, Indy champion Jim Halsey and Scott Ray.
Didn't Miss A Thing - Richard and Thomas Patterson were
sure they would miss the first qualifying session in Gainesville. The
father and son duo began their long trek from home in Houston, Texas on
thursday afternoon but it took a little bit longer than expected to make
it. Five miles outside of town the trailer broke a wheel bearing.
As fate would have it, the Patterson's had a spare axle back at the shop.
The smoking rig cooled as they sent for a ride to retrieve the part. Once
the broken part was replaced a 10-hour, 85-mile per hour marathon trip
put them at the track at 2 PM.
As fate would have it, the first session was cancelled.
 New
Sponsor on the Hill - Roy Hill and Bob Fox of Diamond Racing
Products announced Friday a racing partnership making Diamond Pistons
a sponsor of Hill's 1966 Mustang Pro Mod race car, beginning with the
Gatornationals at Gainesville, Fla.
"Drag racing is new to us," said Fox. "Roy contacted us
to see if we could work together to help each other's program and it sounded
good. We developed Spintron, a valve train technology for NASCAR, and
(Pro Stock driver) Greg Anderson was the first in drag racing to get involved
in that technology."
"We are pleased to be associated with Diamond Pistons," said
Hill, owner of Roy Hill's Driving School and a two-car Pro Mod team. "We
want to take Bob's technology to another level in Pro Mods. We'll promote
out relationship through our race team and my driving school."
Hill's car also carries sponsorship from Hayes Jewelers, North Carolina's
largest jewelry store, Lucas Oil and O'Reilly Auto Parts Stores.
Castellana's Cavalier - Instead of his traditional Camaro,
nitrous runner Mike Castellana brought out his brand new Chevrolet Cavalier
for a few test laps before the IHRA season opener in San Antonio, Texas.
Teammate Shannon Jenkins is on hand to tune the new ride and decided to
forgo driving this weekend. AMS/TLR rules mandate that his particular
combination can weigh as light as 2,300 pound. Castellana admitted he
has the car at a little over 2,400 pounds.
FRIDAY, March 18, 2005
Pro Mod Qualifying Session 11:00 AM
Pro Mod Qualifying Session 4:30 PM
SATURDAY, March 19, 2005
Pro Mod Qualifying Session 11:00 AM
Pro Mod - Round 1 4:30 PM 
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