The early morning rain and fog forced NHRA officials to limit the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge's qualifying attempts to a lone round, but when the sun burned off the clouds and the Pro Mods hit the track at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, they were steaming hot. After 16 of the best cars in the world had run, the top nine posted a 6.09 or better with the top four in the five-second zone and Joe Baker's Matco Tools/Lend America '68 Camaro on the provisional pole with a sizzling 5.946/242.63.
 
'Tombstone' Tommy Gray came out of the gate first pair with a rocket-fast pass of 5.988/240.59 in his Undertaker '68 Camaro, and the crew chiefs in the lanes started salivating, knowing what the track would hold. Gray ended up in the No. 3 spot, being bumped back by Topeka runner-up Jay Payne at 5.97/240.04. The early morning rain and fog forced NHRA officials to limit the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge's qualifying attempts to a lone round, but when the sun burned off the clouds and the Pro Mods hit the track at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, they were steaming hot. After 16 of the best cars in the world had run, the top nine posted a 6.09 or better with the top four in the five-second zone and Joe Baker's Matco Tools/Lend America '68 Camaro on the provisional pole with a sizzling 5.946/242.63.
 
'Tombstone' Tommy Gray came out of the gate first pair with a rocket-fast pass of 5.988/240.59 in his Undertaker '68 Camaro, and the crew chiefs in the lanes started salivating, knowing what the track would hold. Gray ended up in the No. 3 spot, being bumped back by Topeka runner-up Jay Payne at 5.97/240.04.
 
Hometown favorite Mike Castellana made the nitrous fans proud, delivering a 5.996/235.47 to take the No. 4 spot in his Al-Anabi/Western Beef entry. Western Beef sponsored the Pro Mod Hospitality Zone for the race this weekend, providing meals for all of the racers and their teams on each of the three days of the event.
 
Also performing well from the Al-Anabi stable were Rickie Smith at 6.017/235.60 taking the No 6. Spot and current points leader Burton Auxier who delivered a 6.103/209.95 and landed tenth. Auxier's '67 Camaro banged the motor around 1000-feet, but the Dixie, West Virginia racer was hard at work after the round replacing the motor with a new 800 cubic inch bullet from Reher-Morrison.
 
Nitro racer Melanie Troxel made her Pro Mod debut with a smooth and clean 6.164/237.17 to take the twelfth spot in the R2B2 Racing Voodoo '63 Corvette. Troxel said, "We wanted to go out and just get a good, safe lap in, and that's exactly what we did. I wasn't trying to set records with that run, just get down the track.
 
"Tomorrow, though, we'll get things really moving and see what we can do," she said.
 
Troxel's teammates Raymond Commisso and Roger Burgess both scored well, Commisso taking fifth at 6.002/241.50 and Burgess landing lucky seventh at 6.018/242.23.
 
Danny Rowe ran a 6.038/242.28 to take eighth, Mike Knowles ran 6.09/238.34 in his B&J Transmissions '63 Corvette and claimed the ninth spot, and Topeka winner Tim Tindle struggled in his '67 Shelby Mustang to the eleventh spot with a 6.146/205.26, blowing a motor on the way.
 
Local-area racer Frank Patille sits thirteenth, and just behind him, Hicksville, New York's Vinnie Budano fourteenth, both running in the 6.40-second range. Turbo racers Dave Hance and Brad Personett both struggled to get their monster horsepower to the ground and are No.'s 15 and 16 to round out the session.
 
The final round of qualifying is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, with eliminations slated to begin at 5 p.m. Saturday evening and conclude Sunday afternoon.
 
 
AGATE:
 
1 Joe Baker 5.946/242.63
2 Jay Payne 5.970/240.04
3 Tommy Gray 5.988/240.59
4 Mike Castellana 5.996/235.47
5 Raymond Commisso 6.002/241.5
6 Rickie Smith 6.017/235.60
7 Roger Burgess 6.018/242.23
8 Danny Rowe 6.038/242.28
9 Mike Knowles 6.090/238.34
10 Burton Auxier 6.103/209.95
11 Tim Tindle 6.146/205.26
12 Melanie Troxel 6.164/237.17
13 Frank Patille 6.410/226.81
14 Vinny Budano 6.468/217.67
15 David Hance 9.278/96.14
16 Brad Personett 12.578/84.80

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