John Montecalvo erased a 19 point lead held by Frank Gugliotta headed into last weekend's IHRA President's Cup Nationals and because of that, leads the IHRA Pro Stock point standings into the final event of the season. His semi-final finish at the Maryland International Raceway-hosted event puts him in the driver's seat for the championship.

“We did what we came to do,” said Montecalvo, who lives in Center Moriches, NY. “We wanted to leave the event with the points lead and that’s exactly what we did. Our day ended a little earlier than we hoped for, but Cary just put up a good run against us and then went on take the Iron Man. Congratulations to him and his team on a job well done.

John Montecalvo erased a 19 point lead held by Frank Gugliotta headed into last weekend's IHRA President's Cup Nationals and because of that, leads the IHRA Pro Stock point standings into the final event of the season. His semi-final finish at the Maryland International Raceway-hosted event puts him in the driver's seat for the championship.

“We did what we came to do,” said Montecalvo, who lives in Center Moriches, NY. “We wanted to leave the event with the points lead and that’s exactly what we did. Our day ended a little earlier than we hoped for, but Cary just put up a good run against us and then went on take the Iron Man. Congratulations to him and his team on a job well done.

“We’re very happy about the way the car performed this weekend. My team did a great job as they always do and now we can breathe slightly easier heading into Rockingham. I know it’s going to be an all-out fight to the finish there and I’m looking forward to it! We’re going to go do some testing beforehand and make sure we have everything just right. Even though we’re out in front, I know the target is going to be on us now, and it’s up to us to stay in front!”

Montecalvo and his Pro Stock associates will carry a heavy load on their shoulders headed into that final event, the IHRA World Finals in Rockingham, NC. Because of the rain at MIR, the Elite 8 Pro Stock Shootout, originally scheduled to be contested on Saturday, has now been postponed until Rockingham. With the Shootout, the World Finals event title and the Championship all to be decided in that one weekend, Monte knows that he’s looking at the chance of a lifetime.

“Obviously, my main focus is on the Championship and that’s where my mind will be in Rockingham, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s no forgetting about the Shootout, either. We got to the finals of that last year, but hopefully we can take the win this year.”

With so much riding on one weekend, one might wonder what Montecalvo thinks about the upcoming event.

“Bring it on," he said. "It’s going to be a great battle and I can’t wait to get down that track at Rockingham!”

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