No class in all of IHRA drag racing produced more drama this season than the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock class.

And that certainly didn’t change on Sunday.

With three drivers in contention for the championship at the start of the day it was only fitting that it would all come down to one race to decide the 2009 IHRA World Championship as John Montecalvo held on for his first career championship and Bob Bertsch took home the victory Sunday at the IHRA World Finals at Rockingham Dragway.

No class in all of IHRA drag racing produced more drama this season than the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock class.

And that certainly didn’t change on Sunday.

With three drivers in contention for the championship at the start of the day it was only fitting that it would all come down to one race to decide the 2009 IHRA World Championship as John Montecalvo held on for his first career championship and Bob Bertsch took home the victory Sunday at the IHRA World Finals at Rockingham Dragway.

Even more ironic is the fact that it was Bertsch’s final round appearance that clinched Montecalvo’s championship.

Needing to keep even with Frank Gugliotta or advance farther to clinch, Montecalvo was upset in the quarterfinals when he shook the tires and Ned Katuran moved on.

Moments later Gugliotta won his quarterfinal matchup, leaving him one round away from overtaking the points lead and claiming the ’09 championship.

“I couldn’t leave the trailer. What was I going to do? Frank is a friend of mine so if he lost I am not going to jump up and down and if he won I couldn’t just go to the tower and jump off – even though that is what I felt like doing – I just stayed in the trailer and waited,” Montecalvo said.

But in the semifinals Bertsch was able to drive around Gugliotta in a tremendous drag race, advancing to the finals and giving Montecalvo his first championship after nearly two decades behind the wheel.

“I really didn’t believe it had happened. All I heard was ‘we won’ and everyone came back to the trailer screaming and I thought this couldn’t be,” Montecalvo said. “When I finally realized it was true I really didn’t know how to react. This is something I have been after for so long and to be able to finally get it done is just overwhelming.”

Bertsch then advanced to the final where he met and defeated Pete Berner after Berner went red. Bertsch ran a convincing 4.124 elapsed time at 176.10 miles per hour in the final.

“It is just hard work by my crew and me working on myself. It is a good way to go out at the end of the year,” Bertsch said. “We have been working all year little by little, we haven’t made any drastic changes, it has just come together really well over the last three races.”

Bertsch defeated Berner and Gugliotta – both championship contenders – Rocky Watford and Carl Baker to pick up his second win in the last three races.

And all eyes were on Bertsch’s semifinal matchup with Gugliotta.

“I knew whatever I did one group of people was going to be happy and another group was going to be a little sad, but I try not to focus on that and simply race the track. That is what I did tonight,” Bersch said.

When all was said and done, however, it was Montecalvo’s championship that stole the show.

After nearly two decades trying to be a world champion Montecalvo was finally able to see his dream realized thanks to a little help from his friends.

“So many people came up to me and said it is not over and that was just very hard to believe. When I finally found out, I really didn’t believe them at first,” Montecalvo said. “I have got a lot of racing friends up in the sky and every time I race I pray to them to keep me safe and successful and I truly believe they were looking over me today.”

Montecalvo spent most of the season trailing the field, but was able to take the points lead for the first time last month when Gugliotta suffered his third first round loss in four races. He then did just enough to assure that his name would go down in history as the 2009 IHRA Pro Stock champion.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. Over the years it has been one thing or another that has prevented us from winning it, but this is finally our time,” Montecalvo said.

Bertsch put an end to Gugliotta’s championship hopes in the semifinals with a solid run as Gugliotta left the line late and wiggled down the track to give Bertsch the win and Montecalvo the championship.

Bertsch ran a 4.101 to Gugliotta’s 4.205.

In the other semifinal matchup Berner easily dispatched of Ned Katuran with a blistering 4105 second pass in the eighth mile.

While two of the three professional categories had their champions locked up entering Sunday, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock bunch still had unfinished business and it all started in the semis.

Needing just one round win to seal his first ever championship, Montecalvo smoked the tires in his semifinal matchup with Ned Katuran and Katuran easily picked up the victory and in turn opened the door for Gugliotta.

Gugliotta kept himself alive with a win over Trevor Eman. In the other two semifinal matchups Berner won a close one against Richard Freeman and Bob Bertsch easy got around Rocky Watford.

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