The atmosphere has changed greatly in the last nine years for the Pro Modified division at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville,Fla. In 2001, the NHRA invited 24 of the leading Pro Modified teams to participate in an exhibition event aimed at kicking off a five-race special tour showcasing a class of cars which up until then had been absent from NHRA events.

Friday morning six of the leading drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Modified series participated in the NHRA’s first official press conference since recognizing the class as an official professional division.

Danny Rowe, who participated in two of the first five 2001 events, joined series sponsor Roger Burgess, Raymond Commisso, Mike Knowles, Jay Payne and Melanie Troxel in the media gathering.

The atmosphere has changed greatly in the last nine years for the Pro Modified division at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville,Fla. In 2001, the NHRA

invited 24 of the leading Pro Modified teams to participate in an exhibition event aimed at kicking off a five-race special tour showcasing a class of cars which up until then had been absent from NHRA events.

Friday morning six of the leading drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Modified series participated in the NHRA’s first official press conference since recognizing the class as an official professional division.

Danny Rowe, who participated in two of the first five 2001 events, joined series sponsor Roger Burgess, Raymond Commisso, Mike Knowles, Jay Payne and Melanie Troxel in the media gathering.

Rowe’s first event was the 2001 NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, Mo., an event where he drove his supercharged 1938 Chevy to the No. 1 qualifying position as well as the victory over the course of the weekend.

On that particular weekend, Rowe and his fellow racers competed in an eight-car field and pocketed a meager $5,000 for winning the event. A winner this weekend will pocket $10,000.

“I honestly cannot say that I saw the class turning into what it has become,” Rowe said. “There was a lot of skepticism back then. We were excited to be racing on the big stage. We were all excited to show up even though there were some skeptics. The idea that it would grow to this level was unimaginable. There were a lot of dedicated people who made this happen.”

Burgess, the driving force behind the Pro Modified series for the last two seasons, believes the newly recognized professional status is largely in part because of those racers and sponsors who worked through those early seasons.

“You have to really thank all of those who kept the series alive over the years,” Burgess said. “It was a real struggle early on, with the new class and new people, and as an exhibition category it was tough to attract people and keep them in the series. Thanks to all of those guys who were out there early who made this happen. We’re all standing on their shoulders.”