NHRA PRO MODS NOT RETURNING TO VMP
Sun, 2006-10-08 08:46
The Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Richmond, the second-to-last race of
the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge, was rained out without a single car
ever going down the track. Now, it all comes down to one race, the final event
of the now nine-race season.
"This was an incredibly difficult situation, very unfortunate for everyone," said series director Matthew Brammer. "We didn't want to make everybody have to come back for the rain date next weekend, and half the people couldn't make it anyway due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments. There's no guarantee what the weather will be next week, so it was a no-win situation for everyone."
The solution? Double the purse from top to bottom for the season-ending ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals and settle everything there - one last race for everything. The Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Richmond, the second-to-last race of the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge, was rained out without a single car ever going down the track. Now, it all comes down to one race, the final event of the now nine-race season.
"This was an incredibly difficult situation, very unfortunate for everyone," said series director Matthew Brammer. "We didn't want to make everybody have to come back for the rain date next weekend, and half the people couldn't make it anyway due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments. There's no guarantee what the weather will be next week, so it was a no-win situation for everyone."
The solution? Double the purse from top to bottom for the season-ending ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals and settle everything there - one last race for everything.
"We consulted with drivers, sponsors, team owners, and NHRA," Brammer said. "It's been a tough weekend for everybody, and we decided that the best and fairest thing to do would be to race in Las Vegas and not run here at all. We'll double the purse for all rounds in Las Vegas and keep the points structure exactly the same."
It's not as if the second- and third-place drivers needed to put together some miraculous string of round wins to get back in contention; everybody with a shot can get it done in a single race.
For incoming points leader Jay Payne, the Las Vegas event will be the biggest race of his Pro Mod career. Win this one and Payne, the 1995 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champ, will have another championship and his first in Pro Mod. If he falters, two-time 2006 winner event Joey Martin, U.S. Nationals champ Joshua Hernandez, and the most recent winner on the tour, Payne's wife, Shelly, are within striking distance.
"Jay's in it, Joey's in it, Josh is three rounds out, and Shelly's two rounds out," Brammer said. "It all comes down to one race, and anything can happen."
The final race will be run at The Strip at Las Vegas as part of the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, October 26-29.
"This was an incredibly difficult situation, very unfortunate for everyone," said series director Matthew Brammer. "We didn't want to make everybody have to come back for the rain date next weekend, and half the people couldn't make it anyway due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments. There's no guarantee what the weather will be next week, so it was a no-win situation for everyone."
The solution? Double the purse from top to bottom for the season-ending ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals and settle everything there - one last race for everything. The Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals at Richmond, the second-to-last race of the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge, was rained out without a single car ever going down the track. Now, it all comes down to one race, the final event of the now nine-race season.
"This was an incredibly difficult situation, very unfortunate for everyone," said series director Matthew Brammer. "We didn't want to make everybody have to come back for the rain date next weekend, and half the people couldn't make it anyway due to scheduling conflicts and prior commitments. There's no guarantee what the weather will be next week, so it was a no-win situation for everyone."
The solution? Double the purse from top to bottom for the season-ending ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals and settle everything there - one last race for everything.
"We consulted with drivers, sponsors, team owners, and NHRA," Brammer said. "It's been a tough weekend for everybody, and we decided that the best and fairest thing to do would be to race in Las Vegas and not run here at all. We'll double the purse for all rounds in Las Vegas and keep the points structure exactly the same."
It's not as if the second- and third-place drivers needed to put together some miraculous string of round wins to get back in contention; everybody with a shot can get it done in a single race.
For incoming points leader Jay Payne, the Las Vegas event will be the biggest race of his Pro Mod career. Win this one and Payne, the 1995 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champ, will have another championship and his first in Pro Mod. If he falters, two-time 2006 winner event Joey Martin, U.S. Nationals champ Joshua Hernandez, and the most recent winner on the tour, Payne's wife, Shelly, are within striking distance.
"Jay's in it, Joey's in it, Josh is three rounds out, and Shelly's two rounds out," Brammer said. "It all comes down to one race, and anything can happen."
The final race will be run at The Strip at Las Vegas as part of the ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals, October 26-29.
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