A decade ago, the prospect of getting nitrous stalwart Mike Castellana behind the wheel of a supercharged Pro Modified entry was as believable as getting the hot place to freeze over.

Let the record reflect on the afternoon of March 17, 2017, the temperature in Hades dipped below the freezing mark.

Castellana, at the NHRA Gatornationals, made his debut behind the wheel of the supercharged Camaro tuned by the legendary Frank Manzo.

Castellana didn't only qualify, but also reached the final round. The fact he succeeded wasn't hard to believe for the talented driver, the reality he did so behind the wheel of a combination he never envisioned in a million years.

"Actually I thought I wouldn’t be racing anymore if I stopped driving a nitrous car," Castellana admitted. "The opportunity came about, it was an opportunity for Shannon [Jenkins] to get behind the wheel, so it worked out good for both of us."

Castellana remembered his first driving experience while testing.

"It’s a little different," Castellana admitted. "They make a little more noise, but other than that, it’s a clutch car, and everything else is pretty much the same."

Castellana was conservative on grading his initial performances rendering a pre-Gainesville score of 5 stars out of 10.

"The burnout was a little rough," Castellana said. "These cars, demand you to do a higher burnout than the nitrous cars. Just getting used to that, that was the only thing. Once you get the handle on that, it rolls pretty smooth."

Did Castellana with his early success wonder why he didn't travel this route sooner?

"No, not at all," Castellana said. "Still love my nitrous car. It’s different. You know, there’s a lot more going on in a nitrous car. Opening bottles, purging, turning switches on. This is just start up, do your burnout, and go."