NHRA recently announced a historic decision regarding the Pro Stock class.

The sanctioning body is going to allow Pro Stock racers to run any currently approved engine combination in any currently approved body, regardless of the manufacturer, during the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

The move was done in part to help improve the low car counts the Pro Stock class experienced last season.

Veteran Pro Stock racer John Gaydosh Jr., who has competed in the class on a limited basis and limited budget since 2008, welcomes the most recent change NHRA is implementing in Pro Stock.

“There have been a few times where I have hurt a motor and didn’t have anybody else with GM stuff and Allen Johnson said hey look if you could put this in I would let you run this. Or a maybe I could get an (engine) from a different Mopar team, like Alan Prusiensky or whatever I could stowed one of those in there and we could have continued to go racing. This is a good move by (NHRA) and something we have asked for and what some of the other teams have tried to put together to bring more people into the class. Look at Funny Car, they have Toyotas, Dodges and Chevys and everyone has the same exact engine in them, so in this way maybe it will help bring the cost down because you will have more people developing the same type of engine platform which help increase car count and decrease cost.”

Gaydosh acknowledged he expects to see Chevy Camaros, Dodges, Fords and maybe some other makes of cars as well in Pro Stock this season.

“What else this does for that kid who wants to come in and his mom and dad have some money, maybe he likes Toyota or Honda and he gets a Honda thing approved, guess what? He can go lease a motor from Gay Motorsports, Chris (McGaha) or Kenny Delco and now he can go race and now there’s even more diversity because we now have a Toyota or Honda in Pro Stock. We need more people in the class, so we can get more people in there. It’s going to make it tougher on guys like me who are at the bottom of qualifying (ladder), but you have to step up your game.”

For 2018, Gaydosh is busy at work trying to get ready to compete in his Chevy Camaro. Gaydosh finished 17th in the 2017 point standings.

“I’m working on having three motors together for 2018, we have some new stuff we are working on and just trying to move forward,” he said. “I’m going to do everything myself and just see what I can do having my own program.”