POWERS LEADS MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK ON FRIDAY

by Bobby Bennett: Photo by Auto Imagery    Sat, 2019-04-13 17:07

Mountain Motor Pro Stock racer Chris Powers understands the importance of making a good first impression. That's why, in his NHRA national event debut, the large displacement factory hot rod driver from Carlisle, Pa., wasted little time in establishing his superiority at the NHRA Springnationals, the first of five events scheduled for these exhibition vehicles. 

Powers stopped the timers at Houston Raceway Park with a 6.294 elapsed time at 222.84 miles per hour; the quickest and fastest any Pro Stocker has ever run at the Baytown, Texas-based facility. 

"It feels good. It’s nice to get that number one spot finally," Powers said. "Both runs the car was on a shoestring. The car went straight down the track and just made two really good runs."

Mountain Motor Pro Stock, a style of Pro Stock first introduced to a national audience in 1977 by the IHRA's Ted Jones, is in its inaugural season as an exhibition category and scheduled for five events in 2019, with NHRA's 500-inch Pro Stock division running a reduced 18-event schedule this season. 

 

There are ten of these specialty vehicles competing for the honor of the first win this season. 

Powers, who rolled to the starting line Friday with an 818-cubic inch engine from Sonny Leonard, has only raced this specialty kind of factory hot rod for two seasons. The former Top Dragster racer gave it a try at the request of Rob Bealko, and in his first race racing Extreme Pro Stock in the PDRA won the first time out. 

The pressure to perform weighed heavily on Powers in Friday's first run. 
"It kind of felt like the first time I ever got in the car," Powers admitted. "It feels good to be here. It’s nice to get out here and get in front of a lot of fans and put on a show for them.

"The perfect runs we made today would be Chuck Samuels putting the tune-up on the car. He’s what made it all possible."

RELATED STORY - THE HISTORY OF MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK RACING

 

 

 

 
Categories: 
:::::: News ::::::