TWO FIRST-TIMERS MAKE PRO MOD FINAL IN RAIN-PLAGUED SECOND INDIANAPOLIS RACE

Written by Susan Wade, photos by Roger Richards    Mon, 2020-07-20 19:20



Saltillo, Miss.’ Jason Scruggs, master of the eighth-mile doorslammer ranks and two-time Pro Extreme champion in the defunct ADRL, came to the NHRA to race against the best Pro Modified drivers.

Turns out he’s one of them.

He reached the money round Sunday of the Lucas Oil Summernationals at Indianapolis and will face another first time finalist, Chad Green.

Green is no stranger to the NHRA’s E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Service or to this historic dragstrip.

Last September, the Midland, Texas, native left the U.S. Nationals by ambulance following a frightening, wall-smashing, flipping crash during qualifying. He underwent back surgery for his injuries at I.U. Methodist Hospital.

This Sunday, Green left intact but without a trophy, just like Scruggs.   

Rain, which soaked the entire Central Indiana area just as the finalists were being towed to the staging lanes, forced postponement of the event. It will finish during the Denso U.S. Nationals this Labor Day weekend, in about six weeks.

Green came up empty-handed also in the Funny Car class, where he qualified 11th in Tim Wilkerson’s second Mustang but lost in the opening round to Jack Beckman.

Scruggs made his NHRA debut here at the U.S. Nationals in 2018, missing the overflow field of 30. The next year he started ninth in an equally competitive lineup and finished in the opening round.

He’s a cotton and soybean farmer who tends his 28,000 acres while finding time to build homes and help manage the family Farm, Lawn & Garden home-improvement store near Tupelo, Miss.

He told National Dragster, “It’s hard for me to leave, so when we go, we have to win.”

Green has other plans for Scruggs.

In his 2018 rookie season in the series, Green finished fifth in the standings on the strength of two runner-up finishes. He was one of just four racers in the ultra-competitive class to qualify at all 12 events on the schedule.

 
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