2009 NHRA SUMMERNATIONALS - GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD NOTEBOOK
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SUNDAY FINAL - TINDLE TAKES TOPEKA
Pro Mod racer Tim Tindle found his way through the uncharted fields of
Heartland Park Topeka all the way to the winner's circle in the 
Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx.
Marking the first time the Challenge has visited the O'Reilly NHRA
Summer Nationals, the drivers and teams were greeted with full stands
of fans and treated them to a show of fast runs and close races all
under the sunny skies of Kansas.
Tindle made good on his purpose when he said at the beginning of the
race "I'm here to win" by besting Chip King, Danny Rowe and even number
one qualifier Joe Baker en route to the final-round matchup against Jay
Payne. Payne had beaten Mike Knowles and then single-handedly took out
the nitrous-burning teammates Burton Auxier and Mike Castellana to earn
his berth in the money round.
In the final, it was all Tindle and his Quain Stott-tuned ‘67 Mustang,
as he led from wire to wire and won the race, 6.059/235.47 to
6.095/237.30.
"This was just awesome," Tindle said as he clutched the Get Screened
America Warrior at the finish line. "Somehow, I just knew it was our
weekend. We came out here with the purpose to be the first winners at
this event, and sure enough, we did it.
"Quain got this ole' Mustang running so well in the heat of the day,
and we were able to get down the track consistently while the other
guys were just trying too hard and smoking the tires. Of course, in
that last lap against Jay it was a great race -- he's always tough, but
this one was just ours."
Also on a tear this weekend was Matco Tools-driver Joe Baker who earned
his first No. 1 qualifying position and set Heartland Park Topeka track
records for both fastest speed at 241.76 MPH and quickest ET at 5.971
seconds in his Mike Ashley Racing '68 Camaro. He was the only driver to
break into the sub-six second zone all weekend.
Mike Castellana had another great performance and stayed second in the
points standings, while his teammate, Burton Auxier, managed to hold on
to first place despite a second-round exit.
Next up on the schedule is the June 11-14 United Association NHRA
SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New
Jersey.
Current Points Standings (after five of ten races)
1 Burton Auxier 382
2 Mike Castellana 376
3 Roger Burgess 320
4 Joe Baker 295
5 Danny Rowe 272
6 Jay Payne 271
7 Tim Tindle 270
8 Brad Personett 227
8 Raymond Commisso 227
10 Rick Stivers 200
10 Taylor Lastor 200
12 Mike Knowles 179
13 Harold Laird 155
14 Kenny Lang 140
15 Chip King 67
16 Andy McCoy 63
16 Kirk Wilmes 63
18 Rickie Smith 52
19 Billy Gibson 42
20 Tommy Gray 10
20 George Landis 10
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SATURDAY - Baker's dozen down to seven as Pro Mods sizzle in Topeka
The
field was full of excitement and competition was sizzling in the
heartland as the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by
ProCare Rx raced the quarter-mile Saturday in the O'Reilly NHRA Summer
Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka. At the end of qualifying, Matco
Tools driver Joe Baker was on top and a model of consistency, advancing
to the second round of eliminations, having a bye in round one."I'm just thanking the Good Lord that we're doing so well here this weekend. With all the changes we've made on this car, I'm really excited to be running so consistently and quickly. We knew we had the car, but just couldn't get it dialed in - and now we're right where we knew we should be," Baker said.
Also advancing into the second round was No. 2 qualifier Mike Castellana who dispatched a struggling turbo-powered Brad Personett 6.087/234.53 to 6.714/177.81.
Personett said, "We had to make some big moves with the setup because we weren't having a lot of luck with what we were doing, and I guess we just found out what not to do next time. I'm not discouraged, though, we have a great car, and we've really got a lot of things working together well."
Castellana will have a bye round two and advance to the semi-finals.
Number
three qualifier Roger Burgess' 67 Camaro took a hop and a jump when he
faced off against points-leader Burton Auxier, landing Burgess on the
trailer early and giving the leader an easy lap.Auxier said, "We've been having a little trouble since we won Bristol, and I'm just starting to get things figured back out. These nitrous cars are touchy, and I think we've got things set for tomorrow. We dodged a bullet on that round, because I'm not sure what we would have run if Roger hadn't lifted, but a 'W' is a 'W' and we'll take it however it comes."
Knowles Enterprises and B&J Transmissions-backed Mike Knowles dropped a close race to former World Champion Jay Payne, giving up the win at the starting line despite having the quicker time. After qualifying No. 9, Knowles ran a 6.167/236.22 to Payne's slightly slower 6.169 235.97 but gave up almost six hundredths of a second in reaction time, .141 to Payne's .085.
R2B2 Racing-backed Raymond Commisso had a psychic .013-second reaction to slap a holeshot win on Taylor Lastor, 6.142/238.13 to the quicker-but-losing 6.080/237.21.
Lastor said, "You can't win when you give up almost a tenth on the tree. I can usually cut a really good light, but I must have gotten distracted or been sleeping, and he just had an amazing light."
Also advancing into round two were Tim Tindle who had a single run when Chip King failed to make the call due to a broken linkage, and Danny Rowe who took out rookie Kirk Wilmes, 6.100/238.72 to 6.257/230.45.
Eliminations will conclude Sunday beginning with round two action where Baker will take on Commisso, Rowe will face Tindle, and Auxier will meet Payne.
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FRIDAY - BAKER LEADS FIRST DAY QUALIFYING
If first impressions are everything, the drivers of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge are very impressed. The skies were sunny and clear and the stands were full for the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas, marking the first time the Challenge has raced at Heartland Park Topeka. A baker's dozen of cars took to the quarter-mile and Matco Tools driver Joe Baker took the provisional bragging rights for the class."This is an awesome facility," Baker said as he reveled in his number one spot. The 2008 Rookie of the Year blasted to a 5.995/241.76 in the first round and backed it up with a 5.974/241.63 in round two, with his crew chief Chuck Ford breathing a sigh of relief.
"We've struggled a lot in the recent races, and we changed everything on this car except the body. Clutch, tires, engine, blower - everything. We weren't really sure what we were going to get, but it's definitely working.
"I knew I was on a great run that first lap - so I just held on and punched it, and we ran some really good numbers. I can tell you this - I feel a lot better we backed it up. We'll see what happens tomorrow," Baker said.
R2B2 Racing's Roger Burgess took the provisional No. 2 with a 6.036/240.38, while Tim Tindle grabbed No. 3 with a 6.048/234.90.
Tindle said, "We really like the hot conditions, and with the track temp around 110, we really made a good pass. I know we have to make a move this weekend in the points, and I'm here to win - period."
Jay Payne made a solid run for the No. 4 spot, Gainesville winner Mike Castellana landed fifth, and Raymond Commisso sits sixth.
Current points leader Burton Auxier struggled during the first round, limping to a 6.414/220.69 with a flash at the end of the track. With his engine needing repair, Auxier sat out the second session and landed at No. 12, with Brad Personett riding lucky 13.
Qualifying is scheduled to conclude at 11:00 a.m. Saturday. Eliminations are slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon and conclude Sunday.
1 Joe Baker 5.974 241.63
2 Roger Burgess 6.036 240.38
3 Tim Tindle 6.048 234.9
4 Jay Payne 6.08 236.09
5 Mike Castellana 6.12 233.56
6 Raymond Commisso 6.155 239.61
7 Danny Rowe 6.169 237.92
8 Chip King 6.21 230.72
9 Mike Knowles 6.255 235.15
10 Taylor Lastor 6.266 193.29
11 Kirk Wilmes 6.351 229.63
12 Burton Auxier 6.414 220.69
13 Brad Personett 8.664 123.59
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THURSDAY - PRO MODS HEAD TO TOPEKA FOR THE FIRST TIME
Marking the half-way spot in the ten-race season, drivers in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx will
venture
into uncharted territory this weekend as they compete for the first
time ever on the venerable quarter-mile at Heartland Park Topeka in the
O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kansas.Smack-dab in the middle of the country, the Topeka event will feature a baker's-dozen of the best Pro Modified cars in the land, all vying for the Get Screened America Warrior trophy and the $10,000 purse as well as the extremely valuable championship points in a tightly-contested race. Scheduled to compete this weekend are: Burton Auxier, Joe Baker, Roger Burgess, Mike Castelana, Raymond Commisso, Chip King, Mike Knowles, Taylor Lastor, Jay Payne, Brad Personett, Danny Rowe, Tim Tindle, and rookie Kirk Wilmes.
"It's make-or-break time," said Joe Baker, driver of the Matco Tools/Lend America '68 Camaro for Mike Ashley Racing. "If a team is going to be in the running for the championship or the Matco Tools Clash at the end of the year, you've got be hitting your stride right now - otherwise, you're just along for the ride."
Currently tied for fourth place and more than six round-wins out of the lead, Baker knows he's talking about himself just as much as any other driver. Trying to get into the top spot is a challenge in itself, but with a $25,000 top-prize on the line for the Matco Tools Clash, making the top eight is just as important. The Clash pits the eight best cars in the class against each other in a "race-within-a race" when the series contests its final event October 29-November 1 at The Strip at Las Vegas.
The hottest team in the Challenge to date is the nitrous-powerhouse from the Al-Anabi Awesome Motorsports stable, lead by veterans Burton Auxier and Mike Castellana. Auxier scored his first win of the season at the last event in Bristol, Tenn., while Castellana made his move early, taking the first race of the season at Gainesville, Fla.
Also on a tear this season is the R2B2 Racing team of Roger Burgess and Raymond Commisso, with Burgess claiming bragging rights for the St. Louis event and Commisso scoring a runner-up finish in Bristol. Not to be counted out, however, are Houston winner Danny Rowe, turbo-powered and high-speed record-setting Brad Personett, and Brad Anderson-tuned Jay Payne - all powerful teams with monster experience onboard.
With a bright weather forecast of 90-degree temperatures and sunny skies all weekend long, drivers and teams are gearing up for a battle in what is sure to be a pivotal race in the standings. Qualifying is scheduled for 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. Friday and 11:00 a.m. Saturday. Eliminations are slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon and conclude Sunday.
Points Standings (After 4 of 10 events)
1 Burton Auxier 330
2 Mike Castellana 299
3 Roger Burgess 284
4 Joe Baker 217
4 Danny Rowe 217
6 Rick Stivers 200
7 Brad Personett 196
8 Jay Payne 177
9 Raymond Commisso 174
10 Taylor Lastor 167
11 Tim Tindle 156
12 Harold Laird 155
13 Mike Knowles 147
14 Kenny Lang 140
15 Andy McCoy 63
16 Rickie Smith 52
17 Billy Gibson 42
18 Chip King 35
19 Kirk Wilmes 31
20 Tommy Gray 10
20 George Landis 10
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