NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - PRO MODIFIED NOTEBOOK
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MONDAY FINAL RESULTS -CASTELLANA WINS NHRA JEGS PRO MODIFIED TITLE
Mike Castellana has only raced two of seven events on the 2008 JEGS ProMod Challenge schedule, but he's certainly made 
the most of his appearances. After racing to a runner-up finish at the last stop in Englishtown, N.J., Castellana went one step further Monday, winning the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals by driving around defending series champion and new points leader Josh Hernandez.
"It feels great to win the biggest race of the year for NHRA drivers," Castellana said. "This is my first Indy win, so it means that much more. What a great day. I'm going to enjoy every minute of this."
Hernandez had been flawless on the day until the final round of competition late Monday afternoon. Both he and Castellana suffered from tire shake early in their runs, but it was Castellana who recovered the quickest to drive away for the win.
"I knew we had a good car for race day, but I also knew it would be tough to make it all the way to the winner's circle," said Castellana, the first nitrous-assisted winner on tour this year. "Running Josh in the final was an obvious challenge, but my team and I just tried to run our own race. I knew if we made it smoothly down the track we could hang with him."
Castellana had a tough ladder to get through beating veteran Troy Coughlin, No. 2 qualifier Mike Knowles, former series champion Rickie Smith, and class dominator Hernandez.
"I really want to thank my new sponsor Al-Anabi Racing for the opportunity to come out here and take home the Wally," Castellana said. "This has been a real
team effort and I am certainly the lucky one who gets to pilot this amazing race car."
Despite competing in just two events, Castellana has climbed to 16th position in the points and is only 43 points out of the top 10. The next stop for the series will be Sept. 18-21 at the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals near Dallas.
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SUNDAY - HERNANDEZ LEADS FIRST ROUND WINNERS, STEVE ENGEL UPDATE
TODAY'S ACTION - Reigning series champion Josh Hernandez flexed his considerable muscle once again Sunday night in the first round of eliminations in the JEGS ProMod Challenge, posting the quickest pass of the session to highlight a somber day at the 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
Hernandez won his race when Raymond Commisso's '68 Firebird crossed the center line. However, Hernandez, who is the only Pro Mod driver to post a sub-6 second lap at the U.S. Nationals this year, pushed his '68 Team Rage Camaro to an impressive 6.010 second lap at 240.47 mph.
With the win, Hernandez, last year's champion, pulled to within three points of current leader Tony Pontieri, who was bumped from the elimination field by Troy Coughlin during the last round of qualifying, which took place earlier in the day.
Hernandez faces off against Danny Rowe and his '67 Camaro in the second round. Rowe ran a 6.098 at 237.67 mph to beat Taylor Lastor and his Camaro, which ran a 6.093 at 238.72 mph.
No. 2 qualifier Mike Knowles got a bye against Rick Stivers, who was a left before the tree was activated. Knowles ran a 7.744 at 123.69 mph. Mike Castellana's '67 Firebird is next for Knowles after he dispatched Coughlin. Castellana went 6.047 at 237.25 mph to beat Coughlin's 6.091 at 236.38 mph.
Former series champion Rickie Smith pushed his '63 Al-Anabi Corvette into the second round after Ohio Crankshaft pro Scott Ray red-lighted in his '53 Corvette.
Smith faces the '41 Willys of Kirk Kuhns who had a 6.094-second pass at 233.28 mph, enough to get past No. 3 qualifier Joe Baker's 6.104 at 231.52 mph.
Tim Tindle put his '67 GT into the second round after defeating Harold Laird. Tindle made a 6.024 second lap at 237.92 mph which easily beat Laird's 12.209 at 68.97 mph.
Valvoline's Jay Payne also had an easy time putting his '69 Camaro into the second round. He ran a 6.049 pass at 237.00 mph to down the '57 Bel Air of Von Smith, who clocked a 14.172 lap at 70.54 mph.
The final three rounds pick up on Monday.
ENGEL IN SURGERY - Pro Modified driver Steve Engel, of Shandon, Ohio, entered surgery
Sunday morning for injuries he
According to his family, Engel has fractures in six cervical vertebrae and damage to his spinal cord.
He was alert and talking to emergency crews after the accident and was transported by emergency helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Engel was participating in qualifying for the JEGS ProMod Challenge. The JEGS ProMod Series is an exhibition Series that hold rounds at select NHRA POWERade Series events.
SATURDAY - ENGLE INJURED IN ACCIDENT, QUALIFYING ENDED EARLY
SCARY MOMENT - Four pairs into Saturday evening's third round of professional qualifying for the JEGS ProMod Challenge, this year's 54th annual
Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis took a decidedly nasty turn when Bristol winner Steve Engel lost control of his '63
Diamond Heavy Haul Corvette and impacted the left-side retaining wall at a high rate of speed.
Engel was reportedly alert and conscious when he was extracted from the wreckage and airlifted to Methodist Helicopter in Indianapolis. The wreck caused so much damage to the retaining wall that the remainder of the day's racing action was called off.
By rule, the drivers that didn't get a chance to make a pass during the session will not get a chance to make up the missed run. Josh Hernandez, who moved into the qualifying lead earlier in the day with a 6.010 at 240.98 mph in his Team Rage Camaro, ended the day on top.
"My mind is on Steve Engel and his family," Hernandez said. "Racing doesn't mean much when one of your buddies goes through something like that. We're all praying he's going to be okay."
Hernandez and several other racers picked up considerably in Saturday's first session of time trials where the bump spot dropped by more than three tenths of a second.
"I think we all kind of went up there (Friday) with a conservative mindset just to get a feel for the racetrack," said Hernandez, the defending series champion.
"Once we got an idea of what it would hold we were able to tune from there and that's why you saw so many people step it up in Round 2.
"Our car responded very well to the changes we made and we ran about what we expected in that session. I think we would have seen a bunch of guys go into the fives tonight but it just wasn't meant to be."
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FRIDAY - LONG SHOT BAKER CONTINUES TO SHOW OFF
DREAM WEAVER - Joe Baker’s dream ride continues to rack up the miles.
The first year JEGS NHRA Pro Modified racer commandeered the top spot during first day qualifying at the NHRA MAC Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
“The car made a really good run this evening,” Baker said. “We really had good conditions to run in tonight and for us to hit the combination as well as we did on the first run leaves us really confident for the rest of the weekend. I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.”
Baker piloted the R2B2 Motors 1963 Corvette to a 6.030 at 236.01 miles per hour to snag away the top spot from Tim Tindle. Tindle ran an identical 6.030 second run but recorded a slower 235.39 speed.
This weekend represents Baker’s first time competing at the MAC Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals.
“I can’t say enough about this team,” Baker added. “Chuck Ford and the crew cover every inch and detail of the car so that all I have to do is jump in and drive. I am just grateful Roger Burgess has given me this opportunity.”
Baker is driving the same car he drove to a runner-up finish earlier in 2008 during the NHRA O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas. Team owner Roger Burgess drove the car to the final round of the NHRA Summit Southern Nationals in Atlanta, Ga.
Baker is presently ranked third in the championship standings.
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THURSDAY -COULD THIS BE THE BEST EVER?
SIMPLY THE BEST? - The JEGS ProMod Challenge for this weekend
promises to showcase one of the best groups of Pro Mod racers ever assembled.
Although limited to just 24 entries by NHRA, officials with the invitation-only
series still managed to put together an outstanding field of top-caliber
drivers.
Four former series champions headline the group. Current JEGS
champ Josh Hernandez has to be considered the favorite to win drag racing's
crown jewel. He's been to three Indy finals in a row, recording a win in 2006
and runner-ups in '05 and '07. Likewise, '06 series champion Jay Payne is
looking for his second U.S. Nationals victory. He won the race in
2005.
"Tricky Rickie" Smith, who claimed the series' title in its
inaugural year of 2001, also will be trying for his second victory at
Indianapolis Raceway Park, having won the race in 2003. This time through, Smith
is contemplating bringing a nitrous racecar.
Shannon "the Iceman"
Jenkins, the '02 ProMod champion in NHRA, will be trying for his first trophy at
"the Big Go."
Jenkins will see familiar foes in fellow IHRA Pro Mod
champions Scotty Cannon and Mike Castellana. Jenkins has three IHRA
championships to his credit, while Cannon won a remarkable six titles in the
sanction. Castellana earned his IHRA championship in 2005.
Another
multi-time IHRA champion bringing his talents to Indy is Von Smith, who won
three Top Alcohol Funny Car championships in the past.
While former
champs have certainly earned their credentials, they'd be foolish to overlook
the current JEGS ProMod Challenge regulars. Canadian Tony Pontieri has fought
hard to maintain his No. 1 ranking in the '08 points and his Quality Plus
Compressors '57 Bel Air will be a contender from the start.
Joe Baker and
Steve Engel have claimed wins this year, proving they belong, while Troy
Coughlin and Harold Laird have both have U.S. Nationals trophies in their
collections.
Other favorites include Kirk Kuhns, Danny Rowe, Raymond
Commisso, and John Russo, who all occupy positions in the current top 10
rankings.
Rounding out the star-studded field are Roger Burgess, Mike
Knowles, Taylor Lastor, Shelly Payne, Brad Personett, Scott Ray, Rick Stivers,
and Tim Tindle.
Interest in the JEGS ProMod Challenge remains sky-high
with more than 25 racers filling out the list of alternates hoping for a chance
to sneak into the Indy field.
INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY - Roger Burgess arrived at his Atlanta, Ga., residence on Monday at 2 AM following a vacation trip around the world. While this
experience
was breath-taking for the highly successful businessman, he admits the
experience would pale in comparison to winning the greatest of all NHRA
JEGS Pro Modified championships – the NHRA U.S. Nationals in
Indianapolis.
The five-day experience known simply as the “Big Go” would serve as perfect follow up to his 24-day world tour.
“Without a doubt,” Burgess confirmed. “If you’re a drag racer that has
visions of grandeur, then you want to win Indy. It’s the Daytona 500 of
drag racing. You can win any event and it’s a great experience, but
winning Indy is a great experience and then a while lot more.”
Burgess has yet to win his first national event but has come close by
posting a runner-up finish during the NHRA Southern Nationals at his
home track in Atlanta, Ga.
One might be inclined to believe the Burgess world tour would be hard
to top considering he was a witness to the opening ceremonies of the
Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and after a week traveled to other
locations such as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii before
returning home. The tour started in Ireland and then moved to Russia
before the China experience.
And just to think, he gets to race a Pro Modified at Indy.
“That excites me,” Burgess admitted. “There’s only so much rooting and
shopping and sightseeing a man can do, then it’s time to go racing.”
Burgess will debut a new Tim McAmis-built 1967 Camaro Pro Modified entry that was delivered and tested while he was away.
“Life is good for us,” Burgess said, speaking about his upcoming weekend in Indianapolis. “It will be busy but very good.”
Busy just might be an understatement as Burgess will oversee a weekend
filled with such notable highlights as Frank Hawley driving a Rite
Aid-sponsored Funny Car, Peggy Llewellyn racing an R2B2 Motors Pro
Stock Motorcycle in promotion of the company’s September 6 grand
opening, as well as Pro Modified racer Joe Baker. These are new
additions to the existing team driven by Melanie Troxel.
Burgess considers himself a patient man, but clearly he’s ready to win a race.
“I think it’s about time we win one of these things,” Burgess said of
his upcoming NHRA JEGS Pro Modified outing. “We come up there to win
every time we go to the starting line, but the season is quickly
winding down and now’s the time to get it done.”
BACK IN ACTION - Pro Modified racer Troy Coughlin hasn't driven a racecar in almost four
months since crashing his hot rod during the Atlanta race in late
April, but the veteran racer is back up to speed and ready to race at
this weekend's 54th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals.
Coughlin
will debut a brand-new Tommy Mauney-built '68 Camaro this weekend. After a recent
testing session at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis, Coughlin
is confident his JEGS.com-sponsored racecar will be up to the task of
competing in the tough category.
"We posted a bunch of
6.0-second runs in St. Louis, the best of which was a 6.03 at 237 mph,
so I think we'll be right there with all the hitters," Coughlin said.
"We're certainly not taking anything for granted and I've been watching
closely since we've been sidelined and I've seen how tough it is in
this class. We'll have our hands full, but we're ready."
As
always, Coughlin's supercharged entry will be powered by a Brad
Anderson powerplant. Anderson joined the team in St. Louis to make sure
they were getting the most out of his monstrous engines.
"It was
great having Brad there because it freed us up to work on other
things," Coughlin said. "There are always adjustments you need to make
in the cockpit after you've actually driven a new car under power and
there seem to be little ticky-tack things that need fine-tuning, so
having the ability to focus on those things was super helpful.
'We're
also bringing Tommy Mauney to Indy so he can help us keep this car
going nice and straight. With Brad and Tommy behind us, we've got two
seasoned pros in our corner and that's exciting."
The first of
five rounds of professional qualifying for the Pro Mod set is scheduled
to begin at 8 p.m. Friday at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. If
history is any indicator, the first session could offer the best
conditions, placing a premium on a fast start for all the Pro Mod teams.
"We'll
need to be ready to take full advantage of that session," Coughlin
said. "I'm glad we got to test, not just for squaring the car away but
for allowing me the chance to get back in the seat and let the clutch
out a few times. This has been the longest break of my career and you
want you driving to be as sharp as possible to help the crew out.
Hopefully, we'll have some fun this weekend and make a little noise.
Lord knows we're ready to get back to racing."
RACING FOR THE TROOPS - Veteran drag racers Rick Stivers and
Quain Stott along with Lee Boy Paving Equipment have chosen to use
their racing voice to say thank you in their own special way this
weekend.
Stivers will field a special-edition "Support Our Troops" '64 Corvette
Pro Mod as his way to communicate the message, "job well done" to the
troops coming home from their time in harm's way.
"I know a lot of teams have done something similar, but I don't think
you can say thank you enough. Because this war has gone on so long,
some of our boys and girls are being forgotten, and I don't want to let
them slip by without doing my part to welcome them home," Stivers said.
"I guess it's our way of standing up and clapping as they walk through
an airport, or waling up to soldiers in uniform thanking them for their
service. It's completely from my heart and something I feel very
strongly about," he said.
Stott, who will be tuning the car, added, "We're coming up on the
anniversary of the September 11th bombing of the twin towers and the
Pentagon, and I feel it's important to honor those American's memories
- and Rick and I are going to do it the way we know best - with a Pro
Mod race car.
"The war over there started over here, and if it weren't for our
government taking the battle to them, we'd be seeing fighting in our
streets and none of us would be able to have our hobbies or compete
here in Indy. Rick and I agree - you've got to say thanks, and we're
really excited to put on a good show with this car for the weekend,"
Stott said.
Stott said that the team at Lee Boy Paving Equipment is behind the
theme car completely and supports the message and the meaning.
Stivers added, "Quain and I have been friends a long time, and both of
us have raced a whole lot. With this special tribute car, though, I
have a different feeling coming into the weekend - it's like racing
with a mission, a higher purpose. We're all really excited about the
weekend, and are looking forward to great success - on and off the
track."
DEFENDING THE TURF - Harold Laird and crew chief Terry Coyle are
eagerly anticipating this weekend's return to the Mac Tools U.S.
Nationals where they hope to defend their 2007 title. Laird won the
coveted Indy title last year driving his Supercharged ’63 Corvette past
series champion Josh Hernandez in the final.
"Winning the U.S.
Nationals meant so much to us last year," Laird said. "We’re going to
do everything we can to defend the title, even if that means having to
push our power plant a little harder."
Laird's had a
strong-running car all year, highlighted by a career-best 5.95-second
run in St. Louis, but various mechanical issues have kept him from
advancing past the first round of eliminations.
"We’ve had a few
electrical problems on race day along with a clutch malfunction in
Houston, but hopefully those troubles are behind us now," Laird said.
"Terry has been doing an outstanding job all year getting the car down
the track and I’m looking for a strong finish this season."
The
tour has been idle since late June and Laird is anxious to get back
behind the wheel. He is looking to make a strong push down the stretch
in the final four races and move up from his current perch of 16th
place in the JEGS ProMod Challenge.
"A win at Indy can make your
year and it’s going to be fun trying to do it again," Laird said. "Joe
Mefford has done great work all year on the clutch and the rest of the
crew has been working hard prepping the car between rounds so it would
be nice to reward them with a U.S. Nationals title."
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