PATRICK WINS TORCO BUCKS - Robert Patrick started coming to Maryland International Raceway when he was barely tall enough to watch the races over the spectator fence. He remembered Pro Stock icons “Dyno” Don Nicholson, Bill Jenkins and Ronnie Sox drawing admiration from the thousands of fans packed along the same fence line. Tonight Patrick was the admired one.

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PATRICK POCKETS $20,000 IN TORCO’S COMPETITIONPLUS.COM PRO STOCK SHOWDOWN

Robert Patrick started coming to Maryland International Raceway when he was barely tall enough to watch the races over the spectator fence. He remembered Pro Stock icons “Dyno” Don Nicholson, Bill Jenkins and Ronnie Sox drawing admiration from the thousands of fans packed along the same fence line. Tonight Patrick was the admired one.

Patrick, of Fredericksburg, Va., drove his Purvis Ford-sponsored Mustang to a $20,000 payday by stopping Frank Gugliotta in the final round of the Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock Showdown during the second day of the IHRA Torco Race Fuels President’s Cup Nationals.

“Coming in here and doing what we did, I needed this redemption,” Patrick said after losing last weekend on a holeshot. “This is an event I’ve always wanted to win and never got the chance. It means a lot to do this in front of my home crowd. I couldn’t be happier than I am now.

“I want to thank my parents and my family and especially Evan Knoll and Torco Race Fuels for allowing me to experience this honor.”

Patrick entered the Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock Showdown as the highest ranked driver amongst the eight combatants. He has gained four pole positions this season.

Patrick’s ride to the money opened against a driver he has raced at least twice in 2006. Pete Berner nailed the low elapsed time of the opening round with a 6.349, 219.97 but it was the combination of a 6.367, 219.79 and a .031 that scored the win-light for Patrick.

Patrick’s starting line prowess extended to the second round as he nailed the defending Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock Showdown champion Steve Spiess with a .006 reaction time and the quickest elapsed time in the history of Pro Stock racing with a 6.312, 220.94.

On the other side of the ladder, Gugliotta felt fortunate just to be racing this season much less in the final round of such a prestigious event. It wasn’t until ten days before the season that he was signed as the driver for Charlie Taylor’s Pro Stock operation. The Mt. Airy, Md.-based driver lost his ride a month before the season began when team owner Steve Thodos disbanded his operation.

Gugliotta fought his way into the Showdown field on the strength of two pole positions. He stopped Tony Gillig and John Nobile for the opportunity to race in the final round.

With the 6.20s within striking distance, it was likely that Patrick was gunning for the elusive performance standard. Gugliotta was quicker on the tree with a .017 reaction time but that wasn’t enough to fend off Patrick’s 6.320, 221.20 run. Gugliotta scored the runner up with a respectable 6.374, 220.80.

Patrick’s victory was monumental but also served as a measure of payback.

“A couple of years ago, Frank beat me in front of a packed house at the Mountain Motor Nationals,” Patrick said. “I owed him this one. We did what we had to do to win this one.”

For his efforts, Gugliotta scored $9,000 for runner-up.

 

 

Final round-by-round results from the Torco CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock Showdown at Maryland International
Raceway:

ROUND ONE -- John Nobile, Ford Escort, 6.420, 218.62 def. Brian Gahm, Ford Mustang, 7.238, 141.70; Steve Spiess, Chevy Cobalt, 6.398, 217.77 def. Rob Mansfield, Cobalt, 10.066, 106.50; Frank Gugliotta, Escort, 6.375, 220.37 def. Tony Gillig, Mustang, 6.412,218.72; Robert Patrick, Shelby GT 500, 6.367, 219.79 def. Pete Berner, Pontiac GTO, 6.349, 219.97;

SEMIFINALS -- Gugliotta, 6.362, 220.94 def. Nobile, foul; Patrick, 6.312, 220.94 def. Spiess, 6.369, 218.37;

FINAL -- Patrick, 6.320, 221.20 def. Gugliotta, 6.374, 220.80.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2006

PRO Qualifying (1st round TSK Elimination’s) 3:00pm
Order: PS, (Torco Pro Stock Showdown Rd 1), PM, TSK, AFC, NFC, TF
(* 2nd PS qualifying session counts as Rd 1 of the Torco Pro Stock Showdown)

Torco Pro Stock Showdown (Rd 2) 5:30pm

Pre Race Ceremony 6:30pm
“NIGHT OF FIRE” PRO Qualifying 7:00pm
Order: PS, Torco PS Finals, TSK, PM, AFC, SSS-Finals, TSK Finals, NFC, TF, Motz

 

 

 

Budds Creek, Maryland has always been Pro Stock country. While the nitro classes typically draw rave reviews and garner much of the attention at IHRA national events, the fans at Maryland International Raceway always have a special place in their hearts for the Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock class. For the second consecutive season that love affair will have an added dynamic as eight Pro Stock drivers will square off for their piece of a $41,000 payday.

The second annual Tocro’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock Showdown will take place this weekend during the Torco Racing Fuels President’s Cup Nationals. The top eight drivers, who accumulated qualifying points during IHRA national event qualifying sessions since last season’s President’s Cup in Maryland, will compete in the Showdown during Friday and Saturday qualifying at MIR.

 

 

 

Robert Patrick #1 Qualifier

Robert Patrick is the top seed at this season’s Pro Stock Showdown. Patrick, behind the wheel of his Purvis-backed 2007 Shelby GT 500, captured the #1 spot by racking up 1570 qualifying points. Patrick is also the hottest Pro Stock car on the IHRA tour right now. He set both ends of the IHRA world record at the North American Nationals in Epping, N.H. a couple of weeks ago by posting a blistering 6.315 pass at over 221 mph. He also took home the Ironman after defeating Rob Mansfield in the final in New England and currently holds down fourth place in IHRA World Championship points standings.

 

 

 

Pete Berner

Patrick will square off with Pete Berner in the first round of the Showdown. Berner, driving his Performance Mechanical GTO, is the #5 seed with 1,149 points. He is second in IHRA World Championship points standings this season and has chalked up a pair of national event victories on the 2006 IHRA tour. His most recent victory came in Norwalk at the World Nationals, where he topped John Nobile in the final round.

 

 

 

Frank Gugliotta

Frank Gugliotta is the #2 seed at the 2006 Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Showdown. Gugliotta accumulated points last season before getting behind the wheel of Charlie Taylor’s ’05 Escort to start this season. While driving for Taylor he has been able to continue his strong qualifying efforts and claimed the #2 spot with 1,470 points. Gugliotta currently sits third in the IHRA World Championship points standings.

Tony Gillig

 

Tony Gillig will provide Gugliotta’s first round competition. Gillig, the current IHRA Pro Stock points leader, has three national event victories this season behind the wheel of his ASSC Racing ’04 Mustang. He will be the #6 seed in the Pro Stock Showdown as he has racked up 1,100 points.

Steve Spiess

 

Defending IHRA World Champion Steve Spiess is the #3 seed in the Pro Stock Showdown with 1,220 points. Spiess has struggled this season after a dream 2005 year, but he seemingly hit on something in Toronto and might have things turned around. In Toronto he drove his Spiess Construction 2005 Cobalt to a runner-up finish, falling to Rob Mansfield in the final round. After winning the championship last year, Spiess currently sits eighth in IHRA points standings.

 

Rob Mansfield

 

Ironically, Spiess will have a rematch with Mansfield in the first round of the Pro Stock Showdown. Mansfield drove his Wilson Manifolds ’05 Cobalt to his first career national event title in Cayuga and has consistently clocked times in the mid-6.30’s this season. Mansfield, currently fifth in the IHRA points standings, accumulated 974 qualifying points to claim the #7 seed in the Showdown.

John Nobile

 

John Nobile rounds out the top of the Torco’s CompetitionPlus.com Pro Stock Showdown field. The 2004 World Champion drove his Nobile Trucking Escort to the #4 qualifying position with 1,150 points and is currently sixth in the IHRA points standings. His top finish this season was a runner-up finish to Pete Berner at the World Nationals in Norwalk.

Brian Gahm

 

Brian Gahm will provide Nobile’s first-round competition. Gahm, a two-time World Champion, snuck into the Showdown with a strong #2 qualifying effort at the Canadian Nationals in Cayuga, giving him 900 points and moving him past Rick Jones into the final qualifying spot.