SATURDAY - CASTELLANA CASHES IN; PERSONETT LEADS QUALIFYING
The eight competitors in the Matco Tools $35,000 clash were reduced to one, with Mike Castellana dispatching his Al-Anabi teammate Burton Auxier in the final to take the prize. (Below) Brad Personett continues to thunder behind the wheel of his turbocharged Camaro.
The day's lone qualifying session saw Brad Personett blast to a track record ET of 5.965 seconds at 245.45 mph and Jay Payne follow closely with a 5.971 at 240.38 to take No. 2. In all, six drivers were in the five-second zone and rookie Kirk Wilmes took the No. 16 spot with a 6.125 at 231.52 - the quickest ever field and bump spot for the Las Vegas track.
The eight competitors in the Matco Tools $35,000 clash were reduced to one, with Mike Castellana dispatching his Al-Anabi teammate Burton Auxier in the final to take the prize. Coincidentally, Castellana, the No. 6 qualifier in the event, will face Auxier, the No. 11 qualifier, again in the first round of eliminations Sunday morning. Auxier's path to the finals included victories over Raymond Commisso and Jay Payne, and Castellana's path took him through Tim Tindle and Roger Burgess.
When receiving the check from Matco Tools Top Fuel driver Antron Brown, Castellana said, "It really is a privilege to win this, because these cars were the very best. The competition is fierce, and it really means a lot to us as a team to win this Clash."
Auxier will have a target on his back during eliminations, as both Danny Rowe and Roger Burgess are within two round-wins of passing him. And, in an extremely long-shot, Joe Baker could upset them all with a victory in the event and first-round losses for all three.
Eliminations are scheduled to begin Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m. and conclude later in the day.
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FRIDAY - TROXEL QUALIFIES NO. 1 AND ESTABLISHES NEW TRACK RECORD
Melanie Troxel blasted to the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot in Friday's lone qualifying session of the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals. The second round of qualifying was cancelled due to excessive track delays.
Troxel’s run of 5.974 seconds re-set the track ET record. Along with Troxel, there were three cars in the five-second zone, including Jay Payne and Joe Baker.
Qualifying will continue Saturday with a final round scheduled for 11:00 a.m. The Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash will be contested in its entirety throughout the day, with rounds scheduled for 11:20 a.m., 1:15 p.m. and the finals at 4:30 p.m. Event eliminations are scheduled to run on Sunday.
AGATE:
1 Melanie Troxel 5.974*/242.15
2 Jay Payne 5.990/240.12
3 Joe Baker 5.998/238.13
4 Danny Rowe 6.000/242.19
5 Chip King 6.014/238.72
6 Kenny Lang 6.021/239.57
7 Kirk Kuhns 6.029/238.55
8 Rickie Smith 6.042/232.79
9 Burton Auxier 6.049/234.98
10 Kirk Wilmes 6.125/231.52
11 Mike Castellana 6.153/200.77
12 Vern Mills 6.294/224.14
13 Tommy D'Aprile 6.297/225.45
14 Tim Tindle 6.368/231.71
15 Scott Bailey 6.447/226.01
16 Rod Pearce 6.454/226.51
-----NOT QULALIFIED------
17 Brad Personett 8.054/115.53
18 Mike Knowles 8.904/105.6
19 Rick Stivers 9.183/100.76
20 Dennis Radford 9.343/102.91
21 Raymond Commisso 12.653/71.46
DNQ Roger Burgess LBT
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CONFERENCE CALL ESTABLISHES PAIRINGS FOR MATCO TOOLS PRO MOD CLASH
 On a conference call Tuesday evening that included participants from California to Florida to Canada and cities in between, the first-round pairings were set by random draw for the Matco Tools $35,000 Pro Mod Clash in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals.
Anxious to learn their fates, the drivers clamored to "get started" as series administrator Matthew Brammer hosted the call and drew the names from an NHRA ball-cap. Joe Baker was the first name called, followed by former world champion Jay Payne. Next, Raymond Commisso was drawn and paired with current points leader Burton Auxier.
Commisso said, "It figures. Match me against the guy who's number one. But that's ok, we'll take him on."
In the bottom half of the ladder, Danny Rowe was paired with Roger Burgess setting up what promises to be one of the best matches. The two drivers have shown incredible consistency all season long and are separated by only five points in their bids to become the next Pro Mod Challenge World Champion.
Rowe said, "Well, I'll have to get it out of the way early. This will be a great race."
The other two drivers, Tim Tindle - a former Clash winner - and Mike Castellana rounded out the ladder and set the field for each driver to take their shot at winning the $25,000 grand prize.
The weekend's racing schedule has been modified from what was originally posted on the NHRA website.
The first round of qualifying on Friday for all cars competing in the event is scheduled for 12:00 p.m., and the first round of the Matco Tools Clash is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., followed by the remaining cars in their second round of qualifying. Saturday's schedule begins with the semifinals of the clash scheduled at 11:00 a.m. followed by the final qualifying session for the remaining cars. The finals of the Clash will be contested at 1:15 p.m. following the third qualifying round of nitro Funny Car. Event eliminations will be run in their entirety on Sunday, November 1.
Eliminations Ladder for the Matco Tools $35,000 Pro Mod Clash
Round One:
Joe Baker* vs Jay Payne
Burton Auxier* vs Raymond Commisso
Danny Rowe vs Roger Burgess*
Tim Tindle vs Mike Castellana*
* indicates lane choice
Round Two:
Winner of Baker v Payne vs winner of Auxier v Commisso
Winner of Rowe v Burgess vs winner of Tindle v Castellana
Finals:
Remaining winners will race each other
NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Pro Mod Challenge racing schedule
Friday, Oct. 30
12:00 Pro Mod Q-1
6:00 Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash R-1
Pro Mod Q-2
Saturday, Oct. 31
11 am Pro Mod Q-3
Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash R-2
1: 15 pm Matco Tools Pro Mod Clash Final
Sunday, Nov. 1
9:15 am Pro Mod R-1
10:00 am Pre-Race Ceremonies
11:00 am Balance of eliminations
6-9 P.M. Pro Mod Awards Celebration - Monte Carlo Main Ballroom
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FIELD SET FOR MATCO TOOLS PRO MOD CLASH IN LAS VEGAS
Following tooth-and-nail battles to qualify, the field is finally set for an exciting conclusion to the Matco Tools $35,000 Pro Mod Clash at the NHRA Las  Vegas Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas.
The final qualifiers who will face off for a chance to win the $25,000 grand prize are Burton Auxier, Roger Burgess, Danny Rowe, Mike Castellana, Joe Baker, Raymond Commisso, Jay Payne and Tim Tindle.
Pairings will be made in a teleconference with the drivers, with lane choice going to the driver with the most points.
Series administrator Matthew Brammer said, "This has been an awesome competition for our drivers, and we've seen a lot of cut throat competition trying to get into the Clash. We can't thank Matco enough for being a part of our season. They have added a huge boost to the excitement of every round."
Eliminations in the Matco Pro Mod Clash will begin Friday evening October 30, in the second round of qualifying for the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge at the NHRA Las Vegas Nationals, and will continue on Saturday, with the final round being contested in a special feature race Saturday afternoon.
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