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AMS TLR Pro Modified

ADRL Valdosta - Final

Hernandez makes the finals at Dragpalooza

Valdosta, GA – It just kept getting better for Joshua Hernandez and Tommy Lipar Racing Dr. Moon’s Rage. Hernandez posted increasingly better and better elapsed times every time he ran down the track at the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League’s Dragpalooza at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga.

Hernandez took the ’57 Chevy Bel Air all the way to the finals with bracket racing-like consistency. In the timing system-delayed final round contested Sunday morning, Hernandez luck ran out, shaking the tires hard immediately after the launch and forcing him to lift just long enough to let the eventual winner, Bil Clanton, take the stripe for the win and the $10,000 prize.

“What can I say,” said Hernandez. “I’m totally disappointed with the loss – we were running so good.

“[Crew chief] Howard [Moon] threw everything at it because we knew we’d have to run a really low 4 or maybe even a 3 in order to win,” he said.

In his freshman year driving a Pro Modified car, Hernandez has continually improved with his driving skills and consistency at the line. After an exciting win at his home track in Houston Texas, and strongly qualifying at every AMS Pro Modified Challenge event to date, Hernandez is not hanging his head in defeat.

“After a loss like that, you have to look at what it took to get there and give credit to the team. They worked their tails off to turn the car around six times yesterday and the come back today to do it all again. Every time we went to the line the car was practically perfect,” he said.

Dr. Moon’s Rage team didn’t have any time to lick their wounds from the final round loss – they had to turn around the car for another round of the team competition as part of the Dragpalooza event. The unique raceday format features three sessions of 11 pairings each, with team members from the AMS All-Stars facing off against the Pro Mod Outlaws repeatedly racing each other. No one will be eliminated by a loss, but the winner of each race receives one point for their team, plus one point to be awarded for both low e.t. and top speed following each session, making a total of 39 points available for the event.

Commenting about the team racing and 1/8 mile format, Howard Moon said, “I like running these events – you still get the full force and excitement of the racing, but the shorter track saves a lot of wear and tear on the car and parts.

“As far as team competition, its fun. For me, I always focus on winning, so there really is no difference for me. Every time I walk a car to the line I’m there with a set-up to win,” Moon said.

ADRL - Valdosta - Preview

Hernandez Ready to Rock at Dragpalooza in Valdosta

After a grueling month of back-to-back racing for Joshua Hernandez and the Tommy Lipar Racing Dr. Moon’s Rage Pro Modified drag racing team, time off has sparked a new vision and drive for the Pro Mod season. With one event win to his credit, Hernandez has used the past several weeks off to focus on his driving skills and prepare for this weekend’s “Dragpalooza,” in Valdosta, Georgia, part of the Flowmaster American Drag Racing League.

“It’s been nice having some time off – four weeks of intense racing in a row is tough,” said Hernandez. “I have to say, though, I’m anxious to get back in the car and do what I love – drag racing.”

In just his second event as a Pro Mod driver, Hernandez won top honors, taking first place at his home track in Houston, Texas. He was able to qualify at the other three events, but succumbed to mechanical glitches and learning pains at Las Vegas, Belle Rose. Louisiana and Bristol, Tenn.

“I think our success in Houston set me up to expect that this might be easy, but the truth of racing hit me hard after that. I really learned a lot and am very pleased with what I have been able to accomplish in only five events this year. My team is incredible and I know this weekend we’ll definitely put on a great show for the fans,” he said.

“We have done a lot of work on the car and found a few problems with our suspension that had been troubling us and costing us time at half-track. With the testing we’ve done and Dr. Moon’s ingenious work, I am confident things will keep moving forward this weekend,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez will be competing as part of the American Drag Racing League’s Outlaw Pro Modified series, which is sponsored by Flowmaster. The fan-centric event is begin held at south Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta Ga May 20-22. Friday, may 20 will feature Pro testing beginning at 6:00 p.m., and Saturday will feature Pro Modified qualifying, with racing action beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eliminations will run on Sunday.

“This will be a really fun event. The fans should have a great time, and we’ll get to show them what Pro Mods are all about.

“I’m confident we’ll really do well,” Hernandez said.

BRISTOL - Sunday

Series Champion Ashley makes NHRA Pro Modified history with third consecutive win; Extends points lead by 680 points

BRISTOL, Tenn. – If defending NHRA AMS TLR Champion Mike Ashley were gambling today his number would have been 11. The Torco Race Fuels-sponsored driver entered eliminations from the dismal 11th position and proceeded to make chicken salad out of…well you know what – 6.11s. Ashley used an arsenal of thunderous elapsed times to record his third consecutive national event victory in as many weeks.

His impressive victory at the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals marked the second time in his career he’s win at Bristol Dragway, his self-proclaimed home away from his Long Island, NY home.

“What an incredible way to cap off four weeks on the road,” Ashley exclaimed as he accepted his sixth career event championship. “My team showed character and mental toughness that goes beyond incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever been as proud of anyone as I am of them at this moment. They are the heroes today. I am just fortunate to stand up here and accept the trophy on their behalf.

“When you look at the championships won in this class, no one has ever won three in a row in NHRA competition. This is quite an incredible feat.”

Ashley nailed down consecutive demoralizing 6.119, 6.110 and 6.119 runs to dispel any notions that he may be losing his momentum. Those runs accounted for decisive victories over Joey Martin, Thomas Patterson and co-owner of the event low elapsed time Quain Stott.

In the final round, Ashley conjured up a 6.136, 230.57 to repel the efforts of an upset-minded Zach Barklage.

The victory gives Ashley a 680 point lead with seven events left in the season. Don’t think for a moment the mortgage banker by trade has any plans of slowing down. Well, maybe a day or two.

“I owe that to my guys,” Ashley added. “We’ll take a few days to refresh. But, you can count on us being ready to get after it then with even more intensity. When we committed to defending this championship, it was not an idle threat. It was a promise.”

Hernandez Comes up Short in Bristol

Bristol, Tennessee – “Even when you do everything right, sometimes you just get beat,” Joshua Hernandez said, shaking his head. After a rain-soaked weekend, Hernandez lost to Troy Coughlin in the first round of eliminations of the AMS/TLR Pro Modified Challenge at the O’Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals.

Hernandez beat Coughlin off of the starting line by almost a tenth of a second: .066 seconds to .150 seconds. From there, Hernandez lead until about half-track, where Coughlin drove past him to take the stripe.

“I had him, and I knew if I could just hold on, we’d make it to the next round. I really wanted to change Howard’s luck at his home track, but I guess it just wasn’t meant to be today,” Hernandez said.

Crew chief Howard Moon said, “Joshua did great, but the car didn’t have enough power to win. We were working on a few things and we just didn’t get aggressive enough.

“The rain really hurt us,” Moon continued. “We didn’t have a chance to get any data at all, so we just had to estimate our settings based on what I’ve run here in the past.”

Hernandez added, “Anything can happen on race day – and even if everything works right, you still need a little bit of luck. We’ll just keep moving forward and try again in Valdosta.”

The next event for the Tommy Lipar Racing Dr/ Moon’s Rage ’57 Chevy is the ADRL Dragpalooza May 20-22 in Valdosta Georgia. The Next NHRA event is CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, June 9-12 at the Route 66 Raceway just outside of Chicago, IL.

For more information about Joshua Hernandez, Howard Moon and the Tommy Lipar Race team, visit the team website at: www.tommyliparracing.com.

BRISTOL - Saturday

Ashley slips and slides his way into field at #11; Races former car in the first round

BRISTOL, Tenn. – When you’ve won back-to-back national events, the rule of thumb for a potential three-peat is that one must qualify. That’s exactly the scenario that was staring defending NHRA AMS/TLR Pro Modified World Champion Mike Ashley directly in the face headed into the second day of qualifications for the O’Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.

It may have been a run so ugly that only a mother could love, but it was enough to secure the Torco Race Fuels-sponsored driver a place in the 16-car field for Sunday’s final eliminations. Ashley wound up 11th out of 22 invited entries with a 6.979, 220.55.

“We went to the line knowing full well that could be the only chance we’d get to qualify in the show,” Ashley said. “In these situations, the weather mandates what you can and can’t do. With rain clouds all around the race track, we knew there was no margin for error.

“She sputtered, spun and shook a bit…but she made it to the finish line. As I said, it was ugly. I guess if there’s a silver lining to this dark cloud – 11th is essentially two #1s put side-by-side.”

By virtue of his qualifying position, Ashley will face Joey Martin driving a 1941 Willys that the Gotham City Racing team owner drove to the winner’s circle in Dallas during the 2002 season.

“That’s a car that I’m very familiar with,” Ashley added. “We’re just going to be ready tomorrow and do what we know how to do. Our wish is that we do it better than any of the team’s we face.”

Hernandez Drives Dr. Moon’s Rage into Sunday Eliminations

Bristol, Tenn. -- Joshua Hernandez managed to squeeze in one qualifying session between rain showers Saturday and qualified for tomorrow's running of the O'Reilly Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway.

The driver of the Tommy Lipar Racing Dr. Moon’s Rage ’57 Chevy muscled his way down the quarter-mile in Thunder Valley in the only session of the day to take the 9th spot in the ladder. Hernandez ran a 6.602 second, 197.25 mile per hour pass, driving perilously close to the left guard wall near the finish line.

"Our run wasn't pretty, but we got in the field and that's ultimately the most important thing," said Hernandez. “I got a little bit out of the groove near the top-end, and pedaled a bit trying to keep it straight. It really looked a lot worse than it was – that’s the way these cars drive, always giving the fans a thrill.

“We'll just come back tomorrow and get after it when it counts the most,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez will square off with No. 8 qualifier, Troy Coughlin, in the opening round of eliminations, beginning at 12:00 p.m.

Crew chief and Tennessee resident, Howard Moon, explained, “We came in here trying to work on a few things, but we didn’t get enough runs to learn what we need to do. Normally, we get three runs to adjust to the weather and track conditions. This weekend was obviously not that way.

“Tomorrow,” Moon said, “we’ll just be driving by Braille. Hopefully, we’ll make the right adjustments to get Josh down the track.”

Hernandez added, “Then, all I have to do is my job of nailing the tree and keeping it in the groove.”

BRISTOL - Pre-Race

Ashley brings back-to-back wins into Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Nothing warms the heart more upon returning to one’s home away from home than to do so with back-to-back victories in their hip pocket. That’s the good fortune that has defending AMS TLR Pro Modified World Champion Mike Ashley excited about heading into Bristol Dragway, a facility that he’s developed a fondness for since winning his first career national event victory in 1990. The Torco Race Fuels-sponsored driver’s shop is located a stone’s throw from the facility.

“I love racing in Bristol,” Ashley said. “I am very proud of the accomplishments my team has worked hard for. This is a special race for all of us. Two brothers on my team, Mark and Allen Adkins, live in Bristol. To win for them in front of their friends and family would be great. We are certainly going to do everything we can to bring that to fruition.

“We were able to gain the points lead last week in Louisiana and that creates a great deal of confidence. Winning in Las Vegas while running in a high altitude has prepared us for the challenge of Bristol’s atmospheric conditions.”

Despite the success, Ashley remains confident but realistic.

"In this deal you go from hero to zero if you are not careful. Its all about the gameplan. We will continue with our plan just the same as if we hadn't won Vegas and Belle Rose. We are committed to defending our championship with everything we have. "

It seems like a distant memory but just two weeks ago, Ashley ran roughshod over the field in Las Vegas after qualifying second. He went on to defeat point leader Jay Payne in the final round. Last week, he yielded pretty much a “same result – different day” performance in defeating Frankie Taylor in the final round. The common denominator was the #2 qualifying position.

One would think the #2 would be considered his favorite number, and in 1990, when Ashley won his first career event championship at the expense of Blake Wiggins, it has created a bit of déjà vu’. That triumph came from the #2 seeding.

“Winning from the top spot is great, but I think we have proven you don’t have to be the quickest car in qualifying to win the event,” Ashley added. “Even when we ran only eight-car fields, any position was winnable. You certainly didn’t want to be on the top spot. You became prime target material.”

The one thing Ashley hopes doesn’t happen in the same fashion is the shutdown incident that played out almost 15 years ago in the Bristol shutdown area. In a hurry to celebrate his victory, the Long Island, NY-based mortgage banker opened his door in the shutdown area just as Wiggins passed.

Wiggins parachute snagged the door on Ashley’s sleek Beretta and took it with him.

“I thought to myself…what the?” Ashley said with a smile. “Then I focused my attention back on the fact I had just won.”

And Ashley was smiling again…door, or no door.

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