Well, he does have a history of running quick and fast in Bradenton.

A month after dominating the U.S. Street Nationals from start to finish, Mark Micke continued his barrage of boost with the provisional pole position at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod. Other professional qualifying leaders include Bo Butner (Mountain Moto Pro Stock) and Ron Green (PRO 10.5 Challenge).

“I'm really confident – we threw that 3.59 in the heat. That was a style run,” said Micke, who mentioned having a staging snafu with Vergotz during Q3. “It lit a fire under my ass. If you have a bad run, it just motivates me harder. I got all the confidence in the world. I’ve learned that when you’re on a roll, you just ride it. I wish eliminations were tomorrow because I’m ready.”

Micke's 3.598-second pass at 220.94 MPH after three sessions puts him atop the field of cars with at least 64 drivers vying for a spot in the 32-car field that pays $100,000 to win. 

Butner drove his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage ’20 Camaro Mountain Motor Pro Stock entry in the second annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational to the top with two runs in the eighth-mile 4.09-second range before reeling off a 4.06 at 178.15 for the provisional top spot.
 
“It's good to have a great team and great car behind you,” said Butner. “You have a lot of confidence when you're capable of showing up and winning. It's not always that way. I drove a lot of stuff for a lot of other people and didn't have that feeling. It's still new to me. That was my fourth hit ever. It's different than driving my 500-inch Pro Stock Camaro, but this is a lot of fun too. I can't wait to get on a quarter mile next week.”

Green, an Outlaw 10.5 favorite, drove his ProCharged 2000 Firebird to a 3.97 at 198.32 to take over the provisional No. 1 spot in the third qualifying session. Tuned by son Ronnie Green Jr., Green took the top spot from fellow class veteran Jerry Morgano. 
 
“We needed that run out there,” Green said referencing the thrash they had Thursday night, thanking DiSomma Racing Engines, Justin Smith, Stan Shelton, and Joel Wensley for help with parts. “We had to put a sleeve in and we got it all back together. My son does the tuning and I give him all the props because I'm just holding the steering wheel.” 
 
Sportsman racing is also represented with the inaugural Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship presented by FTI Performance and the inaugural Intercontinental Top Dragster Championship presented by FTI Performance. PDRA standouts Bryan LaFlam (Top Sportsman) and Frank Falter IV (Top Dragster) are the provisional low qualifiers after three Friday sessions. 
 
All classes are scheduled to get two more qualifying sessions on Saturday before drawing chips to determine first-round pairings for Sunday eliminations.