Round one of the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Services was a sign of the change to come at Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol TN over the weekend. Bob Rahaim squeaked out holeshot by fewer than two-hundredths of a second over Mike Janis on his way to a .007-second ET advantage over the reigning E3 Spark Plugs Pro Mod series champion. No sooner had the tire smoke settled before the event's number qualifier, Todd Tutterow, was a spectator as well. Tutterow ended his chance at winning another Wally with a .005-second red light foul leaving the starting line.
Pro Mod points' leader Stevie "Fast" Jackson claimed an opening round win over Steve Matusek with .028-second RT followed by an elapsed time of 5.861 seconds. Winner of the last round of Pro Mod, Khalid AlBalooshi gained lane choice over Rahaim with the low ET of the round at 254.62 mph. Sidnei Frigo snagged lane choice over Steve"Fast" after eliminating Eric Latino with second quickest run of Round One. Jackson would lose his second round battle to Frigo and Tutterow did not advance out of the Round Two leaving a lot of new names headed to the Finals.
After Rahaim defeated defending Pro Mod series champion Mike Janis, he eliminated Khalid AlBalooshi and Sidnei Frigo on his way to face Jose Gonzalez in the Finals. After Tutterow's red-light foul in the opening round, Gonzalez went on to eliminate Brandon Snider and Erica Enders to earn his the third Final appearance of his career. Gonzalez was first off the light in Final run against Rahaim and posted a 5.848-second ET at 256.06 mph, which was the fastest speed recorded at the Bristol Pro Mod event. Rahaim ran a 5.914 at 238.72 mph. The win at the Thunder Valley Nationals was Gonzalez's second. His first Wally came last season at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals.
The E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Services returns to action at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, at Motorsports Park on Friday, June 21-23.
Photo courtesy of RPM: Real Pro Mod
Featuring the world’s fastest and most exotic doorslammer racecars, the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service offers something for every kind of drag racing fan. With more than 3,000 horsepower, the "suspended door" Pro Mod cars travel the quarter-mile in less than six seconds at speeds exceeding 250 mph. Visit Real Pro Mod online to learn more.
