PRO MOD

With help from Jimmy Rector's tuning skills, Mitch Stott continued his recent dominance of IHRA Pro Mod competition by nailing down the number-one qualifying spot with a 6.15 at 227.46 mph pass. But the buzz in the pits surrounded Shannon Jenkins' 6.209 at 222.55 in his nitrous-assisted '68 Camaro, making it the quickest pass in nitrous Pro Mod history.

Shannon Jenkins said "conditions were good" at Rockingham for his quickest-ever nitrous pass, but stressed his Awesome Motorsports team also "just made the right corrections on the car."

Those most pleased by Jenkins' effort were rival racers in blown entries since his performance means it's now harder to justify new rules to slow the supercharged cars down to a nitrous pace. Jenkins recognized the irony, but said he has to worry about racing and being competitive; not how it may affect behind-the-scene developments. Still, he stressed, "a .15 is still a long way to go."

Jenkins pointed out he gains his time early in a run, but the differential down track between the combinations hasn't changed. For comparison, here are the progressives for Jenkins' run at the Rock, Stott's number-one pass there, and Fred Hahn's record-setting pass at the NHRA Gatornationals a couple of weeks back:

Jenkins: 60-ft: .991; 330 ft: 2.66; eighth-mile: 4.030/180.50; 1000-ft: n/a; quarter-mile: 6.209/222.55.

Stott: 60-ft: 1.00; 330 ft: 2.65; eighth-mile: 4.01/181.77; 1000-ft: n/a; quarter-mile: 6.156/227.46.

Hahn: 60-ft: 1.023; 330 ft: 2.659; eighth-mile: 3.994/183.41; 1000-ft: 5.153; quarter-mile: 6.139/225.84.

PERSONAL BESTS

In addition to Jenkins, at least five other Pro Mod drivers recorded personal best times during qualifying at Rockingham.

Harold Martin's 2002 Grand Am is the only electronic fuel-injected entry in Pro Modified competition.

Roy Hill, making a return to competition this season after more than five years away, was the big surprise of the event, going 6.212 at 225.52 mph in his Hemi-powered 2003 Mustang to nail down the number-five position. Next was Rickie Smith in eighth place, with a personal best 6.238 at 223.39 in his bright red '63 Corvette. Right behind Smith came Harold Martin, who tied his personal best time with a 6.248 at 223.14.

Annette Summer qualified in Pro Mod for the first time in her career and went quicker than ever before when her nitrous-injected '57 Chevy covered the Rock's quarter-mile in 6.284 seconds and at 219.84 mph. She wound up 13th, while Paul Athey secured the 16th and final qualifying position with a personal best 6.306 at 221.16 mph in Quain Stott's 1963 Corvette nitrous entry. It was the second-quickest Pro Mod field in IHRA history, beaten only by last fall's race at Rockingham where the bump was 6.303 seconds.

Roy Hill debuted his OdoBan-backed Mustang Pro Mod at the NHRA Gatornationals a couple of weeks earlier and plans to run the full NHRA circuit this season. Hill, a long-time Pro Stock racer, said he entered the IHRA event at Rockingham at the last minute in order to gain some seat time in the class.

NEXT PAGE >>