GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 8) -- After a decade of existence as an exhibition class, the Pro Mod cars are now a fully sanctioned NHRA class, and team owner/driver Roger Burgess couldn't be happier.
"A lot of people contributed a lot of time and effort to make this happen," Burgess said. "By becoming an official class it legitimizes everything we've been doing. Racing for Wally (trophies) is going to be very exciting. Everyone wants one of those little gold men. They are the NHRA's iconic symbol of success.
"Being on ESPN2 also will help tremendously, especially with bringing corporate sponsors to the table for all of our competitors. This is big year for us."
Since the announcement of the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, the requests for a spot in the elite field have gone off the charts.
"It's a historic time for Pro Mods and we've been overwhelmed with requests from teams that want to take part in the series," Burgess said. "The NHRA was kind enough to push our number of entries for Gainesville from 24 to 28 and we still have several more wanting in."
Burgess himself will be among the drivers looking to claim the first Wally at the 41st annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals starting Friday at Gainesville Raceway.
"We have a brand-new '67 Camaro we wanted to use in 2010 but it hasn't tested very well so we've decided to start the season in one of last year's cars, a '63 Corvette," he said. "We obviously still have quite a bit of confidence in that car. We'll get the new one figured out and have it on track as soon as it's ready.
"If the weather cooperates, we could see the first all five-second field at this track. Every car on the entry list has run in the fives and half have run 5.8s. The fans are in for a treat."
When not at the racetrack, Burgess manages several businesses, which he says makes the downtime between seasons go quickly. But once the calendar gets close, the owner and founder of ProCare Rx and R2B2 Motors says he takes steps to get in a racing frame of mind.
"When the off-season first arrives you have to kind of forget about driving if you can," Burgess said. "When I'm out of the car I have a lot of other interests to keep me occupied so it's not too tough to get through it all.
"When the season gets closer I begin training. I do a lot of visualization. I'll try to remember the best run we've ever made and just relive it over and over in my mind. You want to train yourself to instinctively do all the things that make it a good run."
Part of that instinct is to get the feel for what it's going to be like on race day.
"I put my firesuit on at the shop and just wear it around," Burgess said. "It's important to be as comfortable as possible in your gear so I'll wear it until I realize I forgot I was wearing it, then I know I'm used to having it on.
"We have a practice tree as well. It doesn't replicate the car completely, and it certainly doesn't react like the car, but it keeps you mentally sharp and gets your mind to focus.
"We've got a big season ahead of us. It's about to start and we're all very excited. I can't wait to fire up the car on Friday."
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