BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 16, 2010) - According to Weather.com, it's raining in Bristol, Tenn. today, and there's a chance of rain tomorrow, but the weekend forecast calls for "abundant sunshine" and temperatures close to 90 degrees. Rick Stivers, driver of the Trane-backed 2006 Dodge Stratus Pro Mod, has seen his share of rain this season, and he's seen heat, too. But he's really feeling the heat right now as the Get Screened America Pro Mods prepare to contest their sixth of ten races during the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Stivers, who owns and operates an award-winning HVAC company in Lexington, Ky., said he knows what to do in a situation like this: "Get out of the heat as fast as you can, and turn on your Trane." And that's exactly what he plans to do.
Before last weekend's NHRA Pro Mod race in Englishtown, N.J., Stivers had moved into tenth place in the championship standings - but after failing to qualify because of faulty batteries in his car, he dropped into a tie for 14th, just a few points out of the top ten.
"I love it when things get hot," Stivers explained. "At the air conditioning company, it means we get more business - and more business is good. In racing, when you're talking about having a big hill to climb, it means to you have to look at everything and analyze what's working and what's not - and then make changes.
"Last week, the batteries we had put in the car failed - even though they were the ultra-light weight kind that was supposed to be the very best. Brad [Anderson, team owner and crew chief] and I had a long talk after that happened, and we've got a plan to get out of the heat and back on track.
"I can tell you this - there won't be any of those 'special' batteries anywhere around my car for the rest of the season," he said with a laugh.
"There are still five full races left and a whole lot of points, and I know that we have what it takes to get this car down the track. I know I'm a good driver - I can cut a light with the best of them and we will get right back up there in the points chase. Put it all together, and mix in a little bit of luck, and we'll be just fine."
Stivers admitted that luck comes because of thorough preparation and attention to detail, but said he was confident that the team could make it happen.
"These guys are the very best team around. Bottom line - they love what they do, and they are amazing at it. The heat might be on, but you've got to remember - it's hard to stop a Trane!" Stivers said.
Qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, June 18 and the final qualifying session is at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday June 19. The first round of eliminations begins Saturday evening at 4:30 p.m. and continue on Sunday, June 20, starting at approximately 2 p.m. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 30-minutes of racing highlights from the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series portion of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals Sunday, June 27 at 1:30 p.m. (EDT).
