BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 19, 2010) - With temperatures in the 90's and high humidity to match, it's definitely air conditioning weather at this weekend's NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. Trane-sponsored Rick Stivers is right at home in the heat, taking the 13th position in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series field and sending local-favorite 'Tricky' Rickie Smith to the trailer early in the first round of eliminations.
Still struggling a bit with his 2006 Dodge Stratus Pro Mod, Stivers earned his spot on the strength of his Friday-night 6.102-second, 236.75 mph pass, much slower than his teammate Jay Payne's 5.998 at 237.13 mph.
"I think we figured out what we had going on with my car, something in the clutch wasn't working right, but Brad [Anderson, team owner and crew chief] and the team got things worked out, and we got past first round against Rickie," Stivers said.
In the matchup against Smith, Stivers took the lead off the starting line and never looked back, recording a 6.182 at 236.05. Smith was disqualified after his car lost traction around mid-track, forcing him to cross the centerline to keep control of his nitrous-powered '68 Camaro.
"It was really slick out there, and we both really had to drive to keep things going. I'm just glad I was able to hold on for the win."
Stivers win matches him with current points-leader Von Smith when eliminations continue Sunday afternoon.
"Von has a heck of a team and he's a really good driver, but I'm sure we've got what it takes to get past him in this next round," Stivers said. "With Jay's car running so well, Brad is able to take the data from that car and apply it to our car in order to give us an advantage.
"I told Brad all we needed to do was put another charge of Freon in this Trane and let it do its thing, because especially in hot weather, it's hard to stop a Trane," Stivers added.
Eliminations continue tomorrow 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).
