CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS PREPARE FOR TOUGH BATTLE AS NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD TOUR HEADS TO CHARLOTTE
CONCORD, N.C. - Only two races remain in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series season, and as many as six drivers are realistically in the championship title hunt.
Most of the top 10 drivers actually remain mathematically eligible on paper, but with a maximum of 113 points available to a Pro Mod driver at each event, only a handful of the top five can legitimately make a run at series leader Von Smith. The back half of the top 10 would need Smith to take a vacation during the final two events to have a shot. And among the few challengers within range, most will need to be at the top of their game and hope Smith turns in a sub-par performance if they're to have any hope of a championship comeback effort.
That's why competitive fires among the top 10 Pro Mod teams will be burning at a maximum intensity level at the third annual O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals, Sept. 16-19 at spectacular zMAX Dragway, which sits just northeast of downtown Charlotte, N.C. The race, which will be televised on ESPN2 HD, is the ninth of 10 events in the inaugural season for NHRA's newest national touring series.
Smith, who won three races during the season in his Barwa/Al-Anabi Racing '68 Camaro, leads second place driver and Houston winner Danny Rowe by 74 points. Smith holds a 106-point lead over Gainesville winner Kenny Lang, who sits in third place in the standings.
Troy Coughlin in his JEGS.com '67 Camaro and hard-charging Brad Personett, who claimed his first series win two weeks ago at Indy in his red turbo-charged '68 Camaro, are fourth and fifth overall, respectively, and could get to the top of the standings should Smith have another weekend like he did at Indy and either one of them races to victory. Smith suffered a rare stumble at the world's most prestigious drag race, and was upset in the opening round of eliminations.
While those drivers' hopes remain high, on the other side of the coin, should Smith finish the event with at least a 114-point lead over second place, he will wrap up the first NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series title in NHRA history with one event remaining on the schedule.
Featuring the world's fastest and most unique doorslammer cars with an extremely diverse collection of vehicles, including '63 Corvettes, '68 Camaros, '67 Mustangs, '68 Firebirds as well as late model cars, the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series offers something for every kind of hot-rodding enthusiast.
In addition to the drivers in the series championship mix, other pre-race favorites in the category are Norwalk winner Pat Musi, Jay Payne, Melanie Troxel, Roger Burgess, Ray Commisso, Burton Auxier, Joe Baker, and Mike Knowles.
Three local favorites, King, N.C.'s Rickie Smith, Roxboro, N.C.'s Chip King and Gilbert, S.C.'s Ed Hoover, are expected to have plenty of fan support in the pits.
* SCHEDULE: Get Screened America qualifying sessions are scheduled for 2 and 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 and at 11 a.m. on Sept. 18. The first round of Pro Mod eliminations begins on Sept. 18 at 4:30 p.m. Pro Mod eliminations resume on Sept. 19 at approximately 3 p.m.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals. Please call zMAX Dragway at (800) 455-3267 or visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com to purchase tickets online.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise 30-minutes of racing highlights from the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series portion of the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals on Sunday, Sept. 26, at 10:30 a.m. (ET).
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES POINT STANDINGS
UPDATED 9/6/2010 (Following the eighth of 10 races; victories in parentheses)
1. Von Smith, Oak Ridge, Tenn., Barwa / Al-Anabi Racing '68 Camaro (3) 528
2. Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills, Calif., Sterling Bridge '68 Camaro (1) 454
3. Kenny Lang, Manitoba, Canada, Kenny Lang Racing '53 Corvette (1) 422
4. Troy Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, JEGS.com '68 Camaro 382
5. Brad Personett, Elkhart, Ind., Personett Performance '68 Camaro (1) 360
6. Ed Hoover, Gilbert, S.C., Trussell Construction '68 Camaro 358
7. Joe Baker, Milton, Fla.,'68 Firebird 353
8. Jay Payne, Ontario, Calif., FireIce '68 Camaro 359
9. Raymond Commisso, Toronto, OntarioPro Care RX '68 Camaro 340
10. Scott Ray, Greenville, Ohio, Ohio Crankshaft '53 Corvette 333
