NEW YORK’S CASTELLANA EXCITED FOR TITLE CHANCES AS NHRA GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES HEADS TO ENGLISHTOWN
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. – Missing the first two races of the season isn’t the best way for a driver to start a championship hunt. In the 10-race schedule for the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, missing two races means that 20 percent of the season is gone. Statistics say a move like that all but guarantees a driver would be out of the championship hunt.
Mike Castellana doesn’t want to know the odds.
After missing the first two races of the season, the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals and the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals in Las Vegas, Castellana has scored a win and runner-up finish at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston and the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta.
After not even appearing on the point standings after two races into the season, Castellana enters the NHRA SuperNationals, the fifth stop in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series in ninth place, within reasonable distance from first-place driver Khalid Balooshi.
“We always hope that we do good,” said Castellana “It’s going to be pretty tough because we missed those races. Honestly I’m not even looking at the points right now. I’m just looking to go out there at each race and have a good time this season.”
A return to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park for Castellana is more than just a trip to his home track. Sure it’s the closest track on the circuit to this native of Westbury, N.Y., and Castellana plans on having many family members and friends out to cheer him on. But it’s also the site of Castellana’s first final round appearance in the NHRA Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
“It’s always good to race in front of your home crowd and to go to the final round was great for us,” said Castellana. “Von (Smith, last year’s winner) was one of our teammates, so going into that final round, it was a win-win situation for our teams. And to be in the final round at my hometown track was just an amazing experience.”
With the schedule as tight as it is, and the competition as strong as ever in the series, Castellana knows that missing or failing to qualify for the remaining races in the season is not an option. But he also knows that the NHRA SuperNationals is more than just a regular race, especially for him.
“The way we’ve been running so far this year, I think we really have a good chance at winning there,” said Castellana. “I’ve never won in Englishtown, so it would be really, really nice to win in front of the hometown crowd. Who knows, this might be our year to win it.”
Castellana will have plenty of competition as the series heads to Englishtown, N.J. Pro Mod points leader Balooshi swept the first two events of the season in his Speedtech ’68 Camaro, and second place driver Ed Hoover is hungry to get his second win of the season after taking the Wally in Atlanta. Team owner and driver Roger Burgess, who has posted the lowest elapsed times at every race so far this season, hopes to turn those quick runs into his first win of the season.
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.
The NHRA SuperNationals will also be part of the 60th anniversary celebration of NHRA. Legendary Top Fuel pilot “Big Daddy” Don Garlits will be on hand to sign autographs, meet fans, and participate in the festivities.
• SCHEDULE: Get Screened America qualifying sessions are scheduled for 3:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on June 3 and at 1:45 p.m. on June 4. The first round of Pro Mod eliminations begins on June 4 at 4:15 p.m. Pro Mod eliminations resume on June 5.
• TICKETS: Tickets are available for the NHRA SuperNationals. Please call (732) 446-7800 or visit www.racewaypark.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 NHRA SuperNationals on Sunday, June 12 at 1:30 p.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 5/15/2011 (Following the fourth of 10 races; victories in parentheses)
1. Khalid Balooshi, Dubai, UAE, Speedtech ’68 Camaro (2) 342
2. Ed Hoover, Gilbert, S.C., Trussell Racing ’68 Camaro (1) 254
3. Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills, Calif., Sterling Bridge ’67 Camaro 227
4. Rickie Smith, King, N.C., Rickie Smith Racing ‘68 Camaro 226
5. Kenny Lang, Manitoba, Canada, Summit Racing Equipment ’53 Corvette 223
6. Roger Burgess, Duluth, Ga., ProCare Rx ’53 Corvette 222
7. Ray Commisso, Toronto, Canada, ProCare Rx ’68 Camaro 194
8. Scott Ray, Greenville, Ohio, ’53 Corvette 183
9. Mike Castellana, Westbury, N.Y., Al-Anabi Racing ’69 Camaro 180
10. Troy Coughlin, Delaware, Ohio, JEGS.com ’68 Camaro 174
