Drag Illustrated Issue 115, November 2016 | Page 42

Dirt

2017 NHRA J & A Service Pro Mod Series Schedule Expands to 12 Races , Adds Stops at Four-Wide Nationals and Kansas Nationals

By NHRA Communications

J

&
A Service , a leader in oil and gas well-servicing exploration , has signed an agreement to extend their series sponsorship of the wildly popular NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series . The series also announced the 2017 racing schedule which will expand to 12 races for the coming season .
New for 2017 will be an event at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at ZMax Dragway , April 28-30 , with the Pro Mod competitors racing fourwide for the first time ever .
The season will come to life March 16-19 at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville , Fla . at Gainesville Raceway . The next event will take place at the NHRA SpringNationals at Houston , April 21-23 , and then heads to Atlanta for the NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway , May 5-7 . The newest event will be contested at the NHRA Kansas Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka , May 19-21 .
“ We could not be more excited to have the J & A Pro Mod Series participating at the 2017 Kansas Nationals ,” said Heartland Park President Scott Gardner . “ They bring a unique aspect to the event that our fans will truly appreciate .”
June will be a busy month for the series with three events in consecutive weekends . The action kicks off with the NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown , N . J ., June 8-11 . The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals will follow over Father ’ s Day weekend , June 16-18 , at Bristol Dragway in Bristol , Tenn . The busy month will conclude with the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals , June 22-
25 , at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports in Norwalk , Ohio .
The series will again be featured at the prestigious Chevrolet Performance U . S . Nationals , Aug . 30-Sept . 4 . And then head to Charlotte , N . C ., for the NHRA Carolina Nationals , Sept . 15-17 , at zMax Dragway . The penultimate race of the 2017 NHRA Pro Mod season , the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals , will be held at Gateway Motorsports Park in St . Louis , Sept .
29-Oct . 1 .
The 2017 season will conclude and a Pro Mod champion will be crowned at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the NHRA Toyota Nationals , Oct . 26-29 .
“ We are very excited to return for a third year as the title sponsor of the NHRA J & A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series ,” said Jim Whiteley , owner of J & A Service . “ Our partnership with the NHRA and the Pro Mod Series has provided our business with such great exposure and opportunities to expand our business as well as the events are just a great place to entertain clients . We love that the popularity of the Pro Mod class continues to grow and we ’ re looking forward to once again working with the NHRA as drag racing continues to cultivate new fans .”
As part of its series sponsorship , J & A Service will provide a $ 200,000 purse that pays the national champion $ 50,000 and the series runnerup $ 20,000 . Each individual event winner will earn $ 10,000 and the event runners-up will claim $ 3,000 each .
The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series is supported by the Real Pro Mod ( RPM ) Association , a group of NHRA Pro Mod Series team owners who works closely with NHRA on many initiatives to maintain the series .
“ J & A Service and the dedication of Jim and Anne Whitely have been integral in the growth of the Pro Mod category ,” said Brad Gerber , NHRA vice president , and chief development officer . “ This category is not only popular with the racers but is also a proven fan favorite . We look forward to the start of the coming season .” DI
PHOTOS : NATE VAN WAGNEN , NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER
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