THE CHAMPIONS ISSUE
IHRA Pro Mod
Billy Harper
Amazingly , Pro Mod pioneer Billy Harper just might have had his breakout season in 2016 , but based on his recent accomplishments , there ’ s a definite case to be made for the 72-year-old veteran having his best-ever season of competition . His most recent victorious outing came at Maple Grove Raceway during the Rumble at the Grove event , where Harper entered his 2000 Dodge Viper in the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Series points race , which was the eighth stop of an 11-race roster for the northeast-based Pro Mod club . Harper fared well throughout the day , beginning at the moment he unloaded his Sonny ’ s Racing Engines-powered nitrous entry and scored the quickest lap in qualifying with a 6.02 elapsed time at 242mph .
In the opening round of competition , Harper took advantage of a competition single when his opponent wasn ’ t able to answer the call due to parts breakage . Billy staged the car on a single run and sent his Paducah , KY-based Viper roaring down the track to collect some short-term data , electing to shut off just past half-track to preserve the motor . In the semi-finals , Harper faced number four qualifier , Dave Norris , who would come up short against the veteran during their second round matchup . Harper dazzled fans on this run by dipping into the five-second barrier with a 5.91 at 242mph to punctuate the semifinal win .
In the finals , Harper would face many-time
( L to R ) Dennis Radford , Judy Radford , Billy Harper , Mary Harper
event winner Kevin McCurdy , a Pennsylvania native who ’ s enjoyed much success on the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod circuit , particularly at his local Maple Grove facility . McCurdy ’ s home court advantage fell short against Harper though , and even a well-timed holeshot in the finals wasn ’ t enough to hold off a charging Harper , who clocked a 5.85 at 244mph , to McCurdy ’ s runner-up time of 6.02 at 238mph . Harper ’ s final-round blast stood as the quickest Pro Mod pass ever recorded at the southeast Pennsylvania quarter-mile facility .
His latest victory at Maple Grove is far from the only shining achievement in 2016 , as Harper handily clinched the 2016 IHRA Pro Modified world championship . In fact , Pro Mod was the only class in which a champion was essentially crowned before the season-ending Northern Nationals in Martin , Michigan was even contested . The celebration only continued when Harper ’ s right-hand man and longtime friend , Dennis Radford , was named Pro Crew Chief of the Year by IHRA , which was a reflection of Radford ’ s expert tuning on Harper ’ s Dodge this season . Harper and Radford together have enjoyed many victories over the years , including the prestigious ADRL Pro Nitrous world championship in 2008 . Although Harper is quick to dish out credit on those who surround him , his driving has been quite superb as of late and his Bickel-built Viper is performing in ageless fashion as well ; definitely the essential recipe for a successful , if not breakout season ! - VAN ABERNETHY DI
PHOTOS : TARA BOWKER , VAN ABERNETHY
NHRA NOSTALGIA 7.0 PRO MICHAEL PECK // IHRA NITRO FUNNY CAR JASON RUPERT // IHRA PRO STOCK CARY GOFORTH
82 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 117