Drag Illustrated Issue 132, May 2018 | Page 32

Dirt NHRA Pro Mod is the place to be in 2018 By Josh Hachat S o what’s the determining fac- tor to tell if a class is thriving? Like, really, truly prospering in every as- pect. Is it as simple as car counts? Is it the list of standout drivers who don’t qualify at a certain event, ex- emplifying the true depth of the class? Or is it phenomenal performances from drivers in cars that continually push the envelope? Perhaps it’s other professional drivers jumping classes just to compete in it, an already full schedule be damned. Or is it a case where it has to be all the above? Whatever it is – and it probably is all of them and likely more if a class is in tremendous shape – the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series presented by J&A Service has it and, yes, it is definitely thriving. No matter the criteria, this class is checking off every single box and probably the bonus an- 32 | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com swers for extra credit. It only takes one look at the season-opener in Gainesville to see it. Somehow, the class continues to get deeper, better, quicker and draw more talent. It’s the day and age – and maybe the golden age – of the doorslammer. Numbers in terms of pure participation may have been higher at different points in other organizations, but good luck finding 35 cars as good as the ones that thrilled the huge crowds at Gaines- ville Raceway. Point blank, the 35 cars in NHRA Pro Mod in Florida and the 30 that followed in Houston are as good as it gets. You have world champions, previous race winners and just a seemingly endless list of massively tal- ented drivers. That’s what made the NHRA Pro Mod season-opener so juicy. The talking points in Gainesville were endless. In fact, it’s so good in the class right now that 35 entries almost means 35 worthwhile storylines. Forget for a quick second the fact Rickie Smith was stone-cold on the starting line and incredible once again to take the win. Let’s start this in reverse, focusing on who didn’t make the cut, even as many of them made runs plenty worthy of qualifying. In fact, eight drivers ran in the 5.80s and didn’t make the cut. Yes, Sidnei Frigo, who won the U.S. Nationals last year, went a stout 5.843 at 253.71 mph and wasn’t even the No. 16 qualifier. The likes of Pete Farber, Michael Biehle, Danny Rowe and Har- ry Hruska all ran 5.80s as well, but their weekend was done on Saturday. Plenty others – Eric Latino, Kenny Lang, Steve Matusek, Bill Glidden, Chip King, Richie Stevens, Clint Satterfield – all missed eliminations, too. Issue 132 Off the Charts