[coverattach=1]GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 15) - Mike Castellana proved that there is parity in Pro Mod for the nitrous cars with his win in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Castellana qualified No. 8 with a 6.042/232.19 and worked his way past reigning IHRA champ Kenny Lang in the first round, low qualifier Roger Burgess in round two, and the turbo-powered '68 Camaro of Brad Personett in the semi-finals to face off against Al-Anabi teammate and fellow-member of the nitrous brotherhood Burton Auxier for the finals.
Auxier had delivered consistent 6.0-performances en route to his finals berth, dispatching Danny Rowe, Rickey Smith and Rick Stivers to make the finals, but struggled in the end. Castellana cut a near-perfect .008 light to take the lead and never looked back, 6.040/228.77 to 6.174/229.12.
"I'm really happy for the entire Al-Anabi team and how well everyone performed today," Castellana said. "To have a semi-final where we've got two nitrous cars, a turbo and one blower car really shows how far we've come in the past several years.
"I love racing at the NHRA and I want to personally thank Roger Burgess and Get Screened America for their hospitality and support of the entire series. Everything is first-rate - especially the competition," he said. "These cars are the best of the best and this series is where we want to be."
Roger Burgess set top speed of the meet at 243.55 MPH and was the No. 1 qualifier with a mark of 5.993 seconds. Stivers had low ET at 5.987 seconds and recorded the most runs in the five-second zone with his Brad Anderson-tuned Trane '06 Stratus.
Burgess said, "I have to say that the response we got to the whole Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge program was very encouraging. From our new Pro Mod hospitality zone to all of the racers who joined us at the track, I'm really pleased with the results. It's given us a huge platform to build on, and I think the future is looking great for Pro Mods in NHRA."
Orlando-resident Brad Personett was a standout in performance with his twin-turbo-powered Camaro, working his way to the semis before falling to Castellana.
Personett said, "What an amazing weekend. We worked so hard to get here, and all our hard work paid off. We've got a great baseline for the rest of the season and I'm sure we'll see a lot more of this car deep into eliminations as the season progresses."
Next on the racing agenda is the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event March 27-29 at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway in Baytown, Texas.
Castellana qualified No. 8 with a 6.042/232.19 and worked his way past reigning IHRA champ Kenny Lang in the first round, low qualifier Roger Burgess in round two, and the turbo-powered '68 Camaro of Brad Personett in the semi-finals to face off against Al-Anabi teammate and fellow-member of the nitrous brotherhood Burton Auxier for the finals.
Auxier had delivered consistent 6.0-performances en route to his finals berth, dispatching Danny Rowe, Rickey Smith and Rick Stivers to make the finals, but struggled in the end. Castellana cut a near-perfect .008 light to take the lead and never looked back, 6.040/228.77 to 6.174/229.12.
"I'm really happy for the entire Al-Anabi team and how well everyone performed today," Castellana said. "To have a semi-final where we've got two nitrous cars, a turbo and one blower car really shows how far we've come in the past several years.
"I love racing at the NHRA and I want to personally thank Roger Burgess and Get Screened America for their hospitality and support of the entire series. Everything is first-rate - especially the competition," he said. "These cars are the best of the best and this series is where we want to be."
Roger Burgess set top speed of the meet at 243.55 MPH and was the No. 1 qualifier with a mark of 5.993 seconds. Stivers had low ET at 5.987 seconds and recorded the most runs in the five-second zone with his Brad Anderson-tuned Trane '06 Stratus.
Burgess said, "I have to say that the response we got to the whole Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge program was very encouraging. From our new Pro Mod hospitality zone to all of the racers who joined us at the track, I'm really pleased with the results. It's given us a huge platform to build on, and I think the future is looking great for Pro Mods in NHRA."
Orlando-resident Brad Personett was a standout in performance with his twin-turbo-powered Camaro, working his way to the semis before falling to Castellana.
Personett said, "What an amazing weekend. We worked so hard to get here, and all our hard work paid off. We've got a great baseline for the rest of the season and I'm sure we'll see a lot more of this car deep into eliminations as the season progresses."
Next on the racing agenda is the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event March 27-29 at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway in Baytown, Texas.
