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BAYTOWN, Tex. (April 1, 2007) - Troy Critchley, driver of the AMS Staff Leasing '70 Barracuda Pro Mod raced to a strong quarterfinal finish in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Modified Challenge presented by Tindle Enterprises, Inc. at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.
Braving pounding rains that claimed an entire day of qualifying Saturday along with a pit that more closely resembled a swamp than a precision mechanic's shop, Critchley along with the entire AMS/Rage crew parlayed his No. 5 qualifying numbers of 6.052/240.59, into an exciting first round win over Brandon Pesz before being taken out by Scott Cannon, Jr.
Critchley ran a 6.122/239.14 to Pesz' 6.149/238.09, but shook the tires against Cannon in the second round.
"I think we might have broken something in our run on Friday because I revved it up a bit too high," Critchley explained. "We never even got a chance to get the car out of the trailer on Saturday because of the rain and the mud, so when we pushed it in eliminations, we ended up breaking a rocker arm.
"I never want to hurt the 'Cuda, but this is an easy fix," he said.
The early exit didn't phase the Austrailian transplant however. At this same event in 2006, Critchley qualified No. 1 but never made it to eliminations due to a crash that forced him from competing.
"Going rounds is better than hitting the wall any day, regardless of the mud," he said.
"I'm really proud of all the guys and how hard they worked this weekend. With everything we had to deal with, I think we had a great weekend," Critchley added.
Critchley remains second in points in the AMS Pro Mod Challenge behind teammate Josh Hernandez after two events in the ten-race series.
"Joshie is running really well, and I'm happy he got one of our cars in the winner's circle this weekend. There's a lot of racing left this year, and we're off to a great start."
The next race in the AMS Staff leasing Pro Modified Challenge presented by Tindle Enterprises, Inc. is the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals outside of Atlanta, Georgia, April 26-29.
Photo courtesy of Competition Plus
Critchley makes Quarterfinals in Houston, Remains No. 2 in Points
BAYTOWN, Tex. (April 1, 2007) - Troy Critchley, driver of the AMS Staff Leasing '70 Barracuda Pro Mod raced to a strong quarterfinal finish in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Modified Challenge presented by Tindle Enterprises, Inc. at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.
Braving pounding rains that claimed an entire day of qualifying Saturday along with a pit that more closely resembled a swamp than a precision mechanic's shop, Critchley along with the entire AMS/Rage crew parlayed his No. 5 qualifying numbers of 6.052/240.59, into an exciting first round win over Brandon Pesz before being taken out by Scott Cannon, Jr.
Critchley ran a 6.122/239.14 to Pesz' 6.149/238.09, but shook the tires against Cannon in the second round.
"I think we might have broken something in our run on Friday because I revved it up a bit too high," Critchley explained. "We never even got a chance to get the car out of the trailer on Saturday because of the rain and the mud, so when we pushed it in eliminations, we ended up breaking a rocker arm.
"I never want to hurt the 'Cuda, but this is an easy fix," he said.
The early exit didn't phase the Austrailian transplant however. At this same event in 2006, Critchley qualified No. 1 but never made it to eliminations due to a crash that forced him from competing.
"Going rounds is better than hitting the wall any day, regardless of the mud," he said.
"I'm really proud of all the guys and how hard they worked this weekend. With everything we had to deal with, I think we had a great weekend," Critchley added.
Critchley remains second in points in the AMS Pro Mod Challenge behind teammate Josh Hernandez after two events in the ten-race series.
"Joshie is running really well, and I'm happy he got one of our cars in the winner's circle this weekend. There's a lot of racing left this year, and we're off to a great start."
The next race in the AMS Staff leasing Pro Modified Challenge presented by Tindle Enterprises, Inc. is the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals outside of Atlanta, Georgia, April 26-29.
Photo courtesy of Competition Plus
