World Series of Pro Mod - $100k Winner Take All (3 Viewers)

[Jeff]

Congrats to Mike Bowman!

I had a chance to meet and talk with he and his crew at Sears Point a few weeks ago, really nice people.
Those guys were busting their asses while they were there.
Hard work payed off!

 

[Chili]

I had a great time too. I was a little disappointed with the attendance. I thought they would get double of what they did get. I'm sure the rain kept some away on Saturday but overall the crowd was poor. I agree that it would be more enjoyable with the clocks on. Watching single shakedown runs without the timers on lacks some excitement. Our group all had our phones out using the timer trying to get an idea of what they were running. Not an exact science but I think we were fairly close. Quite a few runs in the mid 90's and that was pretty close. Bowman was the first to dip into the 5.90's in testing. In eliminations it didn't matter as much that the scoreboards were off.
I'm not sure if doing the pairings ahead of time brought much to the equation. Other than the Jackson-Janis matchup there wasn't much chatter between the teams. I hope it comes back next year but for it to truly grow I think more needs to be done. If they paid some travel money for the teams to show up it would probably increase the car count. Not sure if going to qualifying format where the top 14 et's through two sessions make the show and then have everyone else run an elimination bracket for the final two spots.

 

[mgty3whlr]

If they moved it to a better altitude track then I think that you would see the nitrous cars. They knew it was suicide to even attempt to run there.
As for crowd count, Did you see the in car camera pan at Sonoma? Looks like those stands were pretty empty during T/F.

 

[Nunz]

Sonoma looked like very strong crowds all wknd.

 

[Jeff]

On Comp +

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/bowman-earns-100k-for-his-wsopm-victory

 

[Bobby Bennett]

 

[mgty3whlr]

Is your ass hanging out of your shorts? The stands were empty!

 

[Chili]

There was one nitrous car on the property but he was not allowed to run either race due to his car having a lockup clutch and that is against NHRA Pro Mod rules. More or less some other racers complained that they had to make changes to their cars to be able to participate and he should too. The car was Robert Costa. It was the ex-Joe Lepone car. He did make a couple of test runs and I think the nitrous cars would have had a chance at the high altitude. Costa is a relative unknown and his runs looked to be 6.0 or 6.1 second runs. I think some of the top running nitrous cars could have ran in the 90's.

 

[Bob K.]

I see someone asked if it was quarter mile. NO ANSWER. It seems like there are more and more 1/8th mile racing on facilities that can handle National events. I would not go to an 1/8th mile drag race if I was PAID $100.00 to go. One excuse used by a small time association was that it made the pro mods more even because the turbo cars ran harder on the big end. I guess no thought was to allow blown combos to run lighter or add weight to the turbo cars. Anyway just one man's thoughts that seem to be true judging by totally lousy spectator attendance! I used to race in the "Bracket Nationals" here in Las Vegas every November. It was a four day event with a separate race each day. It was all quarter mile. Then they slipped in two of the four days 1/8th mile. Now the whole damn race is 1/8th mile! How f--king stupid! No one goes to watch, the only butts in the stands are other racers. WHAT A WASTE OF A BEAUTIFUL FACILITY! I can see racing eighth mile on tracks with inadequate room for shut down, but this is not the case here.

 

[RM FAN]

If they moved it to a better altitude track then I think that you would see the nitrous cars. They knew it was suicide to even attempt to run there.
As for crowd count, Did you see the in car camera pan at Sonoma? Looks like those stands were pretty empty during T/F.

WTH! Nitrous cars ran at Bandimere in the past and nobody died. Super Chevy and other events. The Dodge Boys also had a lots of success on the mountain.....sorry could not resist.

 

[Frank]

Thanks Bobby for sharing the video. Good stuff!

Funny, my dad and I were doing the same as it pertains to timing the cars. I was even hitting my lap button at each of the foam blocks along the way, lol, to try and see their incremental times.

I agree, I think the nitrous cars could have had some success. When Comp Eliminator runs at Bandimere, the bigger cubic inch combos, for the most part, do better than the smaller ones (Clint Neff being an exception). It happens in Pro Stock Bike as well. The Harley's and Buell's have more cubic inches/cubic centimeters than the Suzuki's and because of this run better. I don't know off the top of my head, but I would venture to say it's been several years since the track E.T. or speed record were held by any bike other than a Harley or Buell. With the nitrous cars having 900+ inch motors, I think the performance gap would have been smaller than most people think.

 

[Chili]

If they moved it to a better altitude track then I think that you would see the nitrous cars. They knew it was suicide to even attempt to run there.
As for crowd count, Did you see the in car camera pan at Sonoma? Looks like those stands were pretty empty during T/F.

I'm pretty sure the reason the race was in Denver was Jim Whitley. He is a Colorado guy and J&A was from what I understand putting up most of the money, just like they do for the NHRA series. I also wonder if this was maybe a step in getting the Pro Mod class at the Mile High Nationals in the future. Jim is fairly influential with the RPM and with the chance of Pro Stock getting cut at some National Events, Pro Mod is an excellent replacement for the races that get cut. I realize they will probably only run 12 and maybe possibly 14 races next year but Denver could be one of them.

 

[Nunz]

I'm pretty sure the reason the race was in Denver was Jim Whitley. He is a Colorado guy and J&A was from what I understand putting up most of the money, just like they do for the NHRA series. I also wonder if this was maybe a step in getting the Pro Mod class at the Mile High Nationals in the future. Jim is fairly influential with the RPM and with the chance of Pro Stock getting cut at some National Events, Pro Mod is an excellent replacement for the races that get cut. I realize they will probably only run 12 and maybe possibly 14 races next year but Denver could be one of them.

That would be great, but it would be important, IMO, to attract the nitrous cars to the mix.

 

[justafan]

Late to respond. I'm a huge Pro Mod fan. I watched almost all of it on MMTV and enjoyed it quite a bit. I heard the engine specs kept some teams away, mainly the nitrous cars. Was disappointed that Castellana, Coughlin and Salemi was no shows. As a numbers guy, the lack of e.t.'s took a bit of getting used to. But kudos to Wes Buck for pulling it off (funding). Lots of negative stuff on YB (what's new?), but some great comments as well, especially from David Anderson of MMTV. Contemplated attending, but with commitments to Indy and Gateway (Pro Mod), it wasn't doable. Hope it happens again.

 

[Nunz]

This is probably a dumb question, but what is the purpose of no clocks? Other than simulating a street race where there are none. I understand for the "real" street racers who may not want to show their hand, Pro Mod racers all know what they run. I know if I flew to Denver for that race, I'd want to see the numbers.

 

[Chili]

I don't really have an answer for you but I have some thoughts. It does keep the drivers at the top of their game. They didn't know if they had their opponent covered by a 10th or more. They had to come to the line every time with their best tuneup. I think running in Denver was part of it too. You weren't going to see a 5.6 or 5.7 pass. Looking at the numbers it would not look impressive to anyone outside of Denver. When the Pro Stocks are in town and run 6.90's it doesn't impress most fans. Seattle on Friday was a perfect example. It was hot and there was just a handful for 3.70 times in TF and a few 3.90's in FC. The times didn't wow anyone but it doesn't make it a "bad" race. The drivers liked it because it was a mystery. I was talking to Bill Rice (Knowles CC) and Farber came over. Since Knowles was out of the race he asked Farber what times he was running and he wouldnt say. He didn't want his times being leaked.