It didn’t come in the NHRA’s official but not-exactly-official Pro Modified category, but at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals over the weekend, the quickest pass ever by a full-bodied vehicle at an NHRA national event was carded, in what may have very well been the quickest side-by-side doorslammer race of all-time (we’ll leave that one to the statisticians out there).
As they do at various national events throughout the year, the NHRA brass invited some exhibition competitors in non-NHRA categories to be a part of the second stop of the Western Swing at the Sonoma Raceway, and in this case, it was the West Coast Outlaw Pro Mods — a series that consistently boasts the quickest and fastest quarter-mile doorslammers in the world. On hand: Mike Maggio, Marc Meadors, Sean Renteria, Rod Burbage, Jeremy Hanger, and Garrett Richards.
Maggio and Meadors, two of the heaviest hitters on the west coast, had both made some stellar early runs, with Meadors clocking a 5.78 and Maggio a 5.81 best. But the two undoubtedly saved their best for last just before the final rounds of eliminations on Sunday afternoon in wine country.
Lined up alongside one another, Maggio ripped off a stunning 5.706 at 261.07 MPH, with Meadors right on his heels with a 5.747 at a likewise booming 257.48 MPH. With the advantage out of the gate, Meadors actually took the win light, but it was the numbers that truly got everyone’s attention. Maggio, who has been as quick as 5.69 previously, was certainly pouring the coals to his mount in the mid-summer conditions, as was Meadors and his Goodguys machine. And to our knowledge, but unconfirmed, it was the quickest side-by-side Pro Mod pass in history.
The difference between the West Coast Outlaw cars and their NHRA-legal counterparts are the rules that are, well, outlaw. There’s no minimum weight or cubic inch limitation, and any type or overdrive supercharger is allowed, meaning these guys can get after it with screw-type superchargers that produce considerably more horsepower than a roots blower. Like the kind of horsepower to go 5.60’s and perhaps even 5.50’s on the right day.
For those keeping score, Maggio was .972, 2.585, 3.813 at 204.08 to half track and 4.842 to 1,000 feet, while Meadors was .994, 2.59, 3.826 at 201.85, and 4.871. That’s flat out hauling the mail!