For the second year, IHRA held its $125,000-to-win Pro Mod Mania at Darana Dragway – Milan. This year’s event attracted some of the best Pro Mod racers in the country chasing the huge payday. The program also featured Mountain Motor Pro Stock and was combined with the track’s monthly Heads-Up program.
The weather was favorable for most of the weekend, with only a brief rain delay during eliminations. Once racing resumed, fans were treated to holeshot wins, tight side-by-side racing, and a full day of action at the track.
Pro Mod
As one of the hottest Pro Mod drivers in the country right now, Jason Harris kept making his presence known. In typical fashion, Harris claimed the number one qualifying spot with a 3.590-second run at 209.99 mph.
Harris advanced to the semifinals, where he faced number four qualifier Melanie Salemi. Both cars had been deadly consistent throughout the weekend, with Harris posting stronger elapsed times in the previous rounds. When Harris and Salemi left the line, Harris pushed a little too hard and went red, automatically advancing Salemi to the final. Salemi ran 3.598 to Harris’ 3.599.
On the other side of the ladder, hired gun “The Carolina Kid” Travis Harvey was putting in work. Harvey earned round wins over Keith Goolsby in round one and Don Klooster in round two before facing Randy Weatherford in round three.
When the tree dropped, Harvey, known for chopping down the tree, gained a massive starting-line advantage. That was enough to earn a holeshot win over Weatherford. Harvey’s 3.627 defeated Weatherford’s quicker but losing 3.619. Harvey then advanced to the final by defeating class newcomer Paige Coughlin in the semifinals.
The final-round matchup between Melanie Salemi and Travis Harvey had all the makings of the run of the weekend. Both drivers had been sharp in previous rounds, combining consistent elapsed times with strong reaction times.
After the burnouts, both teams stood behind their cars as Salemi and Harvey staged. When the tree dropped, Harvey delivered an incredible .0000 reaction time. That perfect light was just enough to earn another holeshot victory and get him to the finish line first against Salemi.
Harvey’s final-round numbers were a .0000 reaction time and a 3.605 at 208.24 mph, while Salemi posted a .023 reaction time and a quicker 3.602 at 208.04 mph. The margin of victory at the stripe was .023 second.
Mountain Motor Pro Stock
The eight-car field of Mountain Motor “Maniacs” was led by number one qualifier Jerry Tucker, who posted a 4.071 at 178.01 mph. Jeremy Huffman followed in second with a 4.106 at 175.37 mph, while Dwayne Rice qualified third with a 4.110 at 174.35 mph.
As in most forms of drag racing, consistency is key. In the naturally aspirated world of Mountain Motor Pro Stock, that can be especially challenging.
During eliminations, number two qualifier Jeremy Huffman showed how important consistency can be by running a string of 4.09-second passes in every round. Huffman opened eliminations with a 4.093 against Tony Pontieri’s 4.182, then ran a 4.091 against Dwayne Rice’s 4.138 in the semifinals.
Number one qualifier Jerry Tucker and his team also put in the work needed to move through the field. Tucker claimed wins over Kurt Neighbor and Cory Voss on his way to the final against Huffman.
As the two quickest cars in the class, the final-round matchup between Huffman and Tucker was destined to be a great race. Mountain Motor Pro Stock is known for side-by-side action, and this final delivered exactly that. At the start, Tucker posted a .0009 reaction time to Huffman’s .0110. The pair ran door-handle to door-handle the entire way down track, but Tucker’s reaction-time advantage was enough to secure the holeshot win.
Tucker ran 4.100 at 177.10 mph to Huffman’s quicker but losing 4.097 at 175.58 mph. The margin of victory was just .0078 second.
Limited Drag Radial
Number one qualifier Jay Trisel, who ran 3.935 at 185.80 mph in qualifying, picked up the Limited Drag Radial win over number four qualifier Travis Esselman in the final round.
Trisel ran 3.952 at 185.03 mph to Esselman’s 4.513 at 131.23 mph.
Outlaw 632
Nicole Liberty claimed the number one qualifying spot with a 4.226 at 167.29 mph.
Liberty was scheduled to face teammate Kyle Salminen in the final, but she was unable to make the call. Salminen went on to run 4.338 at 158.34 mph to earn his first win of the season.
Ultra Street
Glenn Pushis posted a 4.553 at 156.90 mph during qualifying to claim the top spot in Ultra Street.
Pushis met number two qualifier Blake Molnar in the final round. Molnar went red against Pushis, giving Pushis the automatic win. Pushis continued down track and ran 4.529 at 155.93 mph to Molnar’s 4.575 at 155.87 mph.
All Motor
Dan Ostgen sat in the number one position after qualifying with a 5.130 at 139.28 mph.
The final round between Kevin Cody and Tyler Crockett was decided at the starting line when Crockett went red with a -.027 reaction time. Cody ran 5.220 at 140.58 mph to Crockett’s 5.411 at 134.53 mph.
Top Sportsman
Pat DeBottis defeated Rod Oxford.
Open Comp
Chuck Lewis defeated Eric Carnes.
Door Mod
Tim Heiges defeated Steve Eaton.
Run What You Brung
Tim Brown defeated Josh Vanskiver.
235-8.5
Jeremy Newman won on a single.
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