Photo credit: Steven Bunker – racingmediasolutions.com

Marc Meadors and the Goodguys Racing Team secured the West Coast Outlaw Pro Modified Association championship on Saturday night at the one-night-only “Saturday Night Nitro” event at the Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield with a runner-up finish to Dan Myers — marking his seventh consecutive final round appearance of the season. That string, paired with three race wins, gave Meadors enough points to claim his first series championship in his supercharged “Pure Hell 2” Camaro with one event remaining in early October.

Myers and Meadors were the top two qualifiers at 6.02 and 6.08, respectively, and were on a collision course with one another from the very get-go. Myers reeled off a 5.89 on his first round bye for low elapsed time of the event, setting up a semifinal match with Tim Krupa. On the opposite side of the ladder, Meadors was paired with No. 3 qualifier Jeremy Hanger. Meadors’ flamed mount stepped up big, running 5.87 at 248.71 mph to advance to the final over Hanger’s 6.09. Myers, meanwhile, improved upon his earlier performance, ousting Krupa, 5.80 to a 5.84 to set up the final round match.

‘Saturday Night Nitro’ WCOPMA Final

Myers and Meadors squared off under the lights in what was sure to be a titanic battle. Win or lose, the Goodguys Racing Team would be crowned championships, but there was a race to be run, and he and Myers gave the fans a show and then some, with the second quickest side-by-side race of the year and one of the quicker side-by-side drag races in Pro Modified history.

Myers was first off the starting line with an .027 reaction time and kept a nose out on Meadors all the way to the 1/4-mile finish stripe, edging out the win with a stout 5.789 at 239.6q mph to Meadors’ 5.795 at 250.41 mph. Despite the close loss, Meadors was all smiles as he reveled in the hard fought championship that he and his team, comprised of crew chief Jason Bunker and crew members Billy Fereira, Danny Miller and Greg Lee, had accomplished.

“Looking back, this was a dream season,” he said. “Going to every final round of each race we competed in this year and taking home 3 event wins is something I’ll remember for a lifetime. What people don’t see – the hours spent in the shop, the road miles, the late night team dinners and long hot days at the track doing battle has galvanized us as a team. I’m proud to say I think we have the best team out here and this championship is a testament to the guys and their dedication.”

Meadors is only the third champion of the WCOPMA, joining four-time and reigning champion Rod Burbage (2008, ’09, ’11, ’12) and Bret Williamson (2010).