Race Recap – Inaugural Duncan Race Cars Pro Mod Super Series

Eddyville Raceway Park hosted the Inaugural event for the Chris Duncan Race Cars Pro Mod Super Series over the weekend. Randy Adler, famed for his long running Super Chevy career, took home the event win. Adler was able to defeat number one qualifier, “Fast” Eddie Rogers in the final round after Rogers shut off early in the run after staging his Corvette with low oil pressure. By taking the win, Adler, will go into Cordova Dragway Park next weekend with the point lead. Adler enjoyed his return to the winner’s circle, “It was awesome, it has been a while since we won something.”

The teams battled hot temperatures and short rain showers on Saturday, but the fans that came out and persevered saw a great show. Nine Pro Mods that made passes over the weekend put on a great show for the ERP fans. The Pro Mods took to the track first on Friday night, then again Saturday afternoon for qualifying and Saturday evening for eliminations.

Friday night qualifying saw many of the competitors struggling to get down the track while Bruce Micetich, made a strong looking run, but Micetich left before the tree was activated and received no time. Mechanical failures also played into the round as Rogers’ car rolled to a stop just a few feet after the starting line after breaking a U-joint on the driveshaft, which also knocked out the third member.

With some help from Chris Duncan Race Cars, Rogers’ car was put back together and ready for round two on Saturday afternoon. Also keeping late hours for repairs on Friday night was Monty Grace’s team, the ’68 supercharged Camaro had a problem in the transmission that required on a rebuild over night, but the team got the job done and the car was ready for competition early Saturday morning, with plenty of time left.

Qualifying two was slightly delayed on Saturday afternoon with a few small showers moving through the area, but provided the quickest qualifying effort as Rogers and Adler lined up to take the two spots on a side by side run. Rogers knocked off a 4.05 second running, while lifting early and coasting to just 171 mph. Adler’s A-Team Speedshop ’57 Bel-Air ran a 4.10 at 180 mph. Judd Coffman’s twin turbocharged ’05 Mustang also made its first run of the weekend and went straight to the third position behind Adler with a 4.28 second pass at 169 mph.

In the final qualifying round, Cathy Belcher, behind the wheel of her IROC Camaro, discovered a transmission problem after completing her burnout. The Supercharged Camaro could not find reverse and had to take no time, and go back to the pits to attempt to get the car repaired. Coffman picked up a few hundredths of a second, but remained in the third qualifying position with a 4.25 second-run at 175 mph, proving that the team is really getting a hand on the clutch in their first season.

Adler’s third round was an aborted run to a 4.47. Rogers provided some excitement in the third round of qualifying, in the left lane, and the car started drifting to the left and started pulling him towards the wall. Just as he was crossing the stripe, Rogers made the slightest of contact with the wall, but none of the damage extended past aesthetic issues.

Despite also receiving some help from the CDRC crew to get the bearing replaced in the transmission, Belcher was unable to get the car put back together in time to make round one eliminations and Micetich was reinstated to competition as an alternate. Rogers had no issues getting the car coming back for the first round, where he lined up against Grace. Rogers got the hole shot, then never looked back and ran a 4.08 to take the win, while grace struggled down track and was forced to lift.

Mike Chitty, representing a handful of drivers who generally compete in the Top Sportsman class defeated Micetich, who broke a rear end while trying to peddle through tire shake. Chitty won with a 4.35 second run. Adler defeated Charley Whittenburg, who returned to competition for the first time in ten months after a vicious crash at Cordova Dragway Park last year. Whittenburg’s Bickel built nitrous Camaro ran a 4.82 in a losing effort to the 4.11 second time for Adler.

Rogers’ Chris Duncan Race Cars built ’06 Corvette lined up against the only Ford in competition this weekend belonging to Coffman. Rogers captured the starting line advantage and while it was a good race most of the way down the track, Coffman’s JRC Performance Mustang got crossed up and he was forced to lift, and Rogers captured the with a 4.26 at 172.

Mike Chitty’s blue Cavalier lined up against Adler on the opposite side of the ladder, and while Chitty got the hole shot, he had to abort the run while Adler laid down his quickest pass of the weekend, a 4.07 at 182 mph to take the win and advance to the final.

The final round saw the top two qualifiers line up in front of crowded grandstands for a match up of nostalgia Chevrolet in the Bel-Air of Adler and the ’06 Corvette of Rogers. Both cars staged up, then launched, and less than a second after launching, Rogers’ car went silent as Adler blasted to another strong run of 4.08 second at a slowing 175 mph. Adler’s multiple strong passes over the weekend did not show the entire picture though, as Adler explained, “It always needed a blip the peddle, but we were still very happy with the results.”

The CDRC Pro Mod Super Series will hit the track again this weekend at Cordova Dragway Park and Dragzine will once again be there covering all the action.