Coming just two days after ProLine’s in-house wheelman Eric Dillard ripped off his 223 MPH run in pre-race testing at the PDRA Spring Open at Rockingham Dragway, Jose Gonzalez strapped into the Q80 Camaro and upped the ante in a big way. Facing off against Mike Recchia in the second round of eliminations, Gonzalez let the 4,000 PLR ponies on tap pull him to a 3.61 second elapsed time at an insane 227 MPH top speed to unseat Dillard as the fastest man on the planet with working doors — at least through the eighth mile.

Gonzalez’ bar-raising pass, for all it’s blazing speed, looked and sounded almost effortless, leaving one to wonder just how fast these cars may eventually go in the eighth. How long is it until they’re knocking on the 250 MPH door? Looking back, the top speeds have leapt almost 15 MPH in just two short seasons after Joey Martin drove the ’55 Chevy Lowmad wagon to a then-record speed of 215 MPH in the ADRL series. It certainly seems likely ProLine and their tandem of boosted Camaros will to continue to lead the top-speed charge for the foreseeable future.

Gonzalez would end his Rockingham effort in the following round when he slowed to a 4.56 alongside eventual Pro Extreme winner Todd Tutterow’s respectable-but-beatable 3.72. Tutterow would then slow to a mid-four second pass in the finals, but it was of little concern as Mustafa Buhumaid had thrown away his pass – a stout 3.58 at 216 MPH – with a foul start.

Speak up, Dragzine readers: How fast do you think Pro Extreme cars will be running in the eighth mile by seasons end? By the end of the 2016? Will the class make another big MPH leap over the next two seasons, or are these speeds attributable to turbo cars finding their stride, but near a flattening of the curve? Let us know what you think in the comments below!