|
RANK (LW) |
TEAM |
RECORD |
COMMENT |
 Danny Rowe |
1 (2) |
Danny Rowe Racing |
11-3 |
California businessman and Pro Mod extraordinaire Danny Rowe has had a strong start to 2011, though he stumbled briefly in Atlanta with a rare DNQ, but quickly rebounded with a win in Englishtown to move him back into the No. 2 spot in the championship points. The blower cars are clearly no longer at an advantage performance wise, but Rowe didn’t need it in Jersey to win. He simply strung together four great runs ranging from 5.860 to 5.905 and left the property trophy-in-hand. He’s got an uphill battle ahead of him, but Rowe and company are a group that feed on momentum. |
 K.A. Balooshi |
2 (1) |
Al-Anabi Racing |
12-3 |
It’s hard to take such a dominant team out of the No. 1 spot, but they haven’t been quite as lethal in their last two outings on the NHRA trail. He’s maintaining about a 100-point lead in the points, but he’s going to need to get well out of round one in order to keep the distance between himself and Rowe. The next two races in Bristol and Norwalk are going to be crucial, as well as hot, so it might be time for the nitrous car to take control again. |
 Mike Castellana |
3 (NR) |
Al-Anabi Racing |
9-2 |
He’s not in the greatest shape in terms of points, but when it comes to power – especially the nitrous oxide-injected sort – Mike Castellana is well equipped. After the shot-heard-round-the-world 5.78-second lap in Englishtown, the first of its kind and the quickest ever recorded by such a car, MC is in a good spot to make things interesting as the season wears on. Give him a fast car, and he’s a mean, mean dude. |
 Melanie Troxel |
4 (8) |
R2B2 Racing |
2-4 |
Her record thus far doesn’t speak to her potential, but her 5.77-second, nearly 260mph pass in Englishtown does. Though she went out on a devastating and sickening holeshot in the first round, Troxel is a legit pro driver and will come back in Bristol ready to win – she’s got a car that can do it at any given moment. |
 Mike Janis |
5 (NR) |
Mike Janis Racing |
5-4 |
Though just making his first appearance in the DI Pro Mod Power Rankings, Janis is a hard-working, smart-racing guy that always finds a way to get the job done. They’re the only team utilizing a converter-driven transmission with a supercharged engine, and the 75-pound weight break (at least at the moment) seems to be helping them close the gap between their combination and the turbos and bottles. That final round appearance in E-Town won’t be his last in 2011. |
 Brad Personett |
6 (6) |
R2B2 Racing |
2-4 |
At the end of 2010, Brad Personett looked like he was ready to take over the NHRA’s Pro Mod series. Coming into this season, however, he appeared to have lost a step with his turbo program and struggled to regain his previous pace. That changed in Englishtown, New Jersey on Saturday afternoon when he clicked off a ridiculous 5.772-second, 258.07mph pass to tie Melanie Troxel for the national E.T. record. It was only a matter of time, you see. |
 Rickie Smith |
7 (3) |
Rickie Smith Racing |
1-1 |
Unfortunately for Rickie Smith, there was another first-gen Camaro alongside him on Old Bridge Township Raceway Park’s legendary quarter-mile, and Brad Personett was driving it. Smith’s very impressive 5.83 was simply no match for BP’s 5.77, and it brought the Tricky One’s weekend to an end a bit early. Do not count him out, though, as he doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him. |
 Roger Burgess |
8 (4) |
R2B2 Racing |
4-5 |
He’s got a brand-new twin-turbo Firebird from his in-house chassis shop, and it’s looking like he’s prepared to open some eyes with the new ride he’s dubbed “Blue Streak”. Once he gets comfortable in the car, it’s going to be a very, very strong program as the performance required to win is already evident from the car. |
 Ed Hoover |
9 (NR) |
Paul Trussell Motorsports |
7-4 |
Ed Hoover officially checked into NHRA Pro Modified with that win in Atlanta, reminding everyone that he helped invent this class chocked full of outrageous doorslammers, but his work is far from over. They’ve been consistent and quick, but are obviously down on power with the offseason blower overdrive reduction. |
 Dennis Radford |
10 |
Dennis Radford Racing |
2-3 |
It’s hard telling whether they’ll roll a turbocharged or a nitrous oxide-injected hot rod out of the trailer when they show up, but you can bet they’ll show up, and they’ll be ready to race, too. Radford is still working the bugs out of his turbo’d ride, so it looks like he’ll be back on the bottle until further notice. With the way things shook out in E-Town, he might be just fine with that. |
Nitrous is on the fire, I will predict we will have a Nitrous Champion crowned in Vegas in November