By Chris Martin
Photos by Jeff Burk
8/3/05

he great Pro Mod Record Book in the sky will show that on the last weekend of July, DeLon Joseph, a hometown and former AHRA Pro Stock racer, captured the Pro Mod title at Kansas City International Raceway’s “Fastest Doorslammer Shootout,” outlasting 12 cars in the process. For the first time in the event’s history, the KCIR promoters added a 10.5 show, but surprisingly drew a weak turnout of just 6 cars, making eventual winner Mark Micke’s job that much easier.

The top-flight Pro Mods received three sessions to qualify, stanzas that revealed the very competitive nature of the field. Two of the three Saturday stanzas were dominated by Canadian racers, Tim Vogt of Saskatchewan, and Kenny Lang of Manitoba. Vogt’s nitrous oxide-injected 2001 Corvette led the first session with a 6.60/ 212.71 and Lang’s wild blown ’53 Corvette set low ET and top speed with a blistering 6.412/220.48 in session two, driving down the left lane; a lane that no one negotiated in the first session.

Upholding stateside honor was Terry Murphy aboard Donnie Little’s DRO-sponsored “Punisher” ’68 Camaro when he nearly snatched back low ET with a 6.415/203.16 late Saturday evening. The eventual winner Joseph, aboard his familiar bright yellow nitrous 2004 Chevy Cavalier was never No. 1, but was always in the top 3 qualifiers with successive runs of 6.74, an eventual third best 6.55/212.96, and a 6.59.