- Race Coverage
- Pro Mods
Results compiled by Kay Burk - Photos by Todd Dziadosz - 6/24/2008
osh Hernandez, driver of the Team Rage '68 Camaro Pro Mod, with the help of his tuners Jim and Dave Oddy, put another notch in their belt Sunday, June 22, with a dramatic win in a weekend that will be remembered not for the racing but by the tragic death of nitro Funny Car driver Scott Kalitta Saturday evening.
For the first time in several years the field included several nitrous injected Pro Mods, including local pro racer Mike Castellana, who is tuned by the legendary Shannon Jenkins
After qualifying No. 4 with a 6.043/240.72, Hernandez roared through the field in eliminations, defeating local nitrous racer Vinny Budano, who has a Scott Shafiroff engine program, in round one, last-year's event winner Tim Tindle in round two (shown above), and current series points leader Tony Pontieri in the semifinals before facing off against the nitrous-powered '68 Camaro of Mike Castellana for the finals.
 Castellana was racing in his first JEGS ProMod Challenge event of the year. The three-time winner ran the quickest and fastest pass in NHRA competition by a nitrous-powered car when he went 6.048 at 239.65 mph in the semifinals. |
Saving the best for last, tuners Jim and Dave Oddy turned the right screws allowing Hernandez to run the quickest lap of the event in the final round when he belted out a 5.983 240.51 mph pass as an exclamation point to the event win.
"We did exactly what we had to do this weekend," Hernandez said. "We came into the weekend ranked sixth, and now we're number two, just a few rounds out of first, which was exactly our goal. The team is leading the points in the rival ADRL eighth-mile circuit.
"I have to say that Jim and Dave Oddy and the team really have this car tuned so well, they are amazing. They all make my job a lot easier, because I always know I'll have the very best car on the track every time I go to the line," he said.
“This team is starting to get back in race mode,” said Castellana about his string of holeshot victories as he worked his way to the final round. “We’ve been doing the R&D program for so long that we had to knock a little rust off and get back to racing to win here in Englishtown. Being so involved with our engine program, we like to outrun the competition, but we’ll take a win however we can get it.”
The NHRA Pro Mod racers get a break now as they have a two-month layoff not racing again until the U.S. Nationals in September.