Words by Jeff Burk
Photos by Ron Lewis

Al-Anabi team racer Mike Castellana won his third ProCare Rx era NHRA Pro Mod race victory at the April 15th NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Bruton Smith’s zMax Dragway in Charlotte, NC.
 
Castellana, using a nitrous-oxide injected Reher-Morrison mega-motor for power, singled for the win in an anticlimactic final round when defending event champion, Leah Pruett driving the ProCare Rx turbocharged ‘Vette, was unable to make the call for the final round.

"It was a pretty complicated weekend all the way around with the car and the mechanical issues we had,” Pruett said. “And with the pro classes running four-wide the time between rounds for Pro Mod was really constricted. I sheared the converter off in the semifinals and we just didn't have time to repair it in the 30 minutes we had to turn the car around for the finals."

Both her car and Brad Brand's were struggling to find traction in their semi-final race and Pruett pedaled the throttle several times trying to hook the car up. In the process, the engine torque apparently sheared the converter shaft.

"It shook it so hard it just sheared it right off," Pruett said. "That was the second time it happened this weekend. It could have been a good race with Castellana but it never happened."

Brand substituted as the driver for the Roger Burgess car when at the last minute team owner Burgess had to withdraw due to illness.

In the semis Pruett coasted to a 6.912/160.19 win over Brand, who ran a shut-off 9.203/100.47 effort.