Quickest Pro Mod Field
at Gainesville

Notes and photos by Jeff Burk
3/24/03

Fred Hahn took Jim Oddy's Summit Equipment-backed Corvette to the new e.t. record of 6.139. He also holds the speed record of 230.80, set last year at Englishtown.

McAMIS GETS WIN AT GAINESVILLE

LEADS DRO/NMM CUP POINTS STANDINGS

The 1991 IHRA Pro Mod World Champ, Tim McAmis, came to Gainesville with just one new combination for his Pro Mod program. He traded in his old "Chap" style trailer and stepped up with a 52-foot trailer and tractor. As one person was heard to say, "It must be filled with lucky horseshoes and four-leaf clovers."

Well, maybe and maybe not. The chassis builder/racer qualified fifth in the quickest field in Pro Mod history. He was then the benefactor of three straight "no contest" rounds in eliminations. Even though his opponents either broke or didn't show McAmis's Alan Johnson-powered '63 'Vette pulled to the line each time ready to race and got three win lights in a row.

ODDY AND HAHN'S HEMI HAULER

If any of the Pro Mod competitors had forgotten that Jim Oddy won many NHRA events, including the U.S. Nationals, driving cars powered by supercharged Hemi engines that he

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built, they were reminded of that by the time they left the races on Sunday. Oddy's new engine combination features a set of proprietary Ken Veney-manufactured cylinder heads built to Oddy's specs.

The team had run a 6.17 at the IHRA race in San Antonio the previous week, and came off the trailer in Florida with a 6.148/227.27. In the third round they improved to a 6.139/225.84 to set the NHRA Pro Mod record. Hahn ran a 6.254/215.00 to trailer defending NHRA World champ, and the only nitrous car in the field, Shannon Jenkins in the first round but slightly wounded his Hemi.

The team may have been able to fix the car under normal conditions but with less that an hour between rounds they were unable to make the next round.

For the record, here are the progressives for Hahn and Oddy's record runs.

60-ft: 1.009; 330-ft: 2.656; eighth-mile: 3.997/183.26; 1000-ft: 5.161; quarter-mile: 6.148/227.27.

60-ft: 1.023; 330 ft: 2.659; eighth-mile: 3.994/183.41; 1000-ft: 5.153; quarter-mile: 6.139/225.84.

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