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NITROUS RACERS GORED AT GAINESVILLE
There were four nitrous oxide-injected cars
in the 23 car Pro Mod field at Gainesville.
Three of them ran in the 6.20's, but only one,
Shannon Jenkins, made the field -- with a motor
killing 6.259!
Rickie Smith's brand new Jerry Haas-built '63
'Vette (above) ran a 6.261/224 and Mike Castellana
ran a career best 6.287/221.40. They were first
and second alternates. With the next stop on
the tour being Houston, which is a track that
favors supercharged cars, don't look for the
nitrous cars to be any more competitive.
In fact, don't be too surprised if Shannon
Jenkins ends up with a blown car. He told DRO
last year on several occasions that if he was
forced into it he would have a blown car. It
would appear that the Champ might be backed
into a corner.
RAPID ROY'S NEW RIDE
Racing school instructor and racer Roy Hill
made his Pro Mod debut at Gainesville in a Brad
Anderson Hemi-powered '03 Mustang fresh out
of Jerry Haas's shop. Veteran wrench Howard
Moon is calling the tuning shots. Roy told DRO
that the first couple of laps the car was "way
faster than my eyes." He said that in testing
the car ran a 4.01 to the eighth at Darlington
and that was the quickest he had ever gone in
his life. Rapid Roy struggled a little, running
a best of 6.382/220.21. He plans to run the
entire NHRA/AMS Pro Mod tour. Rumor had it that
Von Smith will be joining the Roy Hill team
driving a new Mopar-bodied Pro Mod in the near
future and that Moon, who tuned his Alky flopper
last year, will tune his car also.
DARK HORSE THROWS A SHOE
Johnny Rocca's return to Pro Mod in his revamped
'49 Merc didn't go as Rocca and crew chief/blower
guru Darren Mayer planned. They had a piston
fail in their best motor and had to plug in
the backup. It just didn't have the power that
their best motor had and their best lap was
a motor wounding 6.489/209.20. Rocca and Mayer
said they're going to regroup for Houston.
"Darren's new blower made gobs of power; now
we just have to get some engine parts that will
stand up," said Rocca. "We also found out the
swing arm suspension that's in the car isn't
what we need, so we will have a four-link in
the car by Houston."
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