Other than Ricky Smith completely steamrolling the rest of the field, the biggest story to come out of the 2016 NHRA J&A Services pro mod series is the fact that Billy Glidden has been named the driver of the Precision Turbo and Engine pro mod for the upcoming race at Englishtown, New Jersey. This comes after the announcement that Jonathan Gray had parted company with PTE and has stepped away from the sport for the time being. Speculation over who would get in the seat was running rampant with names like former driver Don Walsh and others popping up. One name that didn’t? Bill Glidden although it does make all the sense in the world. With the relationship that both PTE and Bill have with Mickey Thompson this now seems like a perfect match.
For Glidden this will be a significant adjustment and on a few levels. For starters, he is no longer the tuner, driver, and team owner. He will be driving for PTE and that means he’s not the guy making the tuning calls. Then we have the fact that he has spent little to no time (as best we know) behind the wheel of a modern, powerful, turbocharged drag race car. Staging the thing, driving the thing, all of that will be vastly different than his nitrous car and previous turbo machines he has driven. We wonder how jarring the change will be and how quickly one of the best door slammin’ drag racers in modern history will handle them.
This is a wild story!
Here’s the full release from Mickey Thompson!
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MICKEY THOMPSON, PRECISION TURBO & ENGINE, AND CHAMPION RACER BILL GLIDDEN FORM NHRA PRO MOD DREAM TEAM
Stow, Ohio – May 25, 2016 – Mickey Thompson-sponsored Pro Mod racer and long-time Team M/T member, Bill Glidden (2015 NHRA Summernationals Pro Mod champion), is set to compete in the upcoming NHRA Summernationals driving the Precision Turbo & Engine (PTE) 2014 Pro Mod Chevrolet Camaro.
“This relationship brings the best of the best together to create an NHRA Pro Mod dream team,” said Tom Kundrik, Motorsports Manager for Mickey Thompson. “Billy has been racing with our tires for many years. With this incredible car and additional support from PTE, the sky is the limit.”
Owned by Harry Hruska of PTE, the Camaro was previously named the Best Engineered Car in Pro Mod, and is now backed by Mickey Thompson, driven by Bill Glidden, and racing with Mickey Thompson’s legendary ET Drag tires (part number 3196). PTE-equipped vehicles have set more than 270 world records and won nearly 170 world championships.
“Billy is a fierce competitor in every drag racing class he competes in,” said PTE Founder and President Harry Hruska. “We are so excited to have Billy behind the wheel of the PTE Pro Mod Camaro. He has the work ethic, focus and determination to win races and sets the bar high. Together with Mickey Thompson, our team is unstoppable.”
“This is an incredible opportunity for us to strengthen our relationship with Mickey Thompson,” continued Hruska. “In addition to offering the best tire solutions for the performance aftermarket, Mickey Thompson sets the industry standard for great relationships and customer service. We’re looking forward to an incredible Pro Mod season!”
The 47th annual NHRA Summernationals Pro Mod competition is scheduled June 9-12 at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ. For more information, visit http://www.nhra.com/events/event/summernationals2016/.
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About Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels
Max-Trac Tire Co., Inc., dba Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, markets racing and high-performance tires and wheels for street, strip, truck, and off-road applications. The company was founded in 1963 by racing legend Mickey Thompson and is headquartered in Stow, Ohio, USA. For more information, visit www.mickeythompsontires.com. Connect on Facebook and Instagram. |
Great news for everyone but his Pro Mod competitors. Brian check your spelling and fact info e.g. 2015, “his turbo car” Gladden before posting though (yes e.g. not i.e.). Just being an asshole, thanks. 🙂
For Gladden this will be a significant adjustment and on a few levels
Good typo fix, glad to be of service always. The fact of the matter is BangShift is one of my most frequented sites and I am not only grateful for the various motorsports news and videos you post but damn envious of you guys doing something you love for a living. Congratulations I know it has been a long, strange trip to get where you are now and I hope it lasts profitably as long as you wish it to.
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Speculation over who would get in the seat was running rampant with names like former driver Don Walsh and others popping up. One name that didn’t? Bill Glidden although it does make all the sense in the world. With the relationship that both PTE and Bill have with Mickey Thompson this now seems like a perfect match.