(Photos by David Whealon) – Of all the classes that put on a great show at the 2019 NHRA Gatornationals, E3 Spark Plugs pro modified stood apart in a few different ways. These guys had nearly 30 entries trying to qualify, these guys had multiple power adders, and they had multiple records set as well. The quickest, turbo run of all time, the quickest nitrous run of all time, the world record was reset multiple times, and there was the quickest bump spot of all time as well.
The racing was as unpredictable as the qualifying order was and the fans all stuck to the grandstands like glue to see it happen. Just when we think that we’re getting to “peak pro mod” more cars show up, more stories develop, and more excitement seems to flood into the category. This year it was Rickie Smith swapping to a turbocharged car from a nitrous machine, and it was Steve Matusek racing with Elite Motorsports after years of success with Danny Rowe as a teammate.
At the end of the weekend it was a pair of blower cars in the final with Stevie Fast Jackson taking on Todd Tutterow in a battle of Camaros and a battle of cultures. It was Bahrain 1 racing vs the Quatar based Al-Anabu performance group and King Tutt got the job done on a hole shot. Spectacularly, Stevie Fast Jackson set the world record and lost in the final. It was insane.
David Whealon’s photos are great! Check them out!
This is the only class that still gets me excited. I\’ll pay the $60 to see Pro Mod and be bored with the Top Fuel Classes. NHRA needs to put Pro Mod where Pro Stock was on their Sunday show…. IJS