(Photos by Benoit Pigeon) – As we showed you earlier in the week, there was a great variety of iron at the US Street Nationals this winter. Racers from all over the country escaped the clutches of winter and made a break for sunnier and warmer climes to let the clutch out. Many racers made test runs during the week leading up to the event so by the time it was race day, they were loaded for bear. While the collection of photos earlier in the week and this one concentrate on pro mods, we’re going to have a bunch more of Benoit’s work up in the coming days that concentrates on the small tire entires and other class cars that were punishing the strip at Bradenton Motorsports Park.

Events like this one are important for racers looking to get their programs sorted out and ready to go. The NMCA, NHRA pro mod, and regional pro mod series all get cranking in the next couple of weeks and everyone is tight on time to start with so if you have a new car, one that has been updated, a new engine combo, or simply want to continue to refine the parts and pieces you ran last year, there’s no better way to do it than in a scenario like this. You get the benefit of testing as well as the environment of competition to sharpen your skills on the starting line and down the track.

From a media perspective we love races like this because you get to see new stuff, maybe get a peek at something one team is doing no on else has yet, and it gives us an excuse to go somewhere warm in the depths of winter. Triple win!