Dirt
THE FUTURE OF NHRA PRO MOD
UNPARALLELED ACTION
From the diversity of the cars and the colorful characters
at their controls to the impressive on-track performances
and violent, unpredictable nature of a sub-six-second,
250-plus mph quarter-mile pass, NHRA Pro Mod is drag
racing at its absolute finest.
our heads together, leverage our own businesses
and relationships and create some stability. Now
it’s NHRA’s turn,” Matusek says. “We’re confident
this is a program that will continue to grow. We
recently had an unbelievably constructive meeting with (NHRA President) Peter Clifford, and
there are going to be a lot of positive changes
with our program moving forward.”
RPM’s work, primarily behind the scenes, has
turned NHRA Pro Mod into the ultimate proving
ground for quarter-mile doorslammer racing.
This year’s class features a plethora of colorful
owners and drivers, side-by-side racing at more
than 250 mph with three dramatically different
engine combinations in play, and a slew of different makes, models and body styles. While the
future of the category within NHRA may not be
set in stone, the promise and potential of NHRA
Pro Mod is certain.
“I’d like to believe we’ll be with NHRA for 2017
and hopefully longer if we do things properly,”
Rowe says. “The biggest challenge is funding.
RPM has worked hard to get in a position to pay
for the racing that’s going on, but it’s a constant
struggle trying to generate revenue and give more
back to the drivers.”
Thanks to the involvement of RPM and its
members—Rowe, Matusek, Waldie, and others
including 2016 series sponsor J&A Services’ Jim
& Annie Whiteley, JEGS’ Troy Coughlin, Precision Turbo & Engine’s Harry Hruska—NHRA
Pro Mod has become a prestigious and competitive place to race. It’s a work in progress, though,
most likely requiring the efforts of both RPM and
NHRA to continue Pro Mod’s upward trajectory
on drag racing’s biggest stage.
“In general, I believe that Pro Mod is growing as
a class and headed in the right direction,” Rowe
states. “We’re partial to the original quarter-mile
drag racing and NHRA has given us a good, safe
and prestigious place to race. Collectively, I think
we can all agree that there is work left to be done,
but we have to appreciate the level Pro Mod is
at currently.”
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36 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 111
PHOTOS: MARK J. REBILAS, NHRA / NATIONAL DRAGSTER
brand of RPM. It feels like our hard work is
paying off.”
Matusek recalls RPM’s appearance at Bandimere’s Night of Fire and Thunder race this May
and the positive response of the crowd.
“We signed more autographs at that one race in
Denver than we have the whole season. Fans had
a great time, and the Pro Mods ran fast. That’s
what racing should be,” he says. “We have track
operators calling us to come out, and that’s a good
feeling. To have NHRA-legal Pro Mod cars headline a major event at a track like Bandimere—I
have to believe we’re doing something right.”
What many may not realize is that RPM—not
NHRA—is actually managing the vast majority of
the intricacies of the Pro Mod class. RPM has the
burden of finding sponsors to ensure the 10-race
schedule can be run, that payouts can be provided
to racers, and nurturing relationships with racers
to maintain high car counts. It’s a unique situation in drag racing, and a burdensome task for
those involved.
“We wanted to do everything on our own so that
we would have a good, solid series, something
we can be proud of. But it’s almost a detriment
because NHRA doesn’t have to worry about it,”
Rowe explains. “We seek out our own sponsors;
we hire PR people, manage relationships with
the media and invest countless hours in both
preserving the class and growing it beyond what
we have currently. We’ve removed the burden
from NHRA and, in turn, we sometimes don’t get
the attention from them that we feel we deserve.”
The original agreement in 2014 between RPM
and NHRA called for RPM to manage the logistical and business operations for a short-term
period of three years, at which point it would
transition back to NHRA. As the 2016 season
progresses, the class is undeniably at its peak in
terms of performance, participation and competition—however, with most members of RPM
being business owners who have day-to-day responsibilities within their own operations, the
future of Pro Mod racing within NHRA is once
again uncertain. Although as passionate as any
group of racers, it was never anyone’s intention
to have RPM members manage Pro Mod drag
racing within NHRA forever.
“This whole process was incubatory. Let’s put