Dirt
WSOPM: Aeromotive Named Title Sponsor
of $10,000-to-Win Wild Card Shootout
By Josh Hachat
S
teve Matusek will have
his own chance to win
$100,000 after receiving
an invitation for the main
event of the Drag Illustrated World
Series of Pro Mod, which takes place
Aug. 4-5 at Bandimere Speedway.
But the longtime Pro Mod standout
took his enthusiasm for the race a
step further.
Matusek’s Aeromotive, Inc., the
company he founded more than 20
years ago, will sponsor Friday’s spe-
cial race – now titled the “Aeromotive
Wild Card Shootout” – that awards
the winner $10,000 and a berth in
Saturday’s main event that pays out
six figures to the winner. With that
much on the line and Friday’s race
open to anyone in th e Pro Mod ranks,
Matusek knows it should make for a
wild evening.
“It’s a really cool concept and an
interesting format,” Matusek said.
“We’re hopeful there’s 30-plus cars
for the Friday night race. We want
to do whatever we can to keep the
momentum going and continue to
grow the class. It’s going to be an
interesting race and anyone has an
opportunity to win, and we wanted
to be a part of it.”
That’s the ultimate draw for Fri-
day’s race – it’s open to any legal Pro
Mod car out there. That means the
possibilities are nearly endless, and
the payout and berth into Saturday’s main event
adds the ultimate draw. Seeing drivers from all
levels and locations leave it all on the line for one
evening was certainly a major factor for Matusek
and Aeromotive wanting to be involved.
“You get somebody who works their way in,
maybe a lower-funded team or somebody like
that, and it could be an exciting opportunity,” Ma-
tusek said. “It could be somebody coming up the
ranks or from the West Coast. Maybe they’re not
expected to win and they go in, win the deal on
Friday and all of a sudden they have a lot of laps
and experience going into Saturday.”
With the multiple curveballs facing the racers
Of course, Matusek also has big
goals regarding his own participation
in the biggest and richest Pro Mod
race in history. Matusek earned his
first NHRA Pro Mod win earlier this
year in his supercharger-powered
Camaro and the thought of adding
a $100,000 prize for a prestigious
win is certainly exciting. Factor in
some of the great unknowns like al-
titude and the shakedown runs, and
Matusek believes it has the chance
to be a huge weekend for the Pro
Mod class.
“It feels great that there’s a pent-
up demand for an event like this,”
Matusek said. “Danny (Rowe) and
I did an exhibition race with Mike
(Knowles) and Clint Satterfield last
year (at Bandimere) and the crowd
was unbelievable. The enthusiasm
was off the hook. The Bandimere
family is very progression and it
seems like all the components are in place for
a great race.
“With that aspect of being on the mountain, it’s
going to be a different race in a lot of ways, but
that’s how you’re able to progress as a class. To be
involved and invited, it’s really an honor. Hope-
fully it’s the beginning of something positive.”
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42 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 122
– from racing at an altitude of nearly
6,000 feet to shakedown runs with
the scoreboards turned off – Friday’s
winner could have a distinct advan-
tage as far as seat time heading into
Saturday’s main event.
As far as the business perspective,
Matusek said Aeromotive being in-
volved was an obvious choice.
“We’re entrenched in this market
and these types of cars,” Matusek
said. “It’s important from a business
perspective to stay engaged. This is
the business we’re in.”