Drag Illustrated Issue 125, September 2017 | Page 75

WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD LONG HAUL AFTER DRIVING ALL night - 22 hours straight-through - to arrive at Bandimere Speedway in the early morning hours of Friday, August 4th, Mike Janis and his Lancaster, New York-based team knew they were facing an uphill battle against a slew of WSOPM competitors that had spent the previous few days test- ing extensively in the notoriously unique conditions presented on The Mountain. Despite an adjust- ed altitude encroaching 10,000-feet and having never raced anywhere remotely resembling the situation presented to them, Janis and son/ crew chief Mike Jr. came out swing- ing. In the first scheduled shake- down run their AAP 2015 Chevy Camaro looked ready-to-win with a straight-and-true trip down the 1320. Following a pair of increas- ingly impressive laps, Janis faced off against “Stevie Fast” Jackson in like- ly the most highly anticipated first- round matchup of the event and went wire-to-wire to take the win. SWINGING FOR THE FENCES AFTER OBLITERATING THE NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series national elapsed time record at the 2017 season-opening Gatornation- als in Florida with a 5.727-second blast, Eric Latino all but forced his way into the WSOPM’s exclusive invite-only field. Known for his ability to replicate his Gainesville performance any time or place, Latino was considered a favorite in Denver, but had a tough draw with fellow NHRA frontrunner Danny Rowe in the opening round. After taking out Rowe in a tightly contest- ed opener, Latino rolled into battle with Steven Whiteley, coming up short in a classic supercharger-ver- sus-supercharged showdown. “This is what it’s all about,” said Latino. “Putting it all on the line, big money, September 2017 winner-take-all, I think this is the kind of racing and kind of event that we all want to be a part of - it’s awesome. We needed to get after it a little bit more there in the second round, but you’re trying to walk the line - make it to the finish line under power, but still be ahead of the guy in the other lane.” DragIllustrated.com | D r a g I l l u s t r a t e d | 75