Dirt
DI World Series
of Pro Mod 2018
L
ast year’s inaugural Drag Illus-
trated World Series of Pro Mod pre-
sented by J&A Service and One Cure
was a dream come true for DRAG IL-
LUSTRATED founder and editorial director Wes
Buck, who long desired to put on a high-stakes
race of his own specifically for his favorite elimi-
nator, Pro Modified. Just over a month after the
successful first event last August, Buck announced
the confirmed dates for the 2018 DRAG ILLUS-
TRATED World Series of Pro Mod, August 10-11.
Held at Bandimere Speedway near Denver,
Colorado, the first-ever World Series of Pro Mod
featured an invitation-only field of 16 top-flight
legal Pro Mod drivers from across the country,
all competing for a winner-take-all prize of
$100,000 and a slew of additional perks. The
34 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
first-round pairings were drawn randomly live on
DRAG ILLUSTRATED Live! a full month before
the race. The entire main event, aside from the
final-round match between Steven Whiteley and
event champion Mike Bowman, was contested
with the scoreboards off. In addition to the main
event, the race weekend included the Aeromotive
Wild Card Shootout on Friday night, as well as
MagnaFuel Pro Star 16 and Quick Star 16 Shoot-
outs, the JR Race Car 7.90 Shootout and the One
Cure Reverse Race.
This year’s running of the World Series of Pro
Mod will feature many of the same elements that
made the inaugural event so successful. However,
Buck and the team at Bandimere Speedway, led
by “Sporty” Bandimere, have made a few changes
to the program. Buck recently took the oppor-
tunity to discuss the general format and buzz
surrounding the second annual Drag Illustrated
World Series of Pro Mod presented by J&A Ser-
vice and One Cure
Of all the successful elements from last year’s
race, which one do you think was most important?
I really think – and quite surprisingly – it’s the
invitational aspect of the event. I truly believe
that people want what no one else has. The air
of exclusivity that we created with our inaugural
World Series of Pro Mod, in my opinion, stood out
amongst all the cool things we did: big-time prize
money, pomp and circumstance, no scoreboards,
predetermined pairings, a unique locati on. Of all
these different things, I believe the invitational
aspect remains a critical component of the World
Series of Pro Mod.
Issue 133
Race founder Wes Buck discusses format for second-annual WSOPM
By Nate Van Wagnen