Drag Illustrated Issue 137, October 2018 | Page 76

WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD 2018 SHOWTIME The thousands of spectators in Bandi- mere Speedway’s spacious grand- stands were in for a show as pair after pair of top-tier Pro Mod competitors - like this duel between Erica Enders and Carl Stevens Jr. - pulled to the starting line to fight for the $100,000 payday. In two short yet very success- ful years, that has become a theme at the World Series of Pro Mod. There has been magical melding of a high-intensity drag race with massive fanfare, big hype and, yes, one big payout. But that’s just it. There’s one pay- out, yet by the end of the night and in the days and weeks that followed you would have thought everyone went home with a six-figure pay- check. This is something that can’t be forced and can only be created organically and that’s what the an- nual event at Bandimere Speedway has done. The racers have bought in. As attendance showed by way of an awesome crowd in 2018, the people have also bought in. This isn’t said as a way to pat our- selves on the back, but more of how we want to see this race continue to trend. The racers sure as hell de- serve it, the fans sure as hell deserve it and the sport is better for it. 76 | D r a g But it goes back to what makes the World Series of Pro Mod so special. Here was Bowman, do- ing yeoman’s work just to assure he would be back in Denver, and that’s a remarkable story in itself. Bowman and his team camped out at Jerry Bickel Race Cars for several days to help finish his turbocharged Chevelle in time to defend his crown. That’s how much this race meant to Bowman and what made the WSOPM so spectacular. While maybe not on that level, ev- ery racer had a story to tell in why racing at the WSOPM was meaning- ful to them. Whether it was traveling thousands of miles from the East Coast, interrupting family vacations to secure a last-minute entry – hello, Aaron Glaser – to the race serving as the highlight of their racing year, this was important. But why was it important? Well, as everyone – 2018 winner Carl Stevens Jr. included – would I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com say, the money is nice. But a race solely built on money will not last. It’s about relationships, creating excitement, giving the Pro Mod drivers the spotlight they so deserve and watching it combine into a thrill ride on Thunder Mountain. That was evident from the inaugural race and why so many racers wanted to be a part of it in 2018. Stevens watched the race in 2017, wishing and hoping he would be in that situation the following year. Two- time Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders made bets on the race a year ago as she watched with her team, putting a pause on her extremely busy schedule to compete. “IT’S MIND- BOGGLING WE’RE ALREADY IN THE 5.80S WITH THESE PRO MOD BEASTS IN THE MOUNTAINS, BUT IT SIMPLY SPEAKS SO HIGHLY OF THE SPECIAL GROUP OF DRIVERS AND TEAMS COMPETING IN PRO MOD.” Issue 137