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