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that I have . Maybe it ’ s a different engine builder and a different tuner , but it really puts a lot of the skill level on different pieces of the car , not just the power adder . I know that I should have a fair chance against anybody I ’ m up against .”
Now , as the series heads into its eighth season , there are arguments that Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost should be combined to form one all-inclusive Pro Modified class . That move would create fields of over 30 cars at most races , as both classes hovered at or just under the 16-car mark in 2020 .
But it would also strip away the last remaining place for nitrous-fed Pro Mod entries to race one another
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without dealing with the parity concerns that come with multiple power adders and rule combinations in one class . Franklin and the PDRA technical department are determined to prevent that loss from happening .
“ It ’ s important [ to keep the class ] because the nitrous cars are fun to race with each other from a competition level ,” Franklin says . “ It ’ s kind of like talking about Pro Stock . It ’ s similar to Pro Stock to where you have different engine builders and chassis builders and tuners . In my mind , Pro Nitrous is one of the most exciting classes out there .”
Franklin isn ’ t alone in his beliefs . Multiple drivers , tuners and engine
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builders in the class agree it should remain as is .
One of those drivers is two-time and defending Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous world champion Jim Halsey . He raced competitively against supercharged and turbocharged combinations in quartermile NHRA and IHRA Pro Mod before turning his focus to eighth-mile Pro Nitrous . He still enters various outlaw Pro Modified events , but he really enjoys Pro Nitrous .
“ Racer-wise , I prefer to keep them separate ,” Halsey says when asked about the idea of combining Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost . “ The biggest thing is the weather has so much
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of an effect on the different combinations . I don ’ t think your rules will ever be equal for one combination or the other . The boosted programs are so weather dependent . In the spring and fall , they ’ ll be dominant . In the summertime , the nitrous cars will be dominant . Unless you could have some kind of a swinging scale or sliding scale on atmospheric conditions , I don ’ t think it would ever be 100 % fair . I can ’ t say fair because I know everybody ’ s trying to make the rules fair , but one combination would have an advantage over another at certain times of the year .”
Brandon Switzer , who tunes Halsey ’ s car as well as championship con-
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38 PDRA660 . com |