|
Mark Micke wins $ 32,000 Outlaw Pro Mod showdown at U . S . Street Nationals By Nate Van Wagnen
Racing from the No . 1 spot , Mark Micke charged through five rounds of eliminations in PJS Racing Outlaw Pro Mod presented by FuelTech to secure the $ 32,000 win at the U . S . Street Nationals presented by M & M Transmission in late January at Bradenton Motorsports Park . Micke fired off a 3.609-second pass at 222.84 MPH in the final round to deny Ken Quartuccio a second consecutive U . S . Street Nationals win . Quartuccio posted a 3.629-second , 208.14 MPH runner-up effort . As pre-race testing at Bradenton progressed in the days leading up to the U . S . Street Nationals , Micke in his twin-turbocharged M & M Transmission ’ 69 Camaro emerged as a serious contender to win the event . Low 3.60-second passes in testing and early qualifying sessions paved the way for a 3.57-second No . 1 qualifying effort in the final session . His bracket-car-like consistency
|
continued in eliminations , culminating with a final-round win over close friend Ken Quartuccio . Micke cut a . 006 reaction time , but Quartuccio was also ready with an . 026 light . Micke charged to a 3.609 at 222.84 to beat Quartuccio ’ s 3.629 at 208.14 . He collected $ 32,000 and a custom trophy for his efforts .
“ This is one of our biggest wins , period ,” Micke said . “ I ’ m just so proud of my team because we never missed a run . We were here since Tuesday . We never missed a run for anything falling off the car . The car was flawless . The team was just phenomenal . I don ’ t even know how to put it . My guys are just young and that makes it a lot more fun . We ’ re a bunch of crusty old guys and these young guys just kicked ass .”
Micke started eliminations Saturday afternoon facing Top Fuel veteran Scott Palmer , who left the starting line first but coasted to a 7.453 at 85.23 , while Micke laid down a 3.644 at 219.19 . In the cool Saturday night conditions , Micke dipped back into the 3.50s with a 3.598 at 220.04 to take out past PDRA Pro Boost world champion Tommy D ’ Aprile and his 3.644 at 207.91 . The third round brought on a battle with Pro Modified heavy hitter Todd Tutterow , who was breaking in
|
a new car for car owner Justin Smith . Micke got up on the wheel and fired off a 3.590 at 222.07 to finish ahead of Tutterow and his 3.598 at 210.18 by just . 017 seconds . In the semifinals , Micke used a 3.593 at 222.80 to defeat truck pulling standout Stan Shelton , who slowed to a 5.617 at 79.54 .
“ I look back at the eliminations rounds , and it was a dream race for me ,” Micke said . “ I got to race my buddy Scott Palmer first round . Unbelievable . I took out Tommy D ’ Aprile – badass champ . Third round against Todd Tutterow , that
|
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS SEARS |