the opportunity to further pursue a second consecutive WSOPM win . Hyde left the line first but crossed the finish line second with a 3.694 .
“ Brandon looked at the run after E1 and he said it looks like we can get after it a little bit ,” Halsey said . “ I ’ ll be honest with you , I was kind of shocked that we went as fast as we did in the heat of the day too . I was very surprised and very happy .”
Halsey got some revenge against Harris in the third round as they paired up for a rematch of their 2023 first-round matchup . Harris was quicker on the starting line again , but this time , Halsey had enough steam to pass him before the finish line . Halsey set low E . T . of the round again with his 3.652 at 208.33 , while Harris ran a 3.684 .
“ Jason is one of the best drivers out there ,” Halsey said . “ He ’ s beat me on a holeshot a few times , so just getting past him any time , whether it ’ s outrunning him or a holeshot or whatever , it ’ s quite an accomplishment .”
Yet another incredible matchup followed in the semifinals . Two of the most accomplished Pro Modified wheelmen of all time , Halsey and Todd “ King Tut ” Tutterow , lined up for a nitrous vs . screw blower battle . Halsey grabbed a . 030 advantage at the starting line and recorded a 3.635 at 208.71 to hold off Tutterow ’ s 3.632 at 205.57 .
“ He ’ s one of the best to ever do it ,” Halsey said of Tutterow . “ Myself , Brandon , Eric , we all get up for it because if you don ’ t take your A game to the starting line with him , driving wise or tuning wise , you ’ re going home . He gets 110 percent out of us .”
When word spread that Halsey needed a little extra time before his final-round battle with Derek Ward , it was assumed that he wounded his Fulton Competition Engines-built 959-cubic-inch engine . Fortunately , it was just planned maintenance Halsey and his team do in these high-pressure situations .
“ When we go to a big-money final , we always try to go in with everything we have ,” Halsey said . “ The engine wasn ’ t hurt . We just put a set of fresh rings in it . We ’ re like a mini Top Fuel organization . We carry a couple racks of pistons and rings ready to go – on rods – so we can change them in 45 minutes to an hour . But that was planned maintenance . I just told the guys at the scales I
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