TIM MOLNAR TAKES INTERCONTINENTAL TOP SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP
With more than 40 Top Sportsman racers attempting to qualify for the Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship presented by FTI Performance , merely making into the field was a feat in itself . Seville , Ohio ’ s Tim Molnar not only qualified , but he put his nitrous-fed , Albert-powered ’ 68 Camaro in the No . 3 spot . He was as consistent as he was quick in eliminations , as he raced through four rounds to reach the final round , where he defeated fellow Top Sportsman standout Ronnie Proctor .
Molnar started race day with a first-round win over Dylan Stott , followed by a win over Keith Raferty in the second round . In the quarterfinals , he laid down his best package of the day – a . 011 reaction time with a deadon 3.780 on a 3.78 dial-in – to beat fellow past PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson , who broke out with a 3.769 on a 3.79 dial-in . Semifinal opponent Andrew Johnson broke a carbon brake rotor while he was staging , allowing Molnar to coast to an
8.628 at 95.74 for a trip to the final round .
Proctor , driving his nitrous-fed , Albert-powered ’ 09 Mustang , qualified No . 27 and earned round wins over multi-time winners and past world champions like Aaron Glaser , Nick Meloni , Jamie Fowler , and reigning PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world champion Donnie “ Hollywood ” Urban .
The final round was decided on the starting line when Proctor went red by . 011 seconds before coasting to a 9.243 . In the other lane , Molnar threw down a . 013 reaction time and ran a 3.765 on a 3.76 dial-in to secure the $ 50,000 victory .
“ There ’ s nothing bigger or anything close to the World Series of Pro Mod ,” Molnar said while waiting to take winner ’ s circle photos . “ We appreciate Wes [ Buck ] and Drag Illustrated and FTI Performance for giving us this stage to race on , because without that , we wouldn ’ t get to race for this big of a purse . It ’ s awesome and I ’ m so happy for my family and my teammates . It ’ s just awesome . That ’ s all I can say . Awesome .”
The ITSC win was the latest major accomplishment for Molnar , who won the 2021 PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world championship . He humbly shared the credit for his win with the people who help him field one of the most consistent 3.70-second nitrous cars in the class .
“ The car was going to run dead-on every round ,” said Molnar , who thanked Jerry Bickel Race Cars , “ Tricky ” Rickie Smith , engine builder Billy Albert , and wife Rikki . “ All I had to do was get in there and let off the button and it was on rails . If the car loses , it ’ s the driver , it ’ s not the car .” — NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LUKE NIEUWHOF , SCOTT WITTY
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