By Nate Van Wagnen

IllustrateD World Series of Pro Mod is close to that concept , and Mazzorana is proud to say a select group of NEOPMA racers held their own in the ultra-competitive Pro Mod showdown .

At the top of that list is 2023 NEOPMA series champion Derek Ward , who went on to win the WSOPM in his screw-blown ’ 68 Firebird . The former bracket racer has competed in the NEOPMA series for the last several years utilizing a few different power adder and engine combinations before settling on a screw-blown , MSR Performance-built engine .

He won multiple NEOPMA races last season in his screwblown ’ 69 Camaro to win the championship , but a late-season crash forced him to find a new car for the winter races and beyond . With help from the Salemis , Ward found his current G-Force Race Cars-built ’ 68 Firebird , which was

an immediate contender , ultimately carrying him to the WSOPM final-round win over Jim Halsey .

“ I think the right word is ‘ amazing ’ or ‘ phenomenal ,’” Mazzorana said when describing Ward ’ s victory . “ He deserves it because he really works hard at it . He crashed his car , put together a secondary car , and did so well . To see Derek be able to compete in an arena with 65 of the fastest Pro Mod cars in the world and become the No . 1 makes me proud to have him as a friend , proud that he ’ s a member of my association , and proud that he races with us on an ongoing basis . I can ’ t be more delighted for him and his team .”

Additional NEOPMA regulars in the WSOPM field included longtime nitrous racer Matt Deitsch

and two-time series champion Mike Decker Jr . and his son , Mike “ Hollywood ” Decker III , who was the runner-up in the Chicago-Style Second- Chance Race . The Second-Chance Race gave all non-qualifiers the chance to make a pass after the second round of Pro Mod eliminations . The quickest two drivers advanced to the final for $ 10,000 . Decker III used a 3.761-second pass to go to the final with Jeff Rudolf . He stepped up to a 3.664 , but came up short to Rudolf ’ s 3.652 .

“ Even though we only had a few cars represented , they all did a great job of representing Northeast Outlaw Pro Mods ,” said Mazzorana , who attended the WSOPM to support the event and his racers . “ I ’ m always delighted to see my guys do extremely well . I ’ m always delighted to see them promote the club . I ’ m always excited and delighted when these guys get recognition . Whether they run with the club or elsewhere , they always perform well and they ’ re always professional .”

Following the season opener at Maryland International Raceway in late April , where Decker III got his first Pro Mod win over his father , the NEOPMA will race four more times this season . The schedule features two stops at Empire Dragway and one at New England Dragway before the season finale back at MIR . DI

PHOTOGRAPHS BY LUKE NIEUWHOF