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Tue, 28 Oct 2003, 12:25 AM

Smith Plays Spoiler En Route to Grabbing Win

By Bobby Bennett Jr., www.competitionplus.com

Hahn and Oddy Win World Championship

LAS VEGAS -- Von Smith was a bad man during the final stop on the ten-race NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour during the NHRA ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas. The multi-time alcohol Funny Car champion turned Pro Modified terror from Oak Ridge, Tenn., not only repelled a determined championship bid from Thomas Patterson, but also won the event with plenty of wiggle room at the finish line in all three rounds of competition.

The victory maintained Smith’s perfect final round appearance tradition since joining the tour in August at Indianapolis. He closed out the season with four final rounds in as many as events competed.

"In the final we knew Patterson had nothing to lose," said Smith. "We just tried to keep our act together. As long as I don't mess up that's okay, but when I mess up I don't like it. We didn't and the outcome was what we were out there for.

"We came into the Pro Mod Challenge in midseason and got to run the last four races. I wasn't supposed to be in a car this year, so I was please to be there. We went to four finals and won two, it's just wonderful.

Smith not only played dominator during the day, but also played spoiler in the end. That’s where Patterson entered the fray. Needing to win the event to claim the 2003 World Championship, Patterson played out a script that would have been fitting for a movie screen. In the end, he fell one round short of the ultimate objective.

“I have been there before,” explained Smith on knowing how it feels to have a championship come down to the wire. "I don't want to be known as the guy who decided this championship. I'm friends with all these guys. I didn't want to be a deciding factor. I just wanted to win a race. All I can say is that I'm going to win this thing (championship) next year."

Fred Hahn, who had failed to qualify at the last three events, maintained enough of a lead to capture the title by five points.

Smith put on a clinic of high-horsepower consistency throughout the course of eliminations. He was the beneficiary of a foul start in the opening round of eliminations from Mike Castellana. Castellana was the first to squeeze the trigger with a too-quick .025 foul. Smith never lost momentum as he drove around him with a 6.261, 227.50. Castellana’s season ended with a 6.285, 222.58.

With a mountain to overcome, Patterson began his march with the most crucial of all battles. His first round encounter against points nemesis Tim McAmis was the first of three major hurdles Patterson would encounter during the day. Armed with a .004 advantage out of the gate, Patterson went on to record victory with a 6.336, 221.31. McAmis, after getting in the field on a last-ditch effort, helplessly watched his season end with a 6.347, 222.33.

The stress for Patterson continued to mount as he opened the semis against Canadian Rick Distefano. Patterson won the battle on the starting line and extended it to the finish line with a 6.336, 221.27. Distefano trailed behind Patterson for much of the match, but crossed the center-line drawing a disqualification.

Smith then met up with the final West Coast-based Pro Modified left in competition. Dennis Radford was also the final nitrous car left standing, but that ended at the hands of Smith, who maintained his bracket racing consistency with a 6.262, 228.15. Radford’s day ended with a 6.350, 221.89.

In the final round, the scenario was perfectly clear. If Patterson won the final round against Smith, then he would be the 2003 World Champion. If not, he’d finish second just five points out of first place. On the starting line Smith was on his game with a .036 advantage at the hit and the gap only extended with a winning 6.249, 228.31. Patterson concluded his finest career effort with a 6.315, 222.25.

"We had a great weekend and went from fourth to second in the points but the bottom line is we wanted first. I didn't feel like getting out of the car (after the final round), I just wanted to sit there for a while. All I could think was that this didn't happen to me. Every year since I've been on the NHRA AMS Pro Mod Challenge I gotten better each year. The only way to go is up to first, so for next year first sounds good to me," said Patterson.

Unofficially, Hahn ends the season with 1642 points, followed by Patterson in second with 1637 points. Mitch Stott, from Mill Spring, N.C. is third with 1627 points, while McAmis winds up fourth with 1553 points.

SUNDAY NOTES

Patterson finished with Willys? - Saddled with a disadvantage in the front-end overhang department, the word is that Patterson will abandon the classic hot rod for the 2004 season in favor of a Chevrolet Cavalier. Several months ago, Richard Patterson and chassis builder Jim Geese of Vanishing Point Race Cars had lobbied IHRA tech director Mike Baker for an adjustment to the front-end of the 1941 Willys that would enabled them to have comparable overhang with the Mustang that Von Smith drives. When Baker denied the appeal, the search began for a new style of car that offered a better front-end. Reportedly, that's the reason that Scotty cannon will not consider the same body style that he made famous in his championship years in Pro Modified.

16-car field next year? - That's the word for next year's NHRA Las Vegas Nationals AMS Pro Modified Challenge event. Reportedly, next year's ten-race tour will culminate in the sixteen car field and the second annual AMS Pro Modified Shootout in Vegas.

West Coast well represented - Two of the West Coast Pro Modified entries reached the semis in eliminations. Those two marked the only left coast cars in the eight-car field.

Championship scenario to die for – After the first round of eliminations, Thomas Patterson remained the only driver with a mathematical chance to catch points leader Fred Hahn. Patterson met up with Tim McAmis in the first round. McAmis held on to the best opportunity to overtake Hahn and second place points man Mitch Stott, both of whom failed to qualify. Patterson stopped McAmis in the first round. When Patterson stopped Rick Distefano in the final round, it ensured a championship that would be decided on the last race of the season.

Only one remained – The nitrous fraternity entered eliminations with three cars. Only Dennis Radford survived as both Shannon Jenkins and Mike Castellana both fell in the first round of eliminations. Radford eliminated Jenkins who wounded the motor in their first round match. Von Smith advanced to the second round when Castellana rolled the beams and fouled. As valiant of an effort that Radford exerted, he fell against Smith in the semis.

Ashley rowes into next season – New York mortgage banker Mike Ashley announced plans for a two-car team in 2004 with California Pro Modified racer Danny Rowe handling the driving chores on the InfiNet-sponsored, Gotham City Racing 1941 Willys. The deal was brokered by Nowling Motorsports Management's Kenny Nowling.

Ashley will help to market InfiNet’s Unique Performance brand, company that specializes in high-end classic car restorations. His ride will be none other than a replica of the 1967 Shelby G.T. 500 made famous in the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds.” Ashley plans to call his new ride “Gone in 6.0 seconds.” Unique Performance has the exclusive rights to reproduce the “Eleanor” musclecar from the movie. Unique Performance’s project is endorsed by Carroll Shelby.