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ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. - Tim McAmis never flinched in the face of a Pro Modified contingent determined to knock him off of the top qualifying perch. The former Pro Modified World Champion from Moscow Mills, Mo., who owns a successful chassis building enterprise, became the second driver in the history of Pro Modified competition to record a 6.0-second run with a 6.097, 231.87 on back-to-back Saturday qualifying attempts during the NHRA K&N Filters SuperNationals, the fourth stop on the ten-race NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour.
"We knew coming to Englishtown that the air was going to be killer," said McAmis. "We didn't change a thing on the car - it's the conditions we're running in. It makes everything so good. The motor's happy and it's hard to make a bad run. We wanted to be consistent today and I think our times show that. "We need about another mile per to go after the speed record but we are happy to get the E.T. record. To be the number one qualifier in the fastest, quickest field ever for Pro Mod, to me that is unbelievable, not to mention the points for the record. To me, if you can set a record with this field of cars, you're doing something."
LeeBoy-sponsored Quain Stott was in a hurry to get in the show as well by recording a last-ditch 6.105, 233.72. Stott, who is racing in memory of recently deceased LeeBoy founder B.R. Lee, one-upped his previous speed record established in Houston with the 233.72 blast. The Stott family continued their strong hold on the upper-echelon of the field as younger brother Mitch slipped into the third spot with the Radiac-sponsored, 1963 Corvette with a personal best in legal trim by posting a 6.129, 231.12. Rounding out the top half of the field was Pro Stock veteran Roy Hill, who is in his rookie season racing Pro Modified. The Odoban-sponsored driver was on his game recording personal bests in two of three qualifying attempts concluding with a best 6.131, 231.75. Thomas Patterson made the show during the incredible final session on the strength of a 6.150, 229.04. Patterson's quickest run entering the final attempt was a 6.30. Fred Hahn continued his string of consecutive quick performances despite falling off his usual torrid pace of previous events. Hahn, the recent winner in the Bristol event, could only muster a 6.158, 228.42 best. Canadian Al Billes was .001 off of Hahn and because of that he landed in the seventh spot. Billes made his first E-town Pro Modified outing a memorable one as he produced a 6.159, 229.47. For the third time in the last four NHRA events, the eight-car field produced a record-setting pace and New York Mortgage banker Mike Ashley occupied that spot with his third session run, a 6.168, 226.70. In the final session, Ashley drifted out of the groove and crossed the center-line. Tomorrow's first round pairings include McAmis versus Ashley; Quain versus Billes; Mitch versus Hahn and Hill versus Patterson. Saturday Notes - The World Record Scene - Despite a 6.07 in Houston by Fred Hahn, McAmis was able to back up his 6.097 elapsed time with an identical 6.097. Quain Stott still needs to back up his 233.72 speed and needs a 231.39 run or better to back it up. He posted a 231.36 on Friday. Ironically - Mike Castellana's 6.17 lap created the first-ever 6-teen field and marked the first time a nitrous car had ever ventured into that zone. It's not working - Castellana admittedly came to E-town with an increased displacement that was within nine inches of the 740-inch maximum. Castellana explained, "They can pump the motor any time they want to and they will see that cubic inches aren't the answer. It's a sad commentary when a combination runs the quickest-ever and fails to qualify." Beached whale - How do you stop a runaway 2700-pound, 1949 Mercury with no parachutes? You don't…especially when the vehicle is the "Dark Horse" entry of Johnny Rocca. Rocca gently tapped the brakes, but eventually centered up on the Old Bridge Township Raceway sand-trap and catch net and took it head-on, ending up nearly on its side. It took a while to dig the gravel out enough to extract Rocca from the ride, but he emerged unscathed. The car suffered cosmetic damage. The only problem was how did the NHRA Safety Safari remove the car? One unnamed NHRA official in the tower suggested, "Maybe we should wait until high tide to comes in, so it will carry the beached whale back out to sea." Horse Feathers - Roy Hill finally had the opportunity to make a run without the headaches of electrical problems that have plagued him and his Hemi-powered Mustang in the past few races. The veteran Pro Stock racer, who is in his rookie season in Pro Modified, admitted that he had to feather the throttle for the first part of his 6.159, 230.57 and only once he reached 100-feet into the run was he able to put the pedal to the floor. Evidently, he got on the full throttle earlier in the run as he recorded a 6.131, 231.75 on his first shot on Saturday. On consecutive runs, Hill recorded his personal bests. More Personal Bests - Johnny Rocca continued to make great strides with his fender-skirted Mercury as he blasted out a 6.251, 227.77, to land on the bubble of the eight-car field. Marty McGinnis continued to make great strides as he stepped up with a 6.263, 226.73. One got in there - Mike Castellana was the first nitrous car of the weekend to earn a provisional qualifying spot in the field during the second session and that came from a 6.241, 224.32, which bumped Rocca. Two pairs later, fellow New Yorker Mike Ashley bumped him from the show. Maiden Voyage - Shannon Jenkins debuted his new Tim McAmis Camaro in the first session on Saturday and while his 6.363, 221.89 was not enough to get into the field, but was straight-as-an-arrow and showed promise. Teens-a-plenty -The six-teen range was assaulted furiously as Hill (6.131), Stott (6.142), Ashley (6.168), Stawicki (6.195).Bump spot last year was a 6.31. Then there were two - Tim McAmis joined Hahn as the second driver to dip into the 6.0 zone with a 6.097, 231.87 blast to lead the second session. It's a good day for Ray - Scott Ray continues to prove that his switch from a nitrous car to a supercharged entry was a wise one. He proved it to be true after earning a provisional spot in the field with a personal best lap of 6.239, 225.18 after the second session, but he came up short in the final qualifying round.
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