Mon, 17 Mar 2003, 02:13 PM McAmis Scores First NHRA AMS Pro Modified Challenge Victory at Mac Tools Gatornationals

By Bobby Bennett, Jr., www.competitionplus.com

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Tim McAmis is convinced that he made the right decision in converting to a supercharged program. During this weekend’s Mac Tools Gatornationals, the first stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge, the Hawk Point, Mo.-based driver of the Sanders Brothers Corvette, he confirmed it. On a day when all the breaks seemed to fall his way, the original Pro Modified World Champion captured his first title when a quicker-qualified Mitch Stott failed to fire for the final round.

In fact, McAmis had two singles into the winner’s circle. While he will be the first to admit that’s not the way he likes to win, he’ll gladly accept the trophy and the points lead.

“When it’s your time, it’s your time,” explained McAmis. “We haven’t had a lot of luck winning rounds, but it all came through today. We always want to run every round paired with someone, but it just doesn’t always happen that way. It just all worked in our favor today. You just have to take them any way you can get them.”

Prior to the season, McAmis made a commitment to run the entire series in 2003.

McAmis, 38, entered final eliminations as the fifth quickest qualifier in a record-setting AMS Pro Modified Challenge field.

Stott entered the show as the third seeded entry. The shortcoming in the final round later proved to be a small wire leading to the starter had failed.

“This is about the bottom of the barrel when it comes to losing,” explained Stott. “It is heartbreaking to not be able to compete, considering that this is a race that we felt that we could win. To have a car not start on a five-cent part is just terrible.”

The first round of eliminations opened with conditions next exactly favorable to supercharged entries. However, when the field was loaded as heavy in the favor of the blower cars, it really didn’t matter.

Opening eliminations, McAmis was late on the tree, but that was the only thing that didn’t go in his favor against Quain Stott in the first round of eliminations. McAmis quickly bridged the .045 deficit when Stott’s LeeBoy-sponsored entry lost power out of the gate allowing the original Pro Modified World Champion to streak to a 6.269, 223.21 victory. Stott coasted to a 16.132.

The younger Stott sibling, Mitch, got the break of a lifetime in the second pair opposite of the InfiNet-sponsored Ashley. Ashley double-clutched his supercharged ’41 Willys and lit the red-light by -.055. To further compound his frustration, at the sixty-foot mark the Radiac-sponsored Stott pitched the blower belt and coasted to a 16.991, 45.07. Ashley wasted a 6.333, 223.49.

Al Billes ended Mike Stawicki’s inaugural appearance on the series as he overcame a quicker reaction time and thundered to a winning 6.260, 225.62. Stawicki was no slouch as he lost with a 6.323, 223.38.

Fred Hahn closed out the round by winning a tough battle over the lone nitrous entry in the show. Shannon Jenkins carried the nitrous banner as he snagged a .006 holeshot, but it proved to be too little, too late. Hahn thundered by in a haze of engine smoke with a 6.254, 215.00. Jenkins absorbed the loss with a 6.390, 217.97.

The semi-finals whittled down to three Hemi-powered cars and the lone Wedge entry of McAmis. Stott ensured his second final round in a row by handily defeating Billes by a 6.233, 228.13 to 6.258, 225.28 margin.

On the other side of the ladder, Hahn was a no-show and McAmis took a solo run into the final round.

Stott had lane choice in the final round due to McAmis’ 11.295 effort on his solo run. But that didn’t matter as Stott’s entry failed to fire enabling McAmis to make a single pass with a 6.306, 223.32 winning lap.

Pit Notes –

Oh No, Not Again – The parts breakage of Fred Hahn in the semis marked the second consecutive time that the Summit-sponsored team failed to make the call in the semis. Just one week earlier, parts attrition forced the team to shut off on the starting line at San Antonio Raceway.

Quote of the event – Chuck Ford, crewchief for Mike Ashley, when asked what part he broke that resulted in a first-round red-light against Mitch Stott responded, “The only part we broke was the one between the seat and the steering wheel.”

Another Quote> – Shannon Jenkins prior to the first round of eliminations, uttered, “I sure hope that sun comes out or I’m toast.”

Notable – Two of the seven qualified supercharged cars ran the Wedge head configuration. One of each ended up in the finals with the Wedge winning out.

Another Notable – For the second Pro Modified event in a row, the semi-final entries were all supercharged.

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