Wed, 16 Mar 2005, 12:47 PM New-look AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Chal-lenge Kicks Off '05 Season

Courtesy of Duke Ritenhouse

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A number of changes are in store this season for the drivers and teams involved with the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR, but one constant is still in place as the 2005 season gets underway: for the fifth straight season, the Pro Mod Challenge will open at the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals.

The fifth AMS/TLR season begins Friday, March 18, with two qualifying ses-sions (11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.) at historic Gainesville Raceway. A third and final quali-fying session is scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m., and the first round of Pro Mod eliminations is slated for 4:30 p.m. that afternoon.

The Saturday eliminations session is just one of a number of changes AMS/TLR series officials installed between the end of the 2004 season and the be-ginning of the 2005 campaign. Other modifications to the Pro Mod Challenge include:

* A 16-car eliminations field. With the exception of last year's season-ending event in Las Vegas, every Pro Mod Challenge event since the series' inception in 2001 has utilized an eight-car eliminations field. Beginning in 2005, the first round of eliminations will be contested on Saturday afternoons, with the remaining three rounds being run on Sundays.

* A more liberal rulebook. Supercharged cars can now run at 29-percent blower overdrive (up from 20 percent in previous seasons); nitrous-oxide-injected entries have no cubic-inch-displacement limit; and turbocharged cars will be allowed to compete for the first time. A number of weight breaks are also in place for older models; AMS/TLR cars will now weigh anywhere from 2,200 pounds (1972 or older with nitrous injection) to 2,700 pounds (1973 or newer, either blown or turbocharged).

* Permanent invitations. Twenty drivers begin the season with "permanent invitee" status on the AMS/TLR tour, which guarantees entry into any of the 14 events on the 2005 schedule. Wild-card entries will be available for each event and will be distributed on a per-event basis (interested drivers are encouraged to visit www.amspromods.com for more information). The Gatornationals will be the first major quarter-mile outing of 2005 for a number of Pro Mod drivers. Among those expected to attend are defending world champion Mike Ashley (Torco Race Fuels '67 Mustang), who won the 2005 DRO/NMM Cup points title by more than 500 points; former NHRA Pro Stock stand-out Troy Coughlin (Jeg's Mail Order '67 Mustang), who is Ashley's teammate; 2002 world champion Shannon Jenkins (SpeedTech '68 Camaro) and his teammate and car owner Mike Castellana (Western Beef '68 Camaro); Troy Critchley, who drives a '41 Willys for series sponsor AMS Staff Leasing; Joshua Hernandez, who drives a '57 Chevy backed by presenting sponsor Tommy Lipar Racing; 21-year old Zach Bark-lage (Barklage Family Racing '02 Grand Am); and Thomas Patterson (PMS Excava-tion '41 Willys).

Following the season-opening Gatornationals, the 2005 AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR enters its busiest portion of the schedule. Events will be held on four successive weekends in April, including the NHRA Cajun SPORTSnationals (April 22-24) in Belle Rose, La., the series' first-ever stop at a non-NHRA national event.

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