Mon, 21 Mar 2005, 10:55 PM Veteran Payne Wins His First in a Pro Mod

Courtesy of Duke Ritenhouse Photo copyright 2005 Auto Imagery, Inc.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --

Payne celebrates win.

He has done it 27 times before, but Jay Payne's event win Sunday at the Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals was still a first for the longtime alcohol-class racer. Payne's final-round victory over defending Pro Mod world champion Mike Ashley gave him both his first career win in the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge presented by TLR and his first win at an NHRA national event in anything other than a Top Alcohol Funny Car or Top Alcohol Dragster.

Payne, the No. 2 qualifier in the 16-car eliminations field, got off the line second but managed to drive around No. 4 Ashley's Torco Race Fuels '67 Mustang for a 6.11 to 6.17 win to cap the first of 14 events on the 2005 AMS/TLR series schedule. Equally as impressive was the speed Payne got out of his Valvoline/BAE '05 Stratus - a 236.03-mph blast that was the fastest ever recorded by a Pro Mod car.

On a weekend where consistency was difficult to find for the 22 Pro Mod drivers in attendance, Payne and the Valvoline team made five consecutive quality runs to claim the Pro Mod Challenge season-opener. On Saturday, Payne qualified No. 2 in the second (and final) session with a 6.11 that put him two-hundredths off Ed Hoover's pole-winning e.t. He followed up that evening with a 6.10 - the low e.t. of eliminations - to beat Zach Barklage in the first round, then posted Sunday times of 6.27, 6.14, and 6.11 to beat Cody Barklage, Troy Critchley, and Ashley. The 6.27 came in a holeshot win over Barklage, who ran a quicker-but-later 6.25.

For 2005 Pro Mod Challenge champion Ashley, the final was the sixth in his career and first since last year's Memphis event. Like Payne, he was consistently quick in eliminations, opening with a 6.25 in Saturday's first round, then recording 6.18, 6.19, and 6.17 e.t.s on Sunday.

Next up for the AMS/TLR series is the O'Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, April 8-10. The Spring Nationals begin what will be the busiest portion of the 2005 Pro Mod Challenge schedule, which features racing on four consecutive weekends in April.

Results
Mac Tools NHRA Gatornationals Sunday's eliminations
(qualifying position in parentheses)

Quarterfinals
(8) Jim Halsey def. (16) Thomas Patterson, 6.30 to 10.50
(4) Mike Ashley def. (12) Kirk Kuhns, 6.18 to 6.23
(2) Jay Payne def. (10) Cody Barklage, 6.27 to 6.25
(14) Troy Critchley def. (6) Rick Stivers, 6.69 to 9.37

Semifinals
Ashley def. Halsey, 6.19 to 6.22
Payne def. Critchley, 6.14 to 6.24

Final
Payne def. Ashley, 6.11 to 6.17

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