Matco Tools/Lend America-sponsored driver Joe Baker is poised to make a move up the points list
this weekend as the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge is contested at the NHRA Thunder Valley
Nationals in Bristol, Tenn.
The Milton, Fla.-resident is currently fifth after three of ten events in The Challenge, and said
he knows "it's time to make a move."
"We've gotten a lot of things sorted out with the car and our engine setup, and I am really
confident Chuck [Ford, crew chief] has everything ready to go the distance," Baker said.
"This is a championship team, and there is no doubt we can win at this track. Chuck has done it
before, and it's our turn in the winner's circle now," he said.
Ford tuned two-time Pro Mod World Champion Mike Ashley to victory at the Bristol Dragway in 2005,
and guided 2006 Rookie of the Year Joey Martin to a runner-up finish in '06. Ashley returned last
year and runnered-up to Steve Engel, again with Ford calling the shots.
"Chuck is like our secret weapon," Baker explained. "He's got that quiet personality, and can
generally be conservative, but I think the history speaks for itself in recent years. It doesn't
change how I will drive, but it definitely gives me a mental edge - and in a sport where fractions
of a second mean everything - that's huge."
Qualifying is scheduled to begin with two rounds on Friday (4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and continues
Saturday with a third and final qualifying attempt (2:15 p.m.). The first round of eliminations is
scheduled for Saturday evening at 4:30 p.m., with the remaining three rounds of eliminations set
for Sunday.
Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., Mike Ashley Racing fields the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster
driven by Antron Brown as well as the Matco Tools/Lend America Pro Mod '68 Camaro driven by Joe
Baker. MAR proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Lend America, DirecTV, BeepBeep.com,
Toyota, DataDot USA, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast Sports, Goodyear, FRAM, Autolite, Suzuki, Connexions
Sports and Entertainment, and Forward Sports Marketing.
Mike Ashley Racing supports Autism Awareness through their support of the Hyperbaric Therapy
Center. A 2007 Centers for Disease Control report found that 1 in 150 children in America today
have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and an estimated 1.5 million Americans and their families
are now affected. Autism is a national health crisis, and Mike Ashley Racing is working to help
educate the public about ways they can get involved. Visit the Heal Autism Now website for more
information about how you can get involved at http://www.healautismnow.org
