Joe Baker, driver of the Matco Tools/Lend America Pro Mod, earned his very first No. 1 qualifying
position and drove to a semifinal finish Sunday in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge at
the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan. Baker also set Heartland Park Topeka track
records for both fastest speed at 241.76 MPH and quickest ET at 5.971 seconds in his Mike Ashley
Racing '68 Camaro.
Baker's Chuck Ford-tuned '67 Camaro was a model of consistency all weekend, recording a 5.995, a
5.974, a 6.000 in qualifying. He was the only driver to break into the sub-six second zone all
weekend.
His class-leading performance earned him a bye in round one of eliminations and matched him up with
Raymond Commisso in the second round, where he continued his barrage of fives, this time with the
quickest pass of the weekend at 5.971/240.12 to defeat Commisso's 6.116/237.42.
In the semis, Baker faced off with Tim Tindle. When the tree flashed green, Baker's luck came to an
end as his car smoked the tires at the hit of the throttle. When Baker finally got the car to grab
the track, Tindle had driven away to take the stripe and put Baker on the trailer.
"We had a great weekend all-in-all," Baker said. "We finally got the car running well, and I know
the confidence we all gained was huge.
"We've struggled a lot in the recent races, and we changed everything on this car except the body.
Clutch, tires, engine, blower - everything.
"Chuck and all the guys really great job all weekend, getting us into the fives so consistently,
especially with the heat. He's a master at what he does, as are all the guys on the team.
"Next race, we'll pick up right where we left off," Baker added.
Next up on the schedule is the June 11-14 United Association NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge
Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.
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 www.healautismnow.org.
