This one is for Bobby... were the first words out of Roger Burgess' mouth as he climbed out of his
ProCare Rx '67 Camaro Pro Mod after the winning the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge event at
the Mac Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals. Bobby Monacelli was a member of the R2B2 Racing team who passed
away suddenly in August from a heart attack he suffered while at work.
Burgess qualified strongly at No. 3 and proceeded in eliminations to defeat John Russo, Mike
Knowles, current points leader Burton Auxier, and Danny Rowe in the finals to take the title "U.S.
Nationals Champion." The win, his second of the season, catapulted Burgess into second place in the
Pro Mod Challenge standings.
"We came to this race with a very heavy heart, mourning the loss of our friend and teammate Bobby
Monacelli," Burgess explained from the winners circle stage as he received his trophy. "We didn't
talk about it, but every member of this team was resolved to win this event in the honor and memory
of Bobby.
"It's especially hard, because our series sponsorship with Get Screened America is about people
getting screened for things like diabetes and heart disease, and yet one of the men on our team
died from the very things we are trying to protect people from.
"As we worked our way through the day going round by round, we all felt that Bobby was up there
watching out for us and smiling as we won each round. The entire team worked tirelessly to get us
through each round, and when I crossed the finish line in the final, I said out loud, 'This one was
for you, Bobby.'
"We'll be sending our trophy and a photo that all of the team members and series drivers have
signed to Bobby's father, Clem, with the wishes and heartfelt message that Bobby is still a special
part of all of us, and that we will miss him greatly," Burgess said.
Burgess' next race with his R2B2 Racing team is Sept 18-20 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
