Joe Baker had luck on his side this weekend at Virginia Motorsports Park in the Get Screened
America Pro Mod Challenge at the NHRA Virginia Nationals. He qualified No. 15, set new
personal-best marks in both speed ant ET, advanced all the way to the semifinals with two hole
shot wins, and even won an extra $500 in the B&J Transmissions Bonus Round.
After taking the No. 15 spot in an ultra-quick field that saw 13 of 16 drivers with ET's less than
six seconds, Baker faced Brad Personett in round one. Baker used a 5.873 at 244.34 mph and had an
.038 reaction time to beat Personett's .140 RT and 5.866 at 249.49, advancing to the next round. He
also won an extra $500 from B&J Transmissions by beating Personett because his pair was selected at
random before the event as the Bonus Round.
In round two, Baker faced off against No. 7 qualifier Danny Rowe and used an .061 RT to Rowe's .124
to take the lead and never look back. On the scoreboard, Baker showed a slower but winning 5.865 at
244.92 against Rowe's 5.854 at 248.43. both Baker's ET and speed were personal best marks and set
up his shot into the semifinals.
Baker said, "We've made it to a lot of semifinals here lately and that's really encouraging. We're
just keeping our fingers crossed that we get a win here soon."
In the semifinals Baker was paired with veteran and defending event champion Jay Payne. The two
left the line at the same time and were neck and neck until Baker's car got shaky and he had to lay
off the throttle and let Payne pass him and take the win.
"Truth be told, we got greedy on that run. We didn't detune the car enough for the climate
conditions. With everyone clocking such great times we just got carried away and tried to swing
for the fence, but we shook the tires and that's all she wrote."
While that eagerness to get in on the quick ET action may have cost Baker a win, he said he still
thinks it's a great thing.
"I think that these quick ET's have been really good for our class as a whole. It gets the fans
excited, it gets the drivers excited, it gets the crews excited. We've never quite seen a weekend
like this before."
Baker leaves the event in fourth place with 532 points, having moved up one position with his
semifinal finish. He and his team will be in action one more time October 29-November 1 at the NHRA
Las Vegas Nationals for the final round of the 2009 Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge
presented by ProCare Rx. Baker will also be competing in the Matco Tools $35,000 Pro Mod Clash to
be contested that weekend.
