Mon, 13 Oct 2003, 12:03 AM Smith Takes the Alternative Route to the Winner’s Circle

By Bobby Bennett, www.competitionplus.com Photo by:Auto Imagery, Inc.

ENNIS, Texas --

Von Smith celebrates win.

Sometimes qualifying isn’t that important after all. At least that’s what Von Smith was led to believe after an impressive victory at the NHRA O’Reilly Fall Nationals in Dallas, Texas, the ninth stop on the ten-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour.

When the sixth qualifier Kirk Kuhns announced that he was through following qualifying, that opened the door for points leaders Fred Hahn and Jim Oddy to get into the show. Since an alternate is not allowed to gain points, the Summit-sponsored team decided to withdraw their status. Al Billes was next in line and had already departed for Canada. It just so happened that Smith hadn’t left and was the next choice.

Smith made new car owner Tommy Lipar and former owner Roy Hill smile proud as he pushed the supercharged Mustang to the victory.

“The outhouse to the penthouse scenario certainly applies here,” explained Smith. “We were already loaded up and ready to go when they came and told us that we could run if we wanted to. Howard (Moon), my crewchief, told me that we would go back to our original program after we found a small problem that we’d be just fine. He was exactly right.”

Smith felt like one of the AMS Pro Modified Challenge fraternity by failing to qualify at least one race this season. No driver in the top ten of points has qualified for every event this year.

“This was an abbreviated season for us,” explained Smith, who joined the team at Indy. “This whole team has gelled so fast…that it borders on amazing. It has been great and everyone is happy to be here.”

Smith took advantage of the second chance to win his first-ever AMS Pro Modified Challenge title over Rickie Smith. The two met last month in the finals of the NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

The eventual champion Smith encountered a frustrating outing in qualifying. The former alcohol Funny Car champion couldn’t make the 6.308 bubble after producing a 6.323, 227.04 best. He failed to improve on Saturday in both sessions.

In the first round, Smith found the right direction with the Howard Moon-tuned entry and took Shannon Jenkins to the woodshed with low elapsed time of the event with a 6.219, 230.94. Jenkins posted a losing 6.251, 222.99. The impressive part of the match was that the two were glued side-by-side at the 1000-foot mark.

Smith remained lightning-quick on the tree as he laid down a .02 light and coupled it with a 6.256, 229.76 to take out Thomas Patterson. Patterson lost with a 6.275, 226.35.

The “other” Smith, Rickie, was the man to beat all weekend in qualifying. Smith, the veteran doorslammer racer from King, NC, led the field into eliminations with a 6.243, 225.67.

Rickie opened with a convincing win over Scott Ray with a 6.245, 224.66. That paved the way for the quickest lap of the second round, a 6.237, 224.88 to stop Tim McAmis.

In the final round, Von nailed the tree on Rickie with a .019 reaction and that proved to be the difference as he fended off the quicker nitrous car with a 6.258, 229.29. Rickie lost despite a 6.241, 225.33.

One race remains on the 2003 AMS Pro Modified Challenge tour and it will take place in two weeks at Las Vegas.

SUNDAY NOTES

Cool weather – While most of the weekend has been somewhat warm and humid, Sunday’s eliminations were greeted with cloudy and overcast conditions. Interestingly enough, the same thing happened last year.

Line-Loc Blues – Mike Ashley experienced the kind of weekend that wouldn’t be good for line-loc sales. In the first round of the AMS Pro Modified Shootout, Ashley suffered failure of the $20 part. As fate would have it, the same thing happened in Sunday’s first round of eliminations. Both resulted in a loss.

Quote of the weekend – Shannon Jenkins, after being side-by-side at the 1,000-foot mark with first round opponent Von Smith. “He got on a bus and got out of here. That’s just pure power. They say we have an advantage with the nitrous cars. That’s just pure S – H…well I think you can spell the rest of it.” In the last three hundred feet, Smith added .04 and won the mile per hour battle 230 – 222.

Alternative wording – Thomas Patterson hates the word “alternate” and after this weekend, one can easily see why. In the first round of the AMS Pro Modified Shootout, the Houston, Texas-based driver lost to Shannon Jenkins, who was inserted to the eight-car show. His Sunday eliminations ended at the hands of Von Smith, who got in for Kirk Kuhns.

Rickie and Roy at it again – In the late-Seventies and early-Eighties, Rickie Smith and Roy Hill did battle in mountain motor Pro Stock competition. This year has renewed that rivalry, although in a different manner. Hill owned a Pro Modified team driven by Von Smith up until this weekend. Smith has been an independent Pro Modified runner since the late-1990s. Their teams met in the finals for the second time this year.