For the first time in NHRA Pro Mod history, the series made a stop at Bandimere Speedway just outside of Denver Colorado. Racing in the mountains is inherently beautiful but it comes with a new set of challenges for racers, tuners, and their crew. At 5,800 feet of elevation the cars struggled to make sub 6 second runs but a few teams were able to make it happen!
Qualifying
Coming into this race, Bahrain 1 Racing’s Justin Bond, had the points lead and Q80 Racing Team’s Jose Gonzalez had just won the race in Norwalk and sat 2nd in the points.
In qualifying, Bond led the pack with the first run in the 5’s in Bandimere with a 5.976 at 230.45 mph! Gonzalez grabbed the number 2 spot with a 6.017 at 237.17, and Khalid Al Balooshi qualified 4th with a 6.051 at 231.91.
Eliminations
Both Gonzalez and Bond had first round bye runs, giving them an extra chance to figure out the tricky racing conditions. Both clicked off early, gaining valuable data for the next round. Unfortunately Balooshi was sent home in a very close holeshot loss to Jim Whiteley.
Second round brought more heartbreak when Bond’s car wouldn’t fire up in his matchup with Brandon Snider. Gonzalez had another bye and ran a very clean 5.974 at 235.15mph.
Next was the matchup of Gonzalez vs Brandon Snider. They have raced against each other many times in PDRA and NHRA combined and they always bring out the best in each other. Gonzalez had the starting line advantage with a .015 to Snider’s .047. Jose went 5.988 to defeat Brandon’s 6.014.
In the final round Gonzalez faced the back to back Pro Mod champion, Steve Jackson. Gonzalez ran a 5.972 to Jackson’s 6.050, taking the first ever Pro Mod win in Denver!
Gonzalez and the Q80/EGR Team have now won 3 of the first 5 races this year. Congrats to Jose, Steve Petty, Tim, Pedro, Josh, and everyone involved! The next NHRA Pro Mod event will be in Brainerd, MN for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals!
For the first time in NHRA Pro Mod history, the series made a stop at Bandimere Speedway just outside of Denver Colorado. Racing in the mountains is inherently beautiful but it comes with a new set of challenges for racers, tuners, and their crew. At 5,800 feet of elevation the cars struggled to make sub 6 second runs but a few teams were able to make it happen!
