Drag Illustrated Issue 137, October 2018 | Page 101

WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD 2018

SHANE MOLINARI

A semifinalist at last year ’ s World Series of Pro Mod , Shane Molinari was a heavy favorite going into year two . After wheeling his turbocharged “ Gold Member ” ‘ 68 Firebird to blisteringly quick passes throughout testing , the NHRA Pro Mod star was all but guaranteed to race deep into eliminations again Saturday night .
The excitement of running well during testing was compounded by the fact that Molinari was out of the driver ’ s seat for two months leading up to the WSOPM .
“ It was pretty stellar ,” Molinari said . “ It was a good start and we ’ re going in the right direction . It ’ s the first time I ’ ve been in the car in a couple months , so to make a full pull and have a good hit like that , it ’ s a bonus for everybody .”
Molinari ultimately suffered a first-round loss to eventual finalist Danny Rowe , with both drivers encountering trouble and clicking off 6-second passes , but the Washington native ’ s return to the driver ’ s seat was an overall success .
- NATE VAN WAGNEN DI

ROBERT COSTA

Robert Costa brought his Musi-powered , nitrous-assisted ‘ 70 Duster up from Albuquerque , New Mexico , to join Chad Green and Aaron Glaser as the nitrous contingent in a sea of boosted entries . He experienced some mechanical issues over the course of testing and the Summit Racing Shakedown Runs , forcing the Albuquerque Dragway track owner to sit out eliminations . A disappointing end to the week , but Costa was just glad to have a big-money , high-profile Pro Mod race so close to home .
“ We love racing in Denver . It ’ s kind of our second home and it ’ s the same elevation as what we run in Albuquerque ,” Costa said . “ It ’ s a great venue and there is no other track like Bandimere . I don ’ t think there ’ s an equal to Bandimere . You can throw everything at the track because you know the track can take it .”
- NATE VAN WAGNEN DI

CLINT SATTERFIELD

PHOTOS : JOE MCHUGH , KATIE ANDERSON
New Mexico ’ s Clint Satterfield was amped up for his second appearance at the World Series of Pro Mod , and he was certain he had a shot at going rounds in this year ’ s five-round race . He wasn ’ t able to take down Pro Mod rookie Erica Enders in their first-round matchup , but Satterfield and the turbocharged “ Turbo Pig ” ‘ 69 Camaro put up a fight with their 6.115 at 231.64 to Enders ’
6.076 at 242.80 . Plus , Satterfield had a great time at his home race , what he ’ s called “ the highlight of the entire year .”
“ A lot of the guys , we help each other . We all want to win , but it ’ s not stressful ,” Satterfield said . “ You couple that with the fans , the facility and a great family environment , that ’ s what makes it so much different . Wes treats you like family and wants everyone to do well .”
- NATE VAN WAGNEN DI

JUSTIN JONES

A true rookie in a field made up of Pro Mod veterans , Justin Jones wasn ’ t sure what to expect out of his World Series of Pro Mod debut . The 19-yearold Jones is used to running his Brandon Pesz-tuned ‘ 69 Camaro to the eighth-mile with a screwblown motor in the Midwest Pro Mod Series . He was impressive in roots-blown , quarter-mile trim throughout testing and shakedown sessions , but a disconnected boost hose ended his time on Thunder Mountain in a first-round defeat
to 2016 runner-up Steven Whiteley . Regardless , the weekend was a thrilling learning experience for the rising star .
“ Oh , I loved it ,” Jones told CompetitionPlus . com ’ s Tracy Renck . “ It ’ s unreal . Especially , switching from eighth-mile to quarter-mile . My first quarter-mile pass in my car this weekend , I told Brandon , ‘ hell , I had my hand up on the chute at 330 ’. It took forever to get down through there .’ But it has been a blessing . I was fortunate , and I had a blast out here .”
- NATE VAN WAGNEN DI
October 2018
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