Drag Illustrated Issue 137, October 2018 | Page 82

Erica Enders. Stevens went 5.897 at
246.66 to slip past Enders’ 5.922 at
243.99, continuing that improve-
ment in his quarterfinal showdown
with defending World Series of Pro
Mod winner Mike Bowman.
The two turbo-powered talents
provided the most thrilling side-by-
side duel of the weekend, as Stevens’
5.880 at 246.21 ousted Bowman’s
5.912 at 249.03 by a mere .007. It
was a duel that left everyone talking,
and the make-or-break moment
went Stevens’ way, signifying it may
just be his weekend.
“It’s got to be your day at the end
of day, but (the race with Bowman)
was really exciting,” Stevens said.
“That was exciting the whole way
down the track. We love close racing
and that’s what we were expecting.”
From there, Stevens beat Michael
Biehle when he went red, running
a quicker 5.863 at 245.90 to move
into the final-round matchup
against Rowe. Stevens again dialed
up another spectacular run in his
Xtreme Racing Engines-powered
Camaro, tracking down Rowe after
the veteran left first.
“I was pretty jacked up inside the
car,” Stevens said. “The people prob-
ably heard screaming inside the car
as I was turning off the track. I was
pretty pumped up. I wanted to see if
I could pick it up a little more (in the
final). As the tuner, I was looking at
the data and thought I could make
it go a little better, so I had to try. I
was pretty confident in the tune-up.”
Stevens was on a roll throughout
eliminations following his strong
blast on the final Summit Racing
Shakedown run on Friday night.
In all, he improved during all five
elimination runs, knocking off a
standout list of talents en route to
the six-figure payday.
“We knew it was really fast and we
knew we could go a little bit faster
if we had to,” Stevens added. “We
were really pretty confident and just
trying to not beat ourselves. Every-
thing just fell together against some
huge names.”
It was the speed that lured Bell
into Pro Mod racing in 2013, but
never did the Edmonton native
imagine it would lead to a moment
like he experienced on Thunder
Mountain.
He had his share of success run-
ning NHRA Pro Mod in 2014 and
2015, claiming wins at the PSCA
SCSN event in St. Louis and the
“IT’S MONUMENTAL. I’VE WON A
FEW BIG RACES, BUT I’VE NEVER
EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THAT IN
MY LIFE. IT’S THE BIGGEST WIN EVER.”
Shakedown at the Summit that
same year. But working with the
Stevens family has been a dream
come true for everyone involved.
The team worked flawlessly together
in Denver, an amazing feat consid-
ering the pressure and magnitude
of the moment.
It wasn’t lost on Bell, who, like
Stevens, did his best to soak it all in.
“I’ve been to a lot of races, but
this one was over-the-top huge,”
Bell announced. “It’s monumen-
tal. I’ve won a few big races, but
I’ve never experienced anything
like that in my life. It’s the big-
gest win ever. It’s so exciting to win
this, and every round was tough.
We faced some great drivers. The
race against Mike could have gone
either way and luckily it went our
way. As far as winning this, it’s a
team effort and we’re a solid team.
We were consistent and going fast
in the heat of the day. Danny did a
great job (in the finals) and drove
a really good race.”
The decision to work with the Ste-
vens family was an easy one for Bell,
who called Carl Jr. a top-drawer tun-
er and “his dad is just a magician
when it comes to chassis work.”
It’s the perfect combination
for Bell, who still drives the car
in eighth-mile races. But when it
comes to quarter-mile racing, Bell
gladly concedes the duties to Ste-
vens, who again proved in Denver
he holds an all-around talent level
when it comes to tuning, car set-up
and driving.
“It’s a team,” Bell said. “Carl and
myself are a solid and real tight
team. Would I like to be driving
the car? Sure, but I feel like Carl is
a better quarter-mile driver than I
am, and I’ve got a really good car.
It’s got his engine program in it, and
the motor is a work of art.”
Just the fact that Stevens tuned
up the car to go faster in the final
round told a great deal about the
confidence he had that weekend. He
knew he already had the numbers
to beat Rowe, but Stevens want-
ed to push the envelope as much
as he could. It gave him a run no-
body could have ever predicted a
year ago at the inaugural race, and
a run that will go down in history.
It’s also a mindset that has carried
Stevens and his business far. Even
with $100,000 on the line, there
was no point in standing pat in the
final round if the car was capable
of more. What it left everyone with
was a run that won’t be forgotten.
“I wanted to see if I could pick it
up a little more,” Stevens said. “The
crew and the team were like, ‘Just
leave it alone,’ but as the tuner I was
looking at the data and thought I
could make it go a little better, so
I had to try.
“We build the engines in the car
and the consistency is big for our
business. As a tuner, it’s nice for
people to see we can put a consis-
tent package together and make a
handful of good runs.”
Stevens left Denver with a pleth-
ora of amazing memories, from
the standout run to end Friday
through five spectacular rounds
of eliminations at what he called
“a bad-ass facility.” He left an oth-
erworldly impression in his debut
at Bandimere Speedway, but Ste-
vens didn’t do it alone. Along with
Bell and his team, Stevens shared
the momen t – one that topped
any other in his career – with his
father, the man who introduced
him to racing. Many years later,
both are still heavily involved in
the sport and just as passionate
about all things fast in a Pro Mod
car. With their names forever en-
grained in history as World Series
of Pro Mod champs, they’ve also
got a moment that will stay with
both of them forever.
“The biggest thing is all the rac-
ing I do is with my dad,” Stevens
explained. “Having him here and be-
ing able to win this huge event, the
biggest event of our lives, together,
that’s something I’ll never forget. It’s
just awesome memories.”
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I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 137
WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD 2018