Drag Illustrated Issue 137, October 2018 | Page 93

WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD 2018
STEVEN WHITELEY
Coming off a final-round ap-
pearance at the inaugural
World Series of Pro Mod a
year ago, winning the event
in 2018 was front and cen-
ter on Steven Whiteley’s to-
do list this year.
Whiteley brought a new car with
him, one he debuted earlier in the
2018 NHRA Pro Mod season, but a
victory wasn’t in the cards, as he got
loose in a second-round loss against
Danny Rowe.
One of WSOPM’s biggest sup-
porters following a successful de-
but a year ago, that trend continued
for Whiteley in 2018, who grew up
racing at the track and watching
his family perform at Bandimere
Speedway.
“I remember being four years
old, sitting in those bleachers eat-
ing French toast sticks at 8 a.m.
and watching my dad run his Su-
per Stock ’69 Camaro,” Whiteley
said. “It’s a little bit of memory lane
coming back here, and it’s a more
intimate setting and it’s one of the
big reasons why we continue and
want to be a big part of this. This
one is really big for us.”
Every aspect of the WSOPM has
made it appealing for Whiteley,
starting with the fact it takes place
at Bandimere Speedway, a facility
near and dear to his heart.
Getting the chance to race a Pro
Mod on Thunder Mountain contin-
ues to be a dream come true, but the
reception Whiteley and his compet-
itors receive at the WSOPM wasn’t
lost on the young star, either.
The class takes the spotlight at
one of the most scenic tracks in
the country and Whiteley has per-
formed admirably over the past two
years. Transitioning to a torque con-
verter on his new 2018 ZL1 Camaro,
Whiteley won his opening-round
matchup against Justin Jones before
falling to eventual runner-up Rowe.
“It’s definitely different than what
we’re used to,” Whiteley said. “We’re
used to high pressure, everyone is in
their zone, and here it’s much more
laid-back. We are the Top Fuel class
here and it’s kind of different for
us. Wes Buck and everyone here at
Bandimere, they’re like, ‘If there’s
anything you need, let us know,’
and that’s for all the drivers here.”
- JOSH HACHAT
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ERICA ENDERS
Two-time NHRA Pro Stock
world champion Erica
Enders and her Elite Motor-
sports Pro Stock team were
intently watching the live
feed of the inaugural World
Series of Pro Mod last year
while they competed at the
NHRA Northwest Nationals
in Seattle. When the race date
was moved back to the second week-
end in August for this year’s race,
Enders and team owner Richard
Freeman jumped at the chance to
take part in the event as one of the
invited Pro Mod teams.
“This is a lot of fun for a change,”
Enders said during a break in Fri-
day’s shakedown sessions. “It was
an honor to be invited and I’m really
proud of Wes (Buck) for his vision,
execution and for putting this all
together. It is a really good time.
I’ve enjoyed it. It is more laid back
than the stuff I’m used to, which is
a welcome invite for me. I’m excited
to be here.”
Freeman, who partnered with
the Hairston family to field the tur-
bocharged Elite Performance ‘18
Camaro at select NHRA Pro Mod
races with Enders driving, shared
in Enders’ enthusiasm for the race,
especially after the team made con-
siderable progress in testing.
“I think if we give her a good,
consistent race car, they’ll have their
hands full,” Freeman said. “She’s as
good a driver as there is, I don’t care
what she’s driving. We’ve worked re-
ally hard to make this deal work, and
we’re excited about it.”
Working around frustrating issues
with building boost in time to stage
properly, Enders left on second-year
WSOPM driver Clint Satterfield in
the opening round of eliminations,
running a 6.076 at 242.80 to Satter-
field’s 6.115 at 231.64. Enders was
also first off the line against Carl Ste-
vens Jr. in the second round, but her
markedly improved 5.922 at 243.99
came up just shy of Stevens’ 5.897 at
246.66. - NATE VAN WAGNEN
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October 2018
DragIllustrated.com
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