Drag Illustrated Issue 137, October 2018 | Page 98

WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD 2018
TODD TUTTEROW
T h e r e ’s s o m e t h i n g t o
be said for the pres-
sure-packed scenario of
racing for a winner-take-
all prize of $100,000. As
one of the few drivers in the field
with experience racing for massive
checks, Todd “King Tut” Tutterow
was a clear favorite going into the
week. After making a string of
fast-looking passes during testing,
Tutterow appeared to be ready to
take his Al-Anabi Performance ‘68
Camaro to the money round.
“This is big. I’ve run for big mon-
ey before, but this is twice as much
as I’ve ever run for. I’ve run for
AARON GLASER
Aaron Glaser’s run at
the World Series of Pro
Mod ended in a first-
round loss to Brandon
Pesz. But it hardly told the
story of what absolutely was
a triumphant weekend for the
nitrous standout. He joined
the likes of Chad Green and
Robert Costa to become the
first nitrous cars to compete at
the WSOPM, and Glaser didn’t
disappoint. He became the
first nitrous car to reach the
3-second mark to the eighth-
mile, doing it all as the team
thrashed away as a last-min-
ute invitee.
Glaser wasn’t about to turn
down the opportunity and the
team made the most of the sit-
uation, even as they battled a
number of problems all week-
end. It made for a hectic couple
of weeks leading up to the race
and while at Bandimere Speed-
way, but there was nothing but
smiles from the team.
“It’s probably the coolest
race I’ve done in a long time,”
Glaser said. “It’s just a differ-
ent atmosphere and there’s an
excitement in the air. It’s awe-
some. We worked our butts off,
but we had the time of our life.”
- JOSH HACHAT
DI DI
$50,000 and won $50,000,” Tut-
terow said, foreshadowing a run for
the money. “Yeah, it’s different, but
I think it’s good for the sport. Wes
Buck’s done a really good job with
this deal.”
Tutterow, a North Carolina
doorslammer legend, lined up with
two-time NHRA Top Alcohol Drag-
ster world champion Jim Whiteley
in the opening round. Whiteley left
with a slight starting-line advantage
and maintained the lead through
the quarter-mile stripe. Tutterow
made it a close race, however, with
his 6.121 at 212.79 to Whiteley’s
6.084 at 231.16. - NATE VAN WAGNEN
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DEREK MENHOLT
After showing so much
promise at the World Se-
ries of Pro Mod, Derek Men-
holt’s weekend ended much
earlier than he had hoped
after crashing in his first-
round loss to Mike Bowman.
Menholt went a blistering 5.86
at 251 mph during the shakedown
runs on Friday, the quickest run in
the field heading into eliminations.
Hiring famed tuner Steve Petty also
had Menholt’s expectations sky-high
before he ran into trouble against
Bowman, crashing into both walls.
Still, it did nothing to take away
from Menholt’s enthusiasm for the
event, vowing to return better than
ever in 2019.
“I’ll be back next year,” Menholt
said. “Of all the events we go to,
this is the only event where we’re
the show. It’s nice to be treated as
a top draw. Our goal now will be
to be out here a year from now.”
- JOSH HACHAT
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98 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 137