DEFENDING PRO MOD EVENT CHAMPION ALEX LAUGHLIN ADDS RUNNER-UP FINISH TO WDN SCORECARD
�It was another new car and new experience for Alex Laughlin in Pro Mod , and it was nearly the same result at the second annual World Doorslammer Nationals .
Racing a new EliteHP ProCharger-boosted Mustang for the first time , Laughlin put together things in a hurry at Orlando Speed World Dragway . He again advanced to the final round of the race , but just missed out on the $ 50,000 prize for a second straight year , falling to Khalid Al-Balooshi in the final round .
Laughlin left on Al-Balooshi and recorded a stout 5.698 at 250.46 , but couldn ’ t quite hold off Al-Balooshi , who recorded the quickest run in Pro Mod history with a 5.613 at 254.76 .
Still , Laughlin saw nothing but positives and lauded the potential of the car and his Elite Motorsports team .
“ This car has only been down the full ( quarter-mile ) five times and it ’ s already been to the final round ,” Laughlin said . “ I led up to the first race explaining the confidence I had in the guys at Elite and Modern Racing , and [ the ] performance is a testament to that . I can ’ t thank Marty Robertson and Richard Freeman enough for letting me pilot this beautiful hot rod .”
Laughlin won the $ 50,000 prize at the inaugural event and again showed his knack for coming up big when the spotlight is the brightest .
Working with the likes of Justin Elkes at Modern Racing and the rest of the talented team at
Elite Motorsports , things came together quickly for Laughlin in Orlando in the new Mustang . The team made huge progress during testing and that continued throughout the weekend .
They made a series of quick , consistent passes , qualifying seventh before taking out teammate Lyle Barnett in the opening round .
Laughlin , who again pulled double duty at the event by racing in Pro Stock , knocked off Dustin Nesloney in the second round with a 5.701 at 253.66 and advanced to the final round by going 5.723 at 249.90 .
Laughlin again showed his talents with another quality performance , and was simply thankful to get a chance to race a Mustang that appears to have a bright future .
“[ It was ] a great first outing of 2021 with a brand-new car ,” Laughlin said . “ The guys at Modern Racing and Elite HP / Elite Motorsports have absolutely outdone themselves . Huge props to all of them .” – JOSH HACHAT DI
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