Special Section |
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win a race . We ’ re just going to do our best not to get caught up in all that and focus on us and try to turn on some win lights .” |
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There will also be some new looks for existing competitors this season . Gillig , who won the penultimate race last season in his return to the class , has a fresh new red-and-white look for his family ’ s Dayco-backed Pontiac GXP . |
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Extreme Pro Stock debut in 2021 , will be joined by his brother , Miles , and their grandfather , Kurt Neighbor . Former driver and tuner Cale Aronson has signed on to help oversee the new three-car operation .
But anchoring the Extreme Pro Stock field will be a fleet of longstanding competitors , including the six drivers who attended all eight races in 2021 : defending world champion Chris Powers , Carr , Pluchino , Elijah Morton , 2018 champion Steven Boone , and 2019 champion John Montecalvo .
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“ We ’ ve been close , we ’ ve been right with him at times , but he ’ s set the performance standard for the last few years . But there ’ s more than that to it . I have to make sure that every race and every year I ’ m elevating my game as far as the driving department . I ’ m concerned with guys like Tony Gillig , who ’ s going to come out with his hair on fire trying to get his first Pro Stock championship . They ’ re going to be a really tough team . If John DeFlorian comes out for a full season , he ’ s going to be a problem . There ’ s a |
number of teams that are really tough out there .”
Carr , who qualified No . 1 at seven of the eight races last season in his Frank Gugliotta-tuned ’ 20 Camaro , agrees that any driver in the qualified field can be a threat come race day .
“ With eighth-mile racing , everything happens so quick ,” Carr says . “ You have to leave the starting line and you have to get to the finish line and you don ’ t have much time to do it . There ’ s nobody that can ’ t
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Powers will also have a new look , as he plans to run the brand-new Haas-built Sonny ’ s Racing Engines Camaro that he brought out in testing last year . Preseason testing numbers indicate that it has the potential to carry him to another world championship .
“ We ’ re definitely motivated , I would say more than we were last year ,” Powers says . “ We ’ re going to work twice as hard to try to get this car up to speed . It looks pretty promising . So far it ’ s run quicker than the previous car did with the same engine package . I ’ m grateful for Chuck [ Samuel , tuner ] and Rob [ Bealko ] sticking with me . Sonny ’ s is working on some new engine power . We ’ re just excited to get out there and make some laps .”
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It ’ s a competitive group , and they were shaken up last year when parttime competitors Justin Kirk , Tony Gillig , and John DeFlorian each won events , making for six different winners in eight races . That level of competition will only get tougher this season . |
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“ I ’ m not going to overlook anybody because we all have similar stuff ,” says Pluchino when asked about competitors he has an eye on . “ That ’ s the beauty about Mountain Motor Pro Stock . We all have similar stuff , it just depends on how you use it and drive it and tune it . Every single person can beat you at any given time . |
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“ But with that being said , I ’ m watching JR ,” Pluchino continued . |
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