Pro Mods at Lebanon Valley
By Outlaw Nick
I spent a great weekend at Lebanon Valley Dragway in West Lebanon, NY. The NHRA/Diamond RV Center National Open featured some of the best Sportsman racers from the Northeast plus jet cars, wheelstanders and the '3twenty2' motorcycle stunt riders. The stars of the race, however, were Pro Mods. Final qualifying looked like this:
1. Ron Iannotti 6.597 215.98
2. Terry Hall 6.719 185.41
3. Jim Kane 6.780 208.38
4. Pat Doherty 6.802 211.11
5. Steve Salvadore 6.862 179.31
6. Kasey Janzen 6.877 205.99
7. Sal Passarelli 6.956 198.85
8. Fred Jacobs 7.671 115.60
9. Carl Bullock 7.854 175.91
10. Sam Madej 10.774 77.40
11. Paul Athey 24.497 22.77
After repairing engine damage that happened in the first qualifier Steve Salvadore ran a 6.45 after the last session which didn't count but showed he would be ready for eliminations on Sunday.
Number two qualifier Terry Hall was unable to make the show Sunday when his "Hitman" '36 Chevy coupe suffered engine damage Saturday and Carl Bullock took his place on the ladder. Number eight qualifier Fred Jacobs Jr. ( who you will hear more about soon ) had his crank let go in his Hemi powered '94 Le Baron on his last run after thrashing to replace the driveshaft that was destroyed on his first attempt. Sam Madej's '38 Chevy was to have taken his place but a badly worn valve guide forced his withdrawal. Number eleven Paul Athey, driving Dave Miller's '69 Dodge dart, was inserted in the number eight spot.
Eliminations on Sunday went like this:
Sal Passarelli .435 7.989 199.82 W
Carl Bullock .577 9.125 103.31 L
Jim Kane .591 6.796 211.56 W
Kasey Janzen .581 7.160 206.89 L
Steve Salvadore .551 6.634 218. 81 W
Pat Doherty .465 6.769 208.86 L
Paul Athey 5.296 15.544 83.30 W
Ron Iannotti .269 7.576 142 24 L
It looked like Ron's clutch pulled him through the beams and he decided to go. Paul's engine died on the starting line. He refired and took the stripe.
Round 2
Jim Kane .539 6.601 211.16 W
Sal Passarelli .459 10.140 91.88 L
Steve Salvadore .719 6.452 220.04 W
Paul Athey .525 8.636 132.56
After the second round Pat Doherty and Ron Iannotti made a side by side pass. Pat shook to an 11.47 while Ron rang up a 6.604 at 215.72. Kasey Janzen made a pass but shook hard and shut off. Jim Kane suffered a manifold explosion in the pits before the final and was unable to make the call. With Steve Salvadore being declared the winner, Lebanon Valley management arranged to have Ron Iannotti line up against Steve to give the fans a "final". It was a popular decision. Steve left first but shook HARD to about 120 feet while Ron clocked a 6.409 at 219.03 for unofficial low ET.
Outlaw Nick's Awards:
Sportsmanship Award: Ron Iannotti. While others offered to help only Ron had the proper size driveshaft to fit Fred Jacob's car. He graciously sold Fred his only spare one so that he could make the final qualifying round.
Best Appearing Car: Carl Bullock wins this one. His '41 Willys looks awesome!
Hard Luck Award: This one goes to Jim Kane. There is no doubt in my mind that his Buck powered '69 Camaro was going to be tough to beat in the final.
I had a great time at this race and was glad to meet some good folks and see some great Pro Mod racing. It was just the attitude adjustment that I needed. Lebanon Valley will be having three more races with Pro Mods this year and I plan to be at them all.
Outlaw Nick
www.promodifieds.com
