By Mary Lendzion
There is no shortage of action and adrenaline in the NMCA VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod category, where cars with superchargers, turbos and nitrous put down 3-second passes in the eighth-mile.
Racers at every event on the annual six-event tour are on top of what it takes to wheel to the NMCA Winner’s Circle. That includes Derek Ward, Robert Abbott and Tom Blincoe, who are holding down the first through third place in points respectively after the first two events of 2022, the NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines, which was March 17-20 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, and the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport, which was April 21-24 at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina.
In Florida, Ward, of Friendship, Maryland, qualified in the third spot with a 3.67 in his Camaro packing a Noonan Hemi and screw blower and flying banners for American Pride Golf Cart Services, despite the fact that he and his team had to work quickly to replace a pulley that got scarred from his screw blower in early qualifying. He exited eliminations in the first round with a 3.84 after a close race.
After inspecting his engine, transmission and rear-end, which he considers normal between-event maintenance, Ward headed to North Carolina to pick up where he left off. He set the pace in qualifying with a 3.67 and stayed strong to secure his very first trip to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 3.70 against Tom Blincoe, who clocked a 5.65. It was definitely not smooth sailing for Ward, who worked with his team to figure out how much power to put in or pull out of the tune-up before each pass based on air, track temperature and other factors.
“Everyone in the Xtreme Pro Mod category is tough, and there are no easy rounds in this type of racing, so I was very happy to get my first Xtreme Pro Mod win,” said Ward. “A lot of work goes into these cars, and to be able to pull off a win makes it all worth it. I’d really like to give a shoutout to Mike Sawyers and my whole team.”
Right behind Ward and holding down second-place in VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod points is Robert Abbott. At the Florida event, Abbott, of Bowling Green, Florida, led qualifying with 3.66 and finished as the runner-up with a 3.67 in his Camaro. Then, at the North Carolina event, he qualified in the third spot with a 3.72 and exited eliminations in the first round after a red light start.
Tom Blincoe, of Bardstown, Kentucky, qualified in the tenth spot with a 3.80 in his PTP Racing-tuned Corvette and exited eliminations in the first round after he was forced to get out of the throttle in Florida. Determined to go more rounds, he qualified in the eighth spot with a 3.85 and finished as the runner-up against Derek Ward with a 5.65 in North Carolina, putting him in the third-place in points.
While Ward, Abbott and Blincoe will give it everything they have to stay toward the top in points, they will definitely have their hands full at the lNMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing presented by Fuelab, this weekend, May 12-15, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois, as their fellow racers are just as determined as they are.
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There is no shortage of action and adrenaline in the NMCA VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod category, where cars with superchargers, turbos and nitrous put down 3-second passes in the eighth-mile.
Racers at every event on the annual six-event tour are on top of what it takes to wheel to the NMCA Winner’s Circle. That includes Derek Ward, Robert Abbott and Tom Blincoe, who are holding down the first through third place in points respectively after the first two events of 2022, the NMCA Muscle Car Mayhem presented by Holbrook Racing Engines, which was March 17-20 at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, and the Scoggin Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals presented by MAHLE Motorsport, which was April 21-24 at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina.
In Florida, Ward, of Friendship, Maryland, qualified in the third spot with a 3.67 in his Camaro packing a Noonan Hemi and screw blower and flying banners for American Pride Golf Cart Services, despite the fact that he and his team had to work quickly to replace a pulley that got scarred from his screw blower in early qualifying. He exited eliminations in the first round with a 3.84 after a close race.
After inspecting his engine, transmission and rear-end, which he considers normal between-event maintenance, Ward headed to North Carolina to pick up where he left off. He set the pace in qualifying with a 3.67 and stayed strong to secure his very first trip to the NMCA Winner’s Circle with a 3.70 against Tom Blincoe, who clocked a 5.65. It was definitely not smooth sailing for Ward, who worked with his team to figure out how much power to put in or pull out of the tune-up before each pass based on air, track temperature and other factors.
“Everyone in the Xtreme Pro Mod category is tough, and there are no easy rounds in this type of racing, so I was very happy to get my first Xtreme Pro Mod win,” said Ward. “A lot of work goes into these cars, and to be able to pull off a win makes it all worth it. I’d really like to give a shoutout to Mike Sawyers and my whole team.”
Right behind Ward and holding down second-place in VP Racing Lubricants Xtreme Pro Mod points is Robert Abbott. At the Florida event, Abbott, of Bowling Green, Florida, led qualifying with 3.66 and finished as the runner-up with a 3.67 in his Camaro. Then, at the North Carolina event, he qualified in the third spot with a 3.72 and exited eliminations in the first round after a red light start.
Tom Blincoe, of Bardstown, Kentucky, qualified in the tenth spot with a 3.80 in his PTP Racing-tuned Corvette and exited eliminations in the first round after he was forced to get out of the throttle in Florida. Determined to go more rounds, he qualified in the eighth spot with a 3.85 and finished as the runner-up against Derek Ward with a 5.65 in North Carolina, putting him in the third-place in points.
While Ward, Abbott and Blincoe will give it everything they have to stay toward the top in points, they will definitely have their hands full at the lNMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing presented by Fuelab, this weekend, May 12-15, at World Wide Technology Raceway in Illinois, as their fellow racers are just as determined as they are.
