Oklahoma Pro Mod racer Kirk Wilmes qualified his G-Force Camaro into the show in the number sixteen spot.

Words by Jeff Burk
Photos by Ron Lewis

Kentucky racer Rick Stivers is one of the original group of Pro Mod racers who originally built a race team just to compete in the NHRA’s Pro Mod exhibition class. Over the years he has been a consistent supporter of the class as well as a competitor. So it was a very big deal for him to win the Get Screened America Pro Mod race at Bruton Smith’s zMax Dragway.  

Stivers and his supercharged, Hemi-powered Dodge Stratus got the win by defeating Pro Mod rookie Melanie Troxel in the final using a strong 5.908/241 to easily cover Melanie’s 5.946/242.36. The win moved Stivers to within 16 points of breaking onto the Top Ten in NHRA Pro Mod points. 

Stivers (above), driving a Stratus that is tuned and maintained by Pro Mod team owner Brad Anderson (he also owns and tunes the Pro Mod Jay Payne drives), qualified in the three hole with a 5.940/240.85 qualifying lap. In Saturday night’s first round of eliminations Stivers took out another Mopar in defeating Dennis Radford’s newly built ’70 Duster by running a 5.927/240+ that easily covered Stiver’s 6.036/232.67.

On Sundary Stivers ran over every one of his competitors whipping Roger Burgess (left), GSA points leader Burton Auxier, and Melanie Troxel in the final round.