This weekend, my travels will be taking me 7 hours north to Highlands, Illinois. Why? To test fit in a Nitrous Pro Mod that I may have a chance to drive some next season.
Late last year, I received an email from a gentleman asking if I’d be interested in driving an Outlaw Pro Mod. Hmmmm, lemmee think about it..umm..YES! Pro Mods are my passion, and of course I’d love any opportunity to drive one, especially a faster one than mine.
The email came from Dennis Price of TEAM Motorsports, Inc. in St. Louis. He has owned/partnered with several very competitive nitrous Pro Mods in the midwest (Donnie Little’s 68 Camaro, Aaron Hodges ’63 Corvette, John Deflorian’s Corvette, Eric Steffey’s Camaro, etc.) over the years. Of course, I promptly returned his call.
Upon speaking to Dennis, I learned that he was in the process of building a new car, and was looking for a shoe to compete in ADRL Pro Nitrous and various Quick 8 Pro Mod shootouts in 2007. With all of his previous successes, and the talent and experience of his former drivers, I would definitely have some tall shoes to fill. Having spent so much time around Dan Parker/Bill George’s Pro Mod, I learned a lot about Nitrous Pro Mods, so luckily I was not completely lost on the idea. I explained my current experience, my eagerness and willingness to learn and work hard, and my belief that with proper instruction, I could quickly adapt to the differences between a 4.36 second (1/8th mile) turbo pro mod, and the 4.00’s that a nitrous pro mod would be running. Initially, he expected the car to near completion in March, so after some discussion, we agreed to touch bases again after the new year.
Of course, the new year came and went, and with everything happening around that time for me personally, I did not have the chance to follow back up with Dennis until recently. Remembering that I had not seen or heard of any new cars in competition, I sent out an email to Dennis to see how the project was coming and if he’d found his shoe.
Much like my own delays, Dennis responded this week that it had taken a little longer to complete than he expected and that they were now nearing completion. He had still not decided on a driver, and asked me to come up and sit in the car and talk further in person if I was still interested.
So, with that, I am off tomorrow to Illinois to meet Dennis and sit in his new car. He described the car to me as having a House of Kolor tangerine paint job with a white gold flake/white pearl strip. It sounds stunning, I am excited to see it.
Cross your fingers for me! More to follow soon!
