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"We have a very small budget compared
to some of the teams we run against," Barklage
said. "My dad pays most of the bills himself.
We simply couldn't do this without the help
we get from our associate and product sponsors.
I really appreciate the faith they have shown
in me and my team's ability and dedication.
I'm going to try like hell to win a race for
those folks and my teammates this year."
The No. 1 qualifying spot in the first five
races all belong to supercharged cars. Fred
Hahn, from West Seneca, N.Y., in the Jim Oddy-owned
'01 Corvette, leads the pack with two No. 1's
(Bristol and Chicago). Mike Janis, from Lancaster,
N.Y., in a '63 Corvette, took the top spot at
Gainesville and was runner-up at that event.
Ashley grabbed the honor at Houston and also
won the race while the hottest driver in the
last half of last season, Von Smith, returned
to form at last weekend's NHRA AMS Staff Leasing
Pro Mod Challenge event in Englishtown, N.J.
It should be noted that in an effort to level
the playing field between supercharged and nitrous
cars, NHRA lowered the blower overdrive for
supercharged cars from 25 percent to 20 percent,
effective at Englishtown. Only time will tell
if this change has the desired effect.
The percent of overdrive is how much faster
you can spin the supercharger than the crankshaft.
So, 25 percent over means you're spinning the
supercharger 25 percent faster than the crank.
Anytime you take percentage away you reduce
the speed of the supercharger, thus in essence
reducing the boost. Boost equates to horsepower
so you're reducing horsepower and performance.
With half the season behind them, the Pro Mod
drivers must now step up their pursuit of the
DRO/NMM Cup, which goes to the driver that has
accumulated the most points under a system,
now in its second season, established by Drag
Racing Online and Nowling Motorsports Management.
Entering the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod
Challenge at this weekend's NHRA Sears Craftsman
Nationals the top ten in points are: 1.) Al
Billes (1418 points), 2.) Mike Ashley (1128),
3.) Zach Barklage (815), 4.) Von Smith (622),
5.) Ed Hoover (617), 6.) Fred Hahn (616), 7.)
Mitch Stott (615), 8.) Mike Castellana (507),
9.) Danny Rowe (303) and 10.) Mike Janis (208).
The NHRA Sears Craftsman Nationals is unique
in that both qualifying and eliminations are
run in late afternoon and evening to beat the
generally oppressive heat and humidity that
St. Louis is noted for in June.
This weekend's qualifying schedule for all
Pro Mod cars calls for two sessions on both
Friday and Saturday at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Eliminations
for all classes get underway Sunday at 4:30
p.m. All times are subject to change and reflect
Central Daylight Time (CDT).
About AMS Staff Leasing:
Charles "Dave" Wood, Jr. founded AMS
Staff Leasing in 1991 in Dallas, Texas. Growing
to become the largest privately owned professional
employee organization in the world, AMS is in
the business of reducing insurance costs and
the costs of the non-revenue producing tasks
all businesses face on a daily bases. With a
primary emphasis on the construction trades
and other higher risk businesses, AMS provides
an integrated and cost effective group of services
such as workman's compensation insurance, general
liability, complete payroll and tax reporting
functions as well as many other safety and benefit
programs. Well-managed services such as these
are required in today's fast moving and ever
changing business world. No company manages
these areas of business better than AMS Staff
Leasing. 
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