CMTS Outlaw Pro Mods at St. Louis Words and photos by Jeff Burk 8/18/04

Barklage Pit 11:30 PM

here are a lot of tracks that hold so-called “Outlaw Pro Mod” events that really aren’t. Despite being called “Outlaw,” many of those races have as many if not more restrictions than your average sanctioned Pro Mod event. Some have rules that bar supercharged cars, others are blown only and yet others ban turbocharged cars. There is however one series where there are just the bare minimum of rules and that series is the four-race, CMTS-backed Outlaw Pro Mod series at historic Gateway International Raceway located in Madison, Illinois, just across the river from downtown St. Louis.

If you are a fan of run-what-ya-brung, bad-fast door car racing where there are damn few rules (Must pass NHRA safety tech, no screw blowers, no nitro) and a huge variety of body and engine combinations, then this is your kind of race.

The facility itself is the attraction for many racers. Great lighting, a primo track surface with plenty of shutoff, nothing but paved parking, and close proximity to hotels, major highways and downtown St. Louis. Originally the race had an eight-car field but, when 20-25 cars started showing up, they increased it to sixteen and first round runner-up pays $500.

The racetrack itself has a rich history of outlaw doorslammer events. Referred to affectionately by the local racers and fans as “the Swamp”—partially because it was first built nearly forty years ago on land surrounded by water and partially due to the tendency of the track to “dew-up” at night. Originally called St. Louis International Raceway, it was an AHRA national event track until that sanctioning body folded. After that the track long had an IHRA affiliation with Mountain Moter Pro Stock and Pro Mods running. During the AHRA the track held many races featuring AHRA’s notorious, nitrous oxide-injected Pro Stockers. The track also had a regular Wednesday night, qualified eight-car “Outlaw” Pro Street shootout in the early 1980’s. The Swamp also staged more than a few Outlaw doorslammer races in the ‘80s and ‘90s, including one event won by Buddy Ingersol and his outlawed-by-IHRA, twin turbocharged, V-6-powered Buick Skylark.

Runner-up Donnie Little flow checks his fuel flow on his nitrous system prior to the first round of eliminations.

So, with all that history in mind and since I’m a big fan of outlaw anything racing, and because DRO is posting contingency for Top Speed and Low ET at this four-race series, I’m decided I should attended at least a couple of these events. What I saw at this and the previous was serious, hard core, no-holds-barred drag racing. I saw just about every kind of ‘slammer you can imagine competing at these events from Jerry Haas in his NHRA-legal Pro Stocker to IHRA Pro Mods and Pro Stockers to NMCA turbo cars to Zach Barklage’s NHRA-legal, blown 2004 Grand Am.