Mike Ashley (Steve Gruenwald photo)

On a weekend where consistency was difficult to find for the 22 Pro Mod drivers in attendance, Payne and the Valvoline team made five consecutive quality runs to claim the Pro Mod Challenge season-opener. On Saturday, Payne qualified No. 2 in the second (and final) session with a 6.11 that put him two-hundredths off Ed Hoover’s pole-winning elapsed time. He followed up that evening with a 6.10 — the low E.T. of eliminations — to beat Zach Barklage in the first round, then posted Sunday times of 6.27, 6.14, and 6.11 to beat Cody Barklage, Troy Critchley (see picture above), and Ashley. The 6.27 came in a holeshot win over Barklage, who ran a quicker-but-later 6.25.

For 2005 Pro Mod Challenge champion Ashley, the final was the sixth in his career and first since last year’s Memphis event. Like Payne, he was consistently quick in eliminations, opening with a 6.25 in Saturday’s first round, then recording 6.18, 6.19, and 6.17 elapsed times on Sunday.

Next up for the AMS/TLR series is the O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston, April 8-10. The Spring Nationals begin what will be the busiest portion of the 2005 Pro Mod Challenge schedule, which features racing on four consecutive weekends in April.

Jim Halsey (Bret Kepner photo)

RESULTS OF THE MAC TOOLS NHRA GATORNATIONALS SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS
(Qualifying position in parentheses)

Quarterfinals

(8) Jim Halsey def. (16) Thomas Patterson, 6.30 to 10.50
(4) Mike Ashley def. (12) Kirk Kuhns, 6.18 to 6.23
(2) Jay Payne def. (10) Cody Barklage, 6.27 to 6.25
(14) Troy Critchley def. (6) Rick Stivers, 6.69 to 9.37

Semifinals

Ashley def. Halsey, 6.19 to 6.22
Payne def. Critchley, 6.14 to 6.24

Final

Payne def. Ashley, 6.11 to 6.17