Words by Dave Densmore
Photos by Gary Rowe (RaceWorks.com)
3/28/05

ROCKINGHAM, NC – Brian Gahm claimed the championship of the inaugural Mountain Motor Pro Stock Shootout March 26 at Rockingham Dragway, but it was Chevrolet’s John Montecalvo who stole the show.

Gahm, the two-time former IHRA World Champion from Lucasville, OH, chased down veteran Robert Patrick of Fredericksburg, VA, in an all-Ford final round only to have Montecalvo record the quickest time in Pro Stock drag racing history – 6.369 seconds – on a later time trial run in his brand new Chevrolet Cobalt.

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Before Montecalvo’s stunner, the event had been a showcase for Ford. The format for the event was for each driver to make two time trials with the two quickest overall coming back to race for the title.

Gahm and Patrick earned that right with a sensational side-by-side qualifying effort during which Gahm’s 2003 Mustang was clocked in 6.433 seconds at 215.27 miles per hour and Patrick’s 2004 model in 6.438 seconds at 214.62.

The top six qualifying spots went to Ford drivers with Dan Seamon of Bellvue, OH, third quickest at 6.457; Wilmington’s Jeff Dobbins fourth at 6.473; and Jacksonville’s Elijah Morton fifth at 6.535. Quickest non-Ford in qualifying was the 2005 Pontiac GTO of Harold Robinson of North Taxewell, VA, at 6.978, 197.48 mph.

In the wild final, Patrick got off the line first and Gahm backed off the throttle when his car shook the tires. However, Patrick broke at half-track and, seeing that his opponent was in trouble, Gahm got back on the gas and ran him down with a pedestrian-like time of 8.138 seconds.

Chad Hedgecock