BLOWER CARS DOMINATE QUALIFYING BUT NITROUS CARS WIN THE WAR!

Words and photos by Jeff Burk

For the nitrous contingent at Houston it was a case of role reversal.

For years, nitrous cars have outnumbered blown cars in qualifying for Pro Mod fields. But, on race day it was usually a case of quality vs. quantity and, despite their small numbers, drivers of supercharged cars such as Scotty Cannon, Fred Hahn, and Al Billes would often find their way to the winner's circle. This year, though, things seem to have changed.

Although in the past the blown cars have generally outnumbered the nitrous cars when it comes to qualifying at or near the top of the field, at the end of the day the winner's check gets a nitrous racer's name put on it. At least that has been the norm during the two years that NHRA has had Pro Modified. Nitrous drivers won four of five Pro Mod races staged by NHRA in 2001, including the U.S. Nationals.

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It doesn't look like that trend is going to change anytime soon as Shannon Jenkins has driven his nitrous oxide injected '68 Camaro into the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge winner's circle at the first two races of this year's 10 race series.

It should be noted that much of Shannon Jenkins success at the first two races could be attributed to his driving skills but the 100-lb weight penalty assessed to the supercharged cars after the first race of the 2002 season didn't hurt his chances.

At Gainesville and again at Houston blower cars managed to qualify on the Pole, but Jenkins and his Mike Castellana-backed Camaro prevailed over Chip King's Bill Barrett-tuned, blown Hemi-powered Avenger. After qualifying number two with a 6.292/223.17, Jenkins was dominant in every respect on race day. He had the quickest elapsed time in each round and, in the final round against number one qualifier Chip King, he not only put a hole-shot on King but his 6.291 was his best ET of the event. Game, set, match -- Mr. Jenkins!

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