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NHRA Pro Modifieds
BARWA RACING’S VON SMITH BIDING HIS TIME
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NHRA Pro Modifieds
Burgess barges to early Pro Mod lead in Indy
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NHRA Pro Modifieds
JANIS LEADS GET SCREENED AMERICA PRO MOD SERIES
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| Baker makes quarterfinal finish in Houston |
 (03-30-09) BAYTOWN, TX - Matco Tools/Lend America Pro Mod driver Joe Baker drove to a quarterfinal finish in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge at the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park.Baker, the defending event winner, piloted his Mike Ashley Racing '68 Camaro to a 6.031/242.10 in the lone qualifying session to grab the No 3 spot, and faced off against nitrous powerhouse Burton Auxier in the first round of eliminations Saturday evening. "Chuck [Ford, crew chief] had this Matco Tools Camaro just dialed in, and we were able to really take advantage of the track to win against Burton in that first round on Saturday," Baker said. On Sunday, in the second round of eliminations, Baker faced the other nitrous-powered car from the Al-Anabi group, Gainesville winner Mike Castellana. Baker struggled off the line with tire shake, and had to watch as Castellana drove away with the win, 7.363/134.55 to 6.026/236.84. "We don't know exactly what happened in that second round, so we're going to stay here and test tomorrow to try and find out what has been causing us problems with our set up. We can definitely put down the numbers, but we're not consistent - and consistency is what wins races," Baker said. Mike Ashley [team owner] has really given us a great racecar, and we just have to get things dialed in so we can start to go more rounds and win races. We'll be ready when we get to St. Louis," he said. The Get Screened America Pro Mod Challenge presented by ProCare Rx is in action next May 1-3 at the O'Reilly NRHA Midwest Nationals in Madison, Ill. ### Headquartered in Brownsburg, Ind., Mike Ashley Racing fields the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster driven by Antron Brown and the Lend America/Matco Tools Pro Modified Camaro driven by Joe Baker. MAR proudly represents racing partners Matco Tools, Lend America, DirecTV, BeepBeep.com, CBS, APS, Toyota, DataDot USA, Ringer's Gloves, Go Fast Sports, Goodyear, FRAM, Autolite, Connexions Sports and Entertainment, and Forward Sports Marketing. Mike Ashley Racing supports Autism Awareness through their support of the Hyperbaric Therapy Center. A 2007 Centers for Disease Control report found that 1 in 150 children in America today have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and an estimated 1.5 million Americans and their families are now affected. Autism is a national health crisis, and Mike Ashley Racing is working to help educate the public about ways they can get involved. Visit the Heal Autism Now website for more information about how you can get involved at www.healautismnow.org. |
