BAYTOWN, TX. – Steven Whitely and his J&A Service Cadillac CTS-V team will continue their 2018 pro mod championship chase this weekend at the 31st annual NHRA Spring Nationals at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas. This weekend marks the second of 12 stops in 2018 of the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by J&A Service.
Whiteley qualified 5th at the 2018 Gatornationals season opener, and lost a tough first round race by one-thousandth of a second to father and teammate Jim Whiteley. Steven is determined to make it out of first round this weekend and bring the Spring Nationals banner home to his biggest fans.
“This is the first year that I will not have my number one fan with me,” Whiteley says about wife Delaina. “She’s home with our son Brec, and seven month old daughter, Bayslei Grace this weekend. It will be quite in our pits, but that’s okay, we will clear our heads and come at this wide open. My expectation is to bring the trophy home to my family.”
With 29 confirmed pro mod class entries, the strength of the class in 2018 continues to make headlines.
“Since I started competing in Pro Mod back in 2014, the car counts were really high,” Whiteley says. “That’s a great thing! It shows that the class is healthy, not to mention the spectators enjoy it. The more cars that show up, the less the odds of any one car making it into the 16 car field. That’s how it should be. This season is only going to get tougher. I’m okay with that. This is what my team thrives on. We will continue to work hard to be the best for as long as it takes.”
On track, the strategy for the J&A Service Cadillac CTS-V team will remain the same, outrun everyone in qualifying and take it one round at a time come eliminations.
“Simple truth, my team is consistently working on running the car better. That is a never ending battle in motorsports. The fact that 5.78 (seconds) qualified 5th last race just goes to show that everyone is here for real and working their butts off to be better. We just have to work harder yet.”
Steven Whiteley will race alongside his father Jim Whiteley in the highly competitive Pro Mod class this weekend. Qualifying of the E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Pro Mod Series begins Friday April 20 at 3:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Saturday at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Round 1 of eliminations begins at 12:15 p.m. Sunday. All times listed are in Central Standard Time and are subject to change.
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