Take A 1/4 Mile Ride Along In A Blown Alcohol Pro Mod

Last weekend, the touring professionals following the NHRA circuit got their first taste of cooler weather, and they did the most they could with it. Top Fuel cars returned to the 3.60’s for the first time in months. Leah Pritchett scorched the 1,000 foot track at 335 MPH, and Funny Cars found themselves back in the 3.7-range again.

The RPM Pro Mod competitors also took advantage of the cooler temps to throw down some career-best numbers, including a new class record set by Mike Castellana at 5.67 seconds. Perennial Pro Mod powerhouse Danny Rowe was among those who recorded career bests when he laid down a stellar 5.76 elapsed time, and luckily he had a Go Pro on board for the ride.

Rowe, who campaigns a blown alcohol-injected combo that’s pretty common in the class, shared with us this footage of him making his career best pass at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park. As you can see, things happen very quickly when you have approximately 4,000 horsepower on tap to motivate you through the quarter mile.

As with any pass, Rowe starts with a nice smoky burnout to clean and heat the tires, as well as lay down some fresh rubber on the track surface. This process gives the drivers their best shot at a clean, consistent launch to help keep the car hooked up at the hit. After the burnout, Rose backs up and prepares for the run.

Once he’s bumped into the staging beams, there isn’t much left for Rowe himself to do other than keep the wheel pointed toward the finish line and hopefully little else, since that means the run was drama-free, like this one.

Just 5.76 seconds later, the ride over and Rowe and his car are coasting to a stop before turning off the track and ending the video. This is a great look at just how quickly these cars cover the quarter mile.