Fans at Bradenton Motorsports Park were treated to a modern-day David vs. Goliath battle Saturday night, with the self-proclaimed “underdog” Steve King outrunning two-time NHRA Pro Mod world champion “Stevie Fast” Jackson. King took home the $150,000 winner-take-all payday at the sixth Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod, the third and final event of the DI Winter Series presented by J&A Service. King’s 3.629 seconds at 204.82 mph run defeated Jackson’s 3.653-second pass at 203.55.
“It’s tough when you come down here with 83 of the baddest cars on the planet,” said King. “We know we’re bringing a good car, but you gotta have a little luck along the way. We’ve done really well in the Winter Series, but just had no luck. But today was our day.”
Meanwhile, Ken Quartuccio secured the inaugural DI Winter Series points championship with his second-round victory over Australian John Ricca. The win, along with early exits from the rest of the top five in points – Kye Kelley, Mark Micke, Kurt Steding, and Melanie Salemi – gave Quartuccio the $25,000 awarded to the series champion.
“For 30 years of racing, I’ve tried to treat everyone as best as I can,” Quartuccio said. “To do this with my wife, Denise, and my daughters Kelsey and Kaitlin…this (championship) is important, but the friendships and families I’ve made, it’s unstoppable. It’s because of Scott Tidwell, Dustin Nesloney, Steve Petty, Brandon Stroud, you can go down the list. People don’t realize how hard this series is to race, and how much heart and soul every team out here puts into it.”
The World Series of Pro Mod also included the third annual Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitational and the second annual Pro 10.5 Challenge, which both paid $25,000 to win. Two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock champion Johnny Pluchino earned the Mountain Motor Pro Stock win, while reigning PDRA Pro Street champion Ethan Steding was victorious in Pro 10.5. Brazilian Roderjan Busato won the Chicago-Style Pro Mod Second-Chance Shootout, which paid $10,000 to win.
A pair of $50,000 paydays went to the winners in the second annual Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship and the second annual Intercontinental Top Dragster Championship. Ronnie Proctor (Top Sportsman) and Hailey Hawkins (Top Dragster) collected those big checks. Tom Gunner, better known as “Jimmy Dale,” won the $30,000 Lil’ Gangstas class, while David Braskett took home the win in the $5,000 Super Pro Shootout.
PRO MOD
In an incredible final round Saturday night, Steve King continued the time-honored WSOPM tradition of winning the event as an underdog. Two years after Spencer Hyde was victorious from the No. 32 spot, King ran through the 32-car field from the 30th position in the Gene Pilot-owned screw-blown “Savage” ’18 Corvette to take home the massive $150,000 payday.
While he may not have had the quickest car on the property all weekend, King used a consistent string of passes in the 3.60s to reach the final round, where he faced off against two-time NHRA Pro Mod world champion, and fan favorite, “Stevie Fast” Jackson. Jackson was first off the line with a .029 reaction time to King’s .052, but King’s 3.629 at 204.82 was enough to drive around Jackson’s 3.653 at 203.55 mph at the stripe – a miniscule .001 margin of victory in the closest final round in WSOPM history.
“I don’t even know where to start,” King admitted. “We didn’t have the fastest car all day long, but we had a consistent car. We came here knowing we had a good car. But when you’re racing against guys like Stevie Fast and Jason Harris, all these guys here are badass. We’ve been flying underneath the radar, but this weekend, we capitalized and came out here…I mean, it’s unbelievable to beat 80 of the baddest guys on the planet.”
In the first round of eliminations, King was paired up with Cameron Hensley in the ProCharger-powered Coast Packing ’69 Camaro. Both drivers were nearly identical on E.T., but King’s slightly better reaction time – .088 to .099 – and 3.649-second pass at 204.85 mph was enough to get by Hensley’s 3.650 at 200.98. King faced Jeff Rudolf and his “Ghetto Sleigh” ’69 Camaro in the second pair of round two. While Rudolf slowed to a 4.826 at only 116.05, King ran a 3.681 at 203.98 for the victory. The win was his slowest pass of eliminations, a testament to how consistent he was all day long.
“We’re always the underdog,” said King. “I’m sure at every chip draw, guys were going, ‘I want him,’ because we were the slowest of the round. But they can’t say that anymore. We just go A-to-B every run. My guys worked their asses off with engines, transmissions…every round we had stuff tore apart. They’re gonna be tired tonight, but they really put the work in.”
From there, King faced a gauntlet of multi-time world champions from a multitude of classes. In the quarterfinals, King took out six-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders with a 3.654 at 203.34 to Enders’ 3.836 at 184.47. He would then meet his longtime friendly rival, and reigning back-to-back PDRA Pro Boost world champion, Jason Harris, in the semifinals. Harris suffered parts breakage, while King stayed in the .60s with a 3.638 at 203.80, setting up a final-round matchup with Jackson.
“I don’t think there’s been a tougher (path through eliminations),” King said. “I didn’t have lane choice one time on race day. When you look over and see Erica Enders in the other lane, that right there is unbelievable. Then the next round you got Jason Harris, and then the next round you got Stevie Fast, who can draw that up? You can’t draw that type of script up. Today was just our day.”
Jackson defeated Pro Mod veteran Stan Shelton in the opening round, and Ty Tutterow in round two. Jackson then essentially benefitted from a bye run in the quarterfinals against No Prep Kings star Scott Taylor, who broke immediately as his car launched. Jackson, meanwhile, went 3.625 at 206.67. In the semifinals, Jackson won a close side-by-side race with 2017 WSOPM champion Mike Bowman.
After being doused with champagne and beer in the winner’s circle party after the race, King was quick to credit the entire crew that he was busy celebrating with.
“Jeff Miller’s been with me for 25 years,” said King. “The G-Force [Race Cars] guys, Jon and Evan Salemi, Eddie Whalen…all those guys helping us put engines in, pistons, transmissions – as soon as something’s broke, here they come. That means a lot not only to me, but to Gene Pilot. He preaches a team atmosphere, and that’s what we have. This is all for Gene. He didn’t make it this weekend. I don’t know what he’s doing in New Jersey tonight, but I guarantee it’s pretty loud.”
Despite having just claimed the biggest win of his career before the regular season even starts, King said he and his team have no plans of slowing down in 2025.
“We’re gonna go run PDRA this year,” King said. “Gene wants to win a championship, and we’ve got the right guys in place to do it, if I can drive the car halfway decent. That’s where we’re headed.”
PRO MOD SECOND-CHANCE SHOOTOUT
After two days of qualifying, nearly 50 Pro Mod drivers from across the world were on the outside looking in at the World Series of Pro Mod 32-car qualified field vying for the $150,000 winner-take-all payday. Roderjan Busato and Zach Sackman were the final two standing at the end of the night, looking to ease the pain of not qualifying with a $10,000 check of their own in the Chicago-Style Shootout.
All of the non-qualified Pro Mods got the opportunity to take one shot at the track Saturday afternoon, with the four quickest cars returning for a second pass. The top four after round one were Busato, Sackman, Matt Deitsch, and Mike DiDomenico. In the second round, Busato (3.653) and Sackman (3.667) punched their ticket to the final round.
In the final, Busato – who hails from Brazil – used a 3.640 at 206.48 to defeat Sackman’s 3.678 at 204.39.
PRO 10.5
Competing in his PDRA Pro Street rookie season last year, past PDRA Pro Jr. Dragster world champion Ethan Steding secured the Pro Street world championship. Just a few months later, he’s now a Pro 10.5 Challenge champion after defeating Chris Tuten in the $25,000 final round. Steding in his roots-blown P2 Contracting “College Fund” ’24 Camaro left the line second, but he chased down Tuten with a winning 3.934 at 193.90 to Tuten’s 4.104 at 192.06.
“First off, I’m pleased to be invited to this drag race and to be racing with the biggest people on this stage,” said Steding, who thanked partners like P2 Contracting, Ty-Drive, Wyo Motorsports, Noonan Race Engineering, and Red Line Oil. “Without my crew, I would not be here. I came out of Jr Dragsters two years ago and Pro Street was the class we were going into, and I surrounded myself with the baddest of the baddest dudes – Ty Tutterow, Todd Tutterow, and my dad, Kurt Steding, as well. They all taught me very well on how to handle the car, what’s good for the car and what’s not, and I think whenever you surround yourself with good people, you will do great things.”
Steding qualified No. 8 and drew No. 7 qualifier Jerry Morgano in the first-round chip draw. Morgano couldn’t make the call for first round, while Steding posted a 3.96 at 194.10 unopposed. He lined up against fellow young gun Blake Denton in the next round, where Steding ran a 3.967 at 193.99. Denton, who rode the wheelie bars across the eighth-mile finish line in the first round, experienced mechanical issues and coasted to an 8.835 at 40.42. It looked like Steding’s weekend was over in the semifinals when he lost to Bill Lutz, but when Lutz didn’t pass tech, Steding was reinstated.
“We had to rush to get the car back to the pits and we only had 20 minutes to get fired up,” Steding said. “Thanks to Chris Tuten for waiting that couple of minutes for us. There was a lot going through my head, but everyone in the pits calmed me down. That’s my main thing is keeping calm, cool, and collected. You do that, you’ll go up there and do great things and not even think about who’s in the other lane, and that’s what I did right there. I didn’t even look at who was in the other lane. I just ran my race and it ended up being in our favor.”
Tuten was also reinstated in the race, but much earlier in the event. He came up just short of qualifying for the 16-car field in the No. 18 spot, but two qualified drivers faced weekend-ending breakage, so Tuten and No. 17 qualifier Dmitry Lisin moved into the race as alternates. Tuten in his turbocharged ’87 Mustang made the most of the opportunity, using a 4.147 to defeat newcomer Tim Dutton, a 3.995 to knock out No. 3 qualifier Joel Wensley Jr. and his 4.017, and a 4.143 to beat Kallee Mills in the semifinals.
MOUNTAIN MOTOR PRO STOCK
As one of the most consistent competitors in the last two Mountain Motor Pro Stock Invitationals, Johnny Pluchino was a favorite to become the next winner of the $25,000 shootout. A semifinalist in 2023 and runner-up in 2024, Pluchino qualified No. 1 and raced to a final-round win Saturday night when he defeated fellow young gun Derrick Reese. The 2024 NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world champion left first by .003 seconds and charged to a 4.081 at 177.60 in his Kaase-powered Ross Environmental Services ’13 Mustang to finish ahead of Reese and his 4.125 at 176.03.
“I’ve only been doing this for 5-6 years now in the Mountain Motor game, but it’s been a hell of a ride and this has been one really fun race,” said Pluchino, a two-time PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion. “I want to thank everybody for putting it on and all the Mountain Motor guys for coming out – 21 cars. We’re a really confident group, so going into this deal, we felt good. We felt really good as things were progressing. I love my team and I would ride with them any day. I put me and them against the world.”
Due to the random chip drawings that determine pairings in eliminations at WSOPM in Pro Mod, Pro 10.5, and Mountain Motor Pro Stock, Pluchino ended up facing No. 2 qualifier Dennis Firkus in the first round of eliminations. Firkus went red, while Pluchino set low E.T. of the round with his 4.078 at 177.88.
“There’s no reason to sulk about it,” Pluchino said of drawing the No. 2 qualifier. “At the end of the day, I turned to my dad [2016 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion John Pluchino] and said, ‘We can beat anybody. Whatever it is, whether it’s No. 2 or 16.’ Mountain Motor is a tough game no matter what the number is or who it is. It’s a tough deal to win. If you want to hold the check and the trophy at the end of the day, you’ve got to get rid of them at some point, so you might as well get rid of ’em first round.”
Pluchino was motivated by last year’s MMPSI runner-up finish, so much so that he went on to win the first-ever Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock world championship while also finishing second in the PDRA Extreme Pro Stock points. With the MMPSI title crossed off his list, he’s eying another title this season.
“My plan is race by race, go out there and win everything that we can win,” said Pluchino, who thanked partners like Ross Environment Services, Kelling Equipment, Ram Clutches, and Jon Kaase Racing Engines. “I want to leave a champion again in 2025. My long-term goal is when you think Mountain Motor Pro Stock, you think Johnny Pluchino. And it’s not that it’s me individually, but it’s me and my team and my guys that put their heart and soul into this deal.”
Following the first-round win over Firkus, Pluchino was set to face Bill Neri, who had to shut off on the starting line. Pluchino ran a 4.066 at 172.91 to earn semifinal lane choice over Dwayne Rice. Pluchino and Rice cut identical reaction times, but Rice slowed to a 4.692 at 160.14, while Pluchino earned lane choice for the final with his 4.09 at 177.53.
Reese qualified seventh in his Kaase-powered Black Magic Clutches ’13 Mustang before defeating 2023 MMPSI winner and multi-time world champion John Montecalvo with a 4.124 in the first round. He used a consistent 4.126 to knock out Florida’s own Daryl Stewart in round two, then won on a holeshot over two-time and reigning PDRA Extreme Pro Stock world champion Chris Powers in a 4.135-to-4.125-second semifinal match.
TOP SPORTSMAN
Past NHRA Top Sportsman world champion Ronnie Proctor collected a $50,000 payday Saturday night when he turned on the final-round win light in the Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship. Driving his nitrous-fed ’09 Mustang, Proctor won when Brian Tiffe left the line .012 seconds too soon. Proctor made a full pass, though, posting a 4.215 on his 4.19 dial-in.
“This is dead-on the top of the list. For my career, from the NHRA world championship [in 2018], this is right just with it, if not above it. It is definitely way up there,” Proctor said. “I’m in awe. It’s crazy to race for this kind of money. We came through with the grace of God because there’s no way, the way I started out this weekend, that we were going past first round. Just love, love it, love it. Without my girl [wife Karen], I wouldn’t be here at all. Anybody that knows me knows that. But anyhow, the driver, he did alright today. He did OK.”
Proctor was one of 33 Top Sportsman drivers who entered to race for $50,000 at WSOPM. He faced drivers that he typically sees on the PDRA and NHRA Division 1 trails, but also racers who made the trip to Bradenton from across the country to compete for the historic payday.
“You better be on your game,” Proctor said. “There’s a lot of good, talented racers with some really good cars in this whole deal here. We didn’t know who signed up until we get here, and that actually keeps some people away, but we don’t have anywhere to run for this kind of money.”
Proctor, who hails from Hedgesville, West Virginia, started eliminations with a win over Raceland, Louisiana’s Earl Folse, who broke out. Another East vs. West battle followed with Texan Bob Gulitti in the second round, where Gulitti went .002 red, while Proctor ran a 4.226 on a 4.21 dial. Proctor won on a double breakout over Indiana’s Jonathan Smiddy in the third round. He cut a .009 reaction time in the semifinals, but Vonnie Mills gave him the win when she went red by .002.
Tiffe, driving for Dr. Gary Schween in the nitrous-fed Schween Motorsports ’21 Corvette, picked up round wins over Mike Clark, David Crafts, Jeff Simons, and John Benoit on his way to the final round.
TOP DRAGSTER
Hailey Hawkins went into the Intercontinental Top Dragster Championship with an untested engine between the frame rails in her ’06 Race Tech dragster, and when tire shake left her with just one full qualifying run, she went into race day without much data. But the Cocoa Beach, Florida-based driver pulled things together in eliminations. She then caught a lucky break in the final round against Lucas Salemi, who suffered a mechanical issue and couldn’t stage. Hawkins’ car also shut off due to a bad fuse. Her crew replaced the fuse on the starting line, allowing Hawkins to stage and take the tree for the $50,000 victory.
“This is my first win, so to do it out here is incredible,” Hawkins said. “I drove well today on both ends. I missed it one time, but overall, I think I put in the work to deserve it today.”
Hawkins realizes it wasn’t the most conventional final round, but it certainly made for a memorable win.
“I know everybody was frantic, including myself, and Randy Lee [chief starter] reached into my car and said, ‘I need you to calm down, get the car cranked, and stage it,’” Hawkins said. “Got the body panels off and I staged the car with no top body panels, so I think that’s kind of epic. It’s special for sure.”
Along with a financially rewarding win, it was a motivational accomplishment for Hawkins, who’s notched semifinal and runner-up finishes in the past.
“Some days I do have bad days,” Hawkins said, “but being able to put it all together on both ends for an entire day just encourages me and tells me I’m not that bad and I can hang.”
Qualified No. 13, Hawkins raced past 2023 WSOPM Super Pro Shootout winner Brooks McMath, who went red, in the first round. She used a .004 light and a 4.335 on a 4.32 dial-in to get past Anthony Bertozzi, one of the most accomplished Top Dragster racers in history, when he ran a 4.501 on a 4.49 dial-in in the second round. She won on the starting line again over Johnny Tolisano in the third round, then knocked out No. 2 qualifier Les Feist in the semifinals.
Salemi, the son of Pro Mod tuner Jim Salemi, qualified No. 11 in his ’07 S&W dragster and clicked off win lights over Randy Perkinson, Larry Strickland, No. 1 qualifier Russ Whitlock, and bracket racing star “Sugar Shane” Carr to earn his spot in the final round.
LIL GANGSTAS
Two years ago, Tom Gunner and Michael Poland created the Lil Gangstas class as an in-between class for True Street and Small Tire, incorporating it into their own small event. The class quickly grew and earned a spot in the 2025 WSOPM lineup. More than 50 drivers from across the country entered the class, which doesn’t show times on the scoreboards but doesn’t allow contestants to run quicker than 5.30 seconds in the eighth-mile. After several rounds of competition, it was Gunner himself – also known as “Jimmy Dale,” who pulled out the win in John Herring’s nitrous-fed “50 Shades of Brown” Mustang over a red-lighting William Colson in the final round. Gunner collected a class-record $30,000 payday.
“We really didn’t have a ton of confidence in the car going into the weekend because we had just raced Lights Out and went to the finals there and runnered up, but the car was inconsistent,” Gunner said. “We changed some grounding stuff on our nitrous and Nitrous Express helped us out with some solenoids. Man, when we got here, this thing was just printing slips. Just so, so consistent, and fortunately for us, I got a badass tuner. ‘Cheeseburger’ over here is the guy who tunes my car. Cheeseburger told me every time, ‘Don’t be scared to run it all the way out,’ and you need that kind of confidence when you’re running a class like this.”
SUPER PRO
In the $5,000 Super Pro Shootout final round, David Braskett used a quicker reaction time and a 6.65 on a 6.63 dial-in in his Marengo, Ohio-based 2000 Sonoma to secure the win over Gerard Hamlik. The Clearwater, Florida-based ’03 Miller entry of Hamlik ran a 4.788 on a 4.78 dial-in, but his .099 reaction time put him behind from the start, as Braskett cut a .023 light. The win made a long trip and several rounds of competition worth it for Braskett.
“My uncle built a new car and he wanted to test it down here, so I came along,” Braskett said. “I was gonna come anyway, so I figured I’d bring [my car] and have something to do. It is a pretty cool experience out here. Most stuff we run, there’s never really this big of a crowd. It was pretty cool. It’s something different. I like it.”
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