BRADENTON, Fla. — Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service championship contender Eric Gustafson added 32 points to his tally Friday night when he locked down the No. 1 qualifier position at the Winter Series finale, the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil.
In the first of three Friday qualifying sessions at Bradenton Motorsports Park, Gustafson threw down a 3.553-second pass at 211.16 mph to lead the second-quickest 32-car field in eighth-mile Pro Mod history.
Gustafson went into the World Series of Pro Mod ranked third in Winter Series points standings after consistent late round finishes at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and the U.S. Street Nationals in his ProCharged Coast Packing Company “Lard Machine” ’69 Camaro.
Gustafson’s combination was dealt a weight penalty after the last race, but tuner and teammate Jason Lee and the team went to work and picked up where they left off by qualifying No. 1.
Gustafson earned a $10,000 Low Qualifier Bonus from Jerry Bickel Race Cars, and he ended up drawing a No. 16 chip in the random chip drawing. That means he’ll be in the final pair of the opening round of eliminations on Saturday morning. He’ll face Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey.
“You never know when you’ll be No. 1 in anything ever again,” said Gustafson, the 2020 NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod champion. “For me, it’s important. I wanted to recognize my team as well, and had Jason [Lee] and Cam [Hensley] come up for that picture. They’re the guys who help make this thing run. I’m just lucky enough to let go of a button and have a good time.”
Winter Series points leader Jason Harris qualified second in his Harts Charger-boosted “Party Time” ’69 Camaro for the second consecutive race after qualifying No. 1 and winning the Snowbirds. He missed the top spot by just two thousandths with his 3.555 at 211.26. He’ll line up against Pro Mod newcomer Greg Blevins Jr. in the first round.
Spencer Hyde, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year, qualified third behind the wheel of the screw-blown Tidwell Nesloney Racing ’69 Camaro. Both Hyde and the car have history in the Winter Series. Hyde won the 2023 edition of the WSOPM before getting into nitro racing, including a full 2025 campaign in NHRA Funny Car. He didn’t compete in the Snowbirds, but when reigning Winter Series champion Ken Quartuccio took a step back from driving the Tidwell/Nesloney Camaro to focus on business opportunities,
Hyde got the call to drive the championship-winning car at the final two Winter Series races. He made the most of the opportunity, laying down a 3.560 at 205.16.
Johnny Camp, who qualified No. 1 at the 2023 WSOPM, ended up fourth in his Winter Series return with a 3.566 at 210.73 in his ProCharged “Hells Bells” ’69 Camaro. Stevie “Fast” Jackson, ranked No. 2 in Winter Series points after winning the U.S. Street Nationals, qualified fifth driving Dave and Jeff Pierce’s screw-blown M&M Transmission/Motion Raceworks “Purple Heart” ’68 Firebird. Past No Prep Kings winner Robin Roberts locked down the No. 32 spot with a 3.602 at 211.00.
The DI Winter Series also presented a number of first-time special awards. Peter Norton won Rookie of the Year honors, Derek Menholt’s PRC-built ’19 Corvette won the Best Engineered Car, Jason Harris’s “Party Time” Harold Denton tribute ’69 Camaro won Best Appearing Car, and Kallee Mills’ team won the Best Appearing Crew award.
The drivers who didn’t qualify for the main 32-car race will have the opportunity to compete in the Outlaw Light Beer Wild Card Shootout, a full five-round race using a traditional ladder and paying $15,000 to win.
In Pro 10.5, Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox set low E.T. of the first round of eliminations. He ran a 3.906 at 190.14 in his nitrous-fed “Training Day” ’69 Camaro to defeat J.R. Webb and his 4.072 at 182.72.
True 10.5 also completed its first round of eliminations. Bill Lutz and Russell Stone both dipped into the 3.90s to win their matchups. Larry Larson, Brad Eglian, Scott Taylor, Jason Terrell, James Daniels, Kyle Canion, Ryan Martin, and Greg Chandler also advanced to the second round.
