Richmond: Steve Cossis preview

DINWIDDIE, Va. - Steve Cossis enjoys visiting Virginia Motorsports Park. The veteran Pro Modified racer from Astoria, NY., who drives the CompetitionPlus.com-sponsored Pro Modified 1953 Corvette, has come to anticipate good fortunes when he attends events at the Dinwiddie, Va.-based facility. Cossis hopes for the magic to continue during this weekend's IHRA Summit Drag Racing Series ACDelco Nationals presented by Chevrolet.

The last time Cossis was in Dinwiddie he ended up in the final round.

Steve Cossis' Pro Modified Photo: IHRA

"We have always been fortunate at this track," explained Cossis, who finished runner-up to Alan Pittman at the CompetitionPlus.com Spring Open in March. "I love this place. VMP has always brought out the best in our team. I hope this weekend continues the trend."

The good fortunes at VMP first began in 1996. Cossis was running a nitrous-inject 1957 Chevy that featured motivation from a small-block Chevrolet engine. The New Yorker has long since called Englishtown, NJ., his home track. However his home track could not provide him with a seven-second run like VMP did. He achieved his initial accolades during a SUPER CHEVY event.

Cossis chose Dinwiddie to serve as his venue to do pre-season testing for the 2001 campaign. His efforts were admirable as he posted a low-6.3-second lap and landed in the finals of the special "Chicago Style" elimination format. Although he broke his engine in the previous round, Cossis rolled to the line and still staged for the sake of the show.

"I knew that I didn't have a chance to win that particular round," confided Cossis. "I know that fate had swung our way a lot of times in the past, so we wanted to at least go to the line and roll the dice. I can't say enough as to how much I am glad that this track is part of the IHRA program."

Cossis along with the multitude of Pro Modified entries that made the trek to Virginia Motorsports Park will have four qualifying attempts to earn a berth in the sixteen-car field. The first qualification is slated for Noon today with a second to go at 6 PM this evening. The final two qualifying attempts will take place on Saturday with final eliminations on Sunday.

-HC

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