Pro Mod: Memphis Saturday summary

Al Billes No. 1 in Memphis

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (August 20, 2004) -- Running low elapsed time and top speed of qualifying in the final qualifying session, Al Billes, from Barrie, Ontario, Canada, placed his '53 Corvette in the No. 1 position at NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge, an NHRA exhibition class, being held in conjunction with the NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park.

It is the first No. 1 qualifying position for Billes in NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge competition, who did not qualify until the final session.

Round out the top half of the eight-car field was Mike Castellana, from Westbury, N.Y., driving a '68 Camaro in second; Shannon Jenkins, from Tuscaloosa, Ala., in a '68 Camaro in third; and Richie Stevens, Jr., from Metairie, La., driving a '94 Mustang in fourth.

Filling out the bottom half of the field are Mike Ashley, from Melville, N.Y., behind the wheel of a '67 Mustang finished fifth; Ashley's teammate Danny Rowe, from Laguna Hills, Calif., driving a '63 Corvette in sixth; John Scialpi, from West Covina, Calif., in a '57 Chevy is seventh; and Tommy Grey, from Baltimore, Md., subbing for Von Smith, driving a '04 Mustang is eighth.

Final eliminations for all classes get underway tomorrow at 3 p.m. This time is subject to change and reflects Central Daylight Time (CDT).

First-round pairings for Sunday's eliminations for the seventh of 10 events on the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge, an NHRA exhibition class, being held at the 17th annual O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Memphis Motorsports Park. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday:

Pro Modified -- 1. Al Billes, Chevy Corvette, 6.204, 228.15 vs. 8. Tommy Gray Jr, Mustang, 6.297, 226.13; 2. Mike Castellana, Chevy Camaro, 6.218, 227.04 vs. 7. John Scialpi, 6.287, 222.88; 3. Shannon Jenkins, Camaro, 6.225, 223.21 vs. 6. Dan Rowe, Corvette, 6.278, 226.66; 4. Richie Stevens Jr, Ford Mustang, 6.227, 227.42 vs. 5. Mike Ashley, Shelby Mustang, 6.255, 224.66.

PAIRINGS:

Billes vs. Grey: The pair has never met in the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge.

Castellana vs. Scialpi: The pair has never met in the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge.

Jenkins vs. Rowe: The pair has never met in the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge.

Stevens vs. Ashley: The pair has never met in the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge.

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