St. Louis: Rick Stivers final report

Stivers makes first-round exit in St. Louis MADISON, Ill. (May 2, 2010) - After taking the No. 8 qualifying position in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series contest at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, Rick Stivers, driver ...

Stivers makes first-round exit in St. Louis

MADISON, Ill. (May 2, 2010) - After taking the No. 8 qualifying position in the Get Screened America Pro Mod Drag Racing Series contest at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, Rick Stivers, driver of the Trane-sponsored 2006 Dodge Stratus Pro Mod, struggled with the track in the first round of eliminations and watched Von Smith drive past him, sending Stivers packing after only one round of competition.

Stivers blasted his Brad Anderson-tuned entry to a 6.008-second effort at 239.57 mph to land in the top half of the field, giving him lane choice over the No. 9 Smith. When the two faced off in round one, Smith took a head start off the tree and Stivers lost traction when he shifted from first to second gear forcing him to lift and ultimately watch Smith drive away for the win. At the stripe, it was Smith's 5.958 to Stivers' 7.511.

"I felt like the number ten horse in the Kentucky Derby catching nothing but mud in the face as the other horses pulled away," Stivers said. "We struggled with the setup all weekend, and really only got one good pass. I thought we had everything figured out against Von, but it just wasn't meant to be.

"We're staying to test the cars tomorrow, and we'll just keep making laps until we get it right. I know that Brad has a handle on things and knows what to try, so I'm sure we'll get things back on track quickly," he said.

"Once we get things dialed in, we'll pack it up and head to Atlanta," he added.

Next on the ten-race Pro Mod Series schedule is the 30th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals, May 14-16 in Atlanta.