{"id":31008,"date":"2026-02-28T11:24:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T16:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/competitionplus.com\/?p=31008"},"modified":"2026-03-01T07:00:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T12:00:32","slug":"eric-gustafson-claims-10000-low-qualifier-bonus-locks-down-no-1-at-world-series-of-pro-mod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/competitionplus.com\/eric-gustafson-claims-10000-low-qualifier-bonus-locks-down-no-1-at-world-series-of-pro-mod\/","title":{"rendered":"ERIC GUSTAFSON CLAIMS $10,000 LOW QUALIFIER BONUS, LOCKS DOWN NO. 1 AT WORLD SERIES OF PRO MOD"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Eric Gustafson secured the $10,000 Low Qualifier Bonus and 32 critical championship points Friday night by earning the No. 1 qualifying position at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil.<\/p>

Gustafson\u2019s 3.553-second pass at 211.16 mph in the opening Friday qualifying session at Bradenton Motorsports Park led the second-quickest 32-car field in eighth-mile Pro Mod history.<\/p>

The run placed the Winter Series championship contender firmly in control entering Saturday eliminations. It also reinforced his consistency across the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service.<\/p>

Gustafson entered the finale ranked third in points following late-round finishes at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and the U.S. Street Nationals. His ProCharged Coast Packing Company \u201cLard Machine\u201d \u201969 Camaro carried a weight penalty after the previous race, forcing the team to adjust its combination.<\/p>

Tuner and teammate Jason Lee responded alongside the crew, refining the setup despite the handicap. The result was a No. 1 qualifier effort against one of the deepest Pro Mod fields assembled this winter.<\/p>

Gustafson\u2019s performance earned the Jerry Bickel Race Cars Low Qualifier Bonus and positioned him at the top of the ladder before a random chip draw assigned him the No. 16 chip. That draw places him in the final pair of Saturday\u2019s opening round against Travis \u201cThe Carolina Kid\u201d Harvey.<\/p>

\u201cYou never know when you\u2019ll be No. 1 in anything ever again,\u201d said Gustafson, the 2020 NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod champion. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s important. I wanted to recognize my team as well, and had Jason [Lee] and Cam [Hensley] come up for that picture. They\u2019re the guys who help make this thing run. I\u2019m just lucky enough to let go of a button and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Winter Series points leader Jason Harris qualified second for the second consecutive race in his Harts Charger-boosted \u201cParty Time\u201d \u201969 Camaro. Harris posted a 3.555 at 211.26 mph, missing the top spot by two thousandths.<\/p>

Harris, who qualified No. 1 and won the Snowbirds earlier in the series, will face Pro Mod newcomer Greg Blevins Jr. in the first round. The margin between first and second underscored the tight competition throughout the 32-car field.<\/p>

\u201cWe definitely have a fast car; I think we proved that point in the first and second race,\u201d Harris said. \u201cAnd losing No. 1 by four thousandths \u2013 two thou this race, two thou last race \u2013 it\u2019s just part of the way this game goes. I think right now the chip draw throws it all out the window. Once you\u2019re in, you\u2019re in, and all these guys can win. You\u2019ve just got to do the best you can. Tomorrow the weather might change and change your tune-up. But I\u2019m pretty confident going in. I know nobody here wants to draw me, so that gives me a little confidence going in.\u201d<\/p>

Spencer Hyde, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year, qualified third in the screw-blown Tidwell Nesloney Racing \u201969 Camaro with a 3.560 at 205.16 mph. Hyde previously won the 2023 edition of the event before transitioning to nitro racing and a full 2025 NHRA Funny Car campaign.<\/p>

Hyde did not compete at the Snowbirds but returned after reigning Winter Series champion Ken Quartuccio stepped aside from driving duties. Hyde will face fellow Canadian Kenny Lang in the opening round.<\/p>

\u201cMaking it down all five runs is definitely something that you can take into race day with some confidence in the car, and my lights were pretty decent all five runs,\u201d said Hyde, who will take on fellow Canadian Kenny Lang in the opening round. \u201cGoing in there, driving well, and having a good hot rod is a good recipe for race day.<\/p>

\u201cTo think that I wasn\u2019t even going to race this (Winter Series) starting off, I missed the first race. When Ken Q and Scott Tidwell called me and said, \u2018Hey, we want you to fill,\u2019 I jumped at it right away. It\u2019s pretty exciting to jump into the car that won [the championship] last year. Any time you can jump into a high-level car like that\u2019s got Steve Petty on the keyboard, you\u2019re in good hands. You\u2019ve just got to show up and do your job. It does add some extra pressure, because you\u2019re expected to be as good as they are, and they\u2019re the best.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Johnny Camp, the 2023 World Series of Pro Mod No. 1 qualifier, returned to form with a 3.566 at 210.73 mph to secure the fourth position in his ProCharged \u201cHells Bells\u201d \u201969 Camaro. Stevie \u201cFast\u201d Jackson qualified fifth in Dave and Jeff Pierce\u2019s screw-blown M&M Transmission\/Motion Raceworks \u201cPurple Heart\u201d \u201968 Firebird.<\/p>

Past No Prep Kings winner Robin Roberts rounded out the 32-car field with a 3.602 at 211.00 mph. The qualifying effort illustrated the narrow separation between the top and bottom of the ladder.<\/p>

The Winter Series also presented several special awards during the event. Peter Norton earned Rookie of the Year honors, while Derek Menholt\u2019s PRC-built \u201919 Corvette received Best Engineered Car recognition.<\/p>

Jason Harris\u2019s \u201cParty Time\u201d Harold Denton tribute \u201969 Camaro won Best Appearing Car, and Kallee Mills\u2019 team captured Best Appearing Crew honors. Teams that did not qualify for the main event will compete in the Outlaw Light Beer Wild Card Shootout, a five-round race paying $15,000 to win.<\/p>

First-round Pro Mod pairings include Rian Hayward vs. Joey Martin, Adriano Kayayan vs. Kye Kelley, Spencer Hyde vs. Kenny Lang, Victor Alvarez vs. Jacob McNeal, Mike Decker Jr. vs. Robin Roberts, Kallee Mills vs. Billy Banaka, Randy Weatherford vs. Mike Bowman, Aaron Stanfield vs. Sidnei Frigo, Johnny Camp vs. Tommy D\u2019Aprile, Ned Dunphy vs. Jason Lee, Lyle Barnett vs. Peter Norton, Ryan Martin vs. Shawn Ellington, Steve Jackson vs. Raymond Matos, Jason Harris vs. Greg Blevins Jr., Derek Menholt vs. Ethan Steding, and Eric Gustafson vs. Travis Harvey.<\/p>

In Pro 10.5, Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox recorded the low elapsed time of the first round with a 3.906 at 190.14 mph in his nitrous-fed \u201cTraining Day\u201d \u201969 Camaro, defeating J.R. Webb\u2019s 4.072 at 182.72. Nick Agostino, Steve Halprin, Tim Partin, Ty Kasper, Joel Wensley, Bill Riddle and Chris Tuten also advanced.<\/p>

True 10.5 completed its first round as well, with Bill Lutz and Russell Stone dipping into the 3.90s to advance. Larry Larson, Brad Eglian, Scott Taylor, Jason Terrell, James Daniels, Kyle Canion, Ryan Martin and Greg Chandler moved on to the second round.<\/p>

Eliminations at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil begin Saturday at 10 a.m., starting with Pro Mod.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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