NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Note to spectators who plan to watch the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Type A Motorsports at this weekend’s Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals: Bring your popcorn and find a comfortable seat because you might just be there a while.

As if Pro Mods aren’t entertaining enough on their own, there is a battle brewing in the class, and it’s likely to come to a head this weekend when the class races under the four-wide format for the only time in 2023. At the center of the controversy is reigning class champ Kris Thorne, who has a bit of a reputation as a driver who prefers to stage last. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Thorne’s opponents, who are so determined to force his hand that they’ve posted a bounty (reported to be in excess of $2,500) to any driver who can make him stage first. How it will play out is anyone’s guess, and it’s not even a given that the bounty will be in effect for the unique four-wide race, but it will most certainly be entertaining.

To provide a little context into the debate, we need to go back a few weeks to the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. During the first round, Thorne faced off with veteran small-tire racer Manny Buginga, who was making his first appearance on the NHRA tour. Buginga attempted to force Thorne’s hand, and as a result, the two drivers sat motionless in the pre-stage beams for two minutes.

“My trick was to get him out of his comfort zone and put his car in the beams first,” Buginga later said.

It didn’t work.

With his temperature gauge nearly pegged, Buginga finally staged first, although he apparently didn’t intend to. Reportedly, Buginga went to reposition his leg on the brake pedal and rolled into the beams, avoiding an almost certain disqualification. Whatever the reason, Thorne was quick to rub salt in his wounds not only by leaving first [.018 to .043] but also taking the win, 5.76 to 5.86.

In the immediate aftermath, Buginga lost his crew chief, Jamie Miller, who also tunes Thorne’s Bahrain1 Camaro. Miller quit on the spot, telling Buginga, “This isn’t what I signed up for.” For the record, there were no lingering hard feelings between Thorne and Buginga, who shared a good laugh over the whole incident in the Gainesville shutdown area.

All of this happened at the first race of the season, but unlike Las Vegas, what happens in Gainesville apparently doesn’t stay in Gainesville. The controversy hasn’t ended there.

Former Pro Mod champ Stevie "Fast" Jackson, who is never one to let a sleeping dog lie, quickly added his two cents (and then some) when he posted a video on his popular YouTube channel announcing a hefty bounty that would be awarded to any Pro Mod driver who could make Thorne stage first. Jackson, along with co-conspirator and fellow Pro Mod driver Lyle Barnett, announced a bounty that is currently reported to be in the $2,500-$3,000 range. Shots officially fired.

Historically, Pro Mod racers are a unique group of individuals, and most of them don’t need financial incentive to be stubborn or engage in starting-line shenanigans. Remember, this is a class that lists “Tricky Rickie” Smith as one of its cornerstone drivers. But just in case one needed a reason to upset the apple cart, Jackson and Barnett have provided an enticing one.

Jackson has also made it abundantly clear that the bounty would be paid even if a driver happened to be disqualified while attempting to make Thorne light the stage light first. That means, at a bare minimum, the first round of eliminations in Charlotte might take a bit longer than normal.

All of this begs the question, how does Thorne feel about being the center of attention? As the reigning class champion, he certainly came into the new season expecting to have a target on his back, but he’s now got the entire class chasing him like a pack of angry hornets.

“I really don’t have a side in this. It’s just racing,” Thorne said. “I guess some guys feel as though they’re at a disadvantage, so they’re going to try and get in my head. Personally, I think there’s no reason for it. We do stage sometimes first, but sometimes you get in a rhythm, and you stick to what works. I just think I’m in their heads a lot more than they’re in mine. Then again, I’ve stocked up on parts, so we’ll see what happens.”

Bounty or not, Thorne didn’t expect to make adjustments to his program either prior to or during the Charlotte event. Even though he lost in the semifinals in Gainesville, he was mostly satisfied with the performance of his ProCharged Bahrain1 Camaro.

“We tested in Bradenton, and the car ran really well, but once we got to Gainesville, we just couldn’t get a handle on it,” Thorne said. “We’ll test again before Charlotte and see how it goes. I was not at all disappointed with a semifinal.

“The four-wide races can be tricky because it’s not something you do every day,” said Thorne. “It doesn’t take much to screw up, and when you add this whole [bounty] deal, who knows what’s going to happen. It seems to bring attention to the class, but I just wonder how much of this NHRA will stand for. I have no intention of getting kicked out. I have a new sponsor this year, and I don’t plan to screw it up. My goal is to win the bounty and take the whole Bahrain1 team out for a nice dinner.”

For his part, Buginga is also fully prepared for whatever comes next, including a possible rematch against Thorne, albeit under the unique four-wide format.

During his recent appearance on Brian Lohnes’ top-rated NHRA Insider podcast, Buginga noted, “Whether this is premeditated or not, I'll announce it right now. If we race Thorne again. We will shut the thing off, put it in neutral, but we will not roll in. I will be DQ’d.

“I’m just making it known, if the crewmembers or crew chiefs want to say this is all premeditated. Full warning: We will not stage that car [first]. Someone will be willing to sit there and be disqualified. Make sure you’re in Charlotte, the next move will be priceless.”

With a sellout crowd on hand at Gainesville Raceway and a television audience in excess of 1 million viewers, the Gatornationals was the most watched Pro Mod event in the history of the class. Bar none. The next few races could easily equal or exceed that mark.

Grab a comfortable seat and stay tuned race fans. You won’t want to miss a minute of Pro Mod racing this season.