2007 NHRA NATIONAL EVENT SCHEDULE
Listen to Trackside Interviews with Champions, Drivers and Crew Chiefs
Robert Hight
Hillary Will
Bob Vandergriff
Dave Connolly
Ed Iskenderian
Cory McClenathan
Robert Hight
Jim Yates
Tony Bartone
Hillary Will
Whit Bazemore
Byron Hines
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PMRA rookie looking forward to
2007 season
Mater joins Pro Modified
Racing Association Tour
PETROLIA, ONTARIO (February 26, 2007) –
Along with racing in the upcoming Pro Modified Racing Association Tour for 2007,
Gary Mater is hoping to enjoy himself in PMRA competition.
“The PMRA looks like a lot of fun,” Mater said recently. “It looks like
a good group of teams.”
The Petrolia, Ontario resident, who drives a 1937
Chevy-bodied Pro Modified, will be entering his first year of PMRA racing. The
Rumblin Thunder team got the ’37 just last year, and the season was a learning
one for the team, headed up by crew chief Brian Robbins.
And, according to Mater, there’s a lot in the Alan Johnson
526, Kobelco-blown car.
“With us not leaning on it, we had a best of 6.67 at 206
mph,” he said. “There’s a lot more there. We’ll just do what the budget
allows.”
Mater started racing in the 1970s, and prior to getting
into the Pro Modified, he ran a 1952 Anglia with a blown Chevy small-block. With
a best run of 7.42 seconds at 184 mph, he’s used to getting down the track in a
hurry.
“That car was a lot of fun,” he said. “It was a real
learning experience.”
Running the ’37 in Top Sportsman mode, Mater raced at the
Grand Bend Motorplex, Milan Dragway, and did some Super Chevy racing at
Columbus.
Mater, who owns and operates the Oil Well Supply Company
in Southwestern Ontario, said last year his car’s weak link was the
transmission, a problem he hopes to rectify before entering his first PMRA event
May 19-20 at Toronto Motorsports Park.
The Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA), www.ProModifiedRacing.com will travel to several drag strips in 2007, including Toronto
Motorsports Park for two dates, Lancaster Raceway Park in New York State, Sanair
in Quebec and the western Ontario track of Grand Bend Motorplex. The PMRA has
enjoyed strong fan popularity and will present some of the best in Pro Modified
racing for 2007.
In 2006, the tour was a great success for the series,
finishing with a different winner at each event during the two-year history of
the PMRA. Joe Boniferro and Kasey Janzen tied in points last year and were
crowned co-champions over the other Ontario, Michigan, New York, and
Pennsylvania teams.
For more information, contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher Mehlenbacher@ProModifiedRacing.com
 About the Pro Modified Racing Association
(PMRA):The Pro Modified Racing Association started late in 2004
and is entering its third year of operation. The PMRA is a self-governing
organization, with technical and safety rules as outlined by the International
Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Cars in
the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class is one of drag
racing’s most exciting and volatile classes, offering a diverse group of
racecars with different types of 2,000-horsepower engines. Combining classic
body styles and modern equipment, constructors are permitted, within established
rules and parameters, to modify and enhance the cars in both appearance and
performance. The cars are fuelled by gasoline or methanol, propelling them down
the quarter-mile in low six-second times at over 200 miles per hour. The PMRA
provides drag race fans the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the popular
Pro Modifieds, known as "the world's fastest door slammers".
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