Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service championship contender Eric Gustafson added 32 points to his tally Friday night when he locked down the No. 1 qualifier position at the Winter Series finale, the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil. In the first of three Friday qualifying sessions at Bradenton Motorsports Park, Gustafson threw down a 3.553-second pass at 211.16 mph to lead the second-quickest 32-car field in eighth-mile Pro Mod history.
Gustafson went into the World Series of Pro Mod ranked third in Winter Series points standings after consistent late round finishes at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals and the U.S. Street Nationals in his ProCharged Coast Packing Company “Lard Machine” ’69 Camaro. Gustafson’s combination was dealt a weight penalty after the last race, but tuner and teammate Jason Lee and the team went to work and picked up where they left off by qualifying No. 1.
Gustafson earned a $10,000 Low Qualifier Bonus from Jerry Bickel Race Cars, and he ended up drawing a No. 16 chip in the random chip drawing. That means he’ll be in the final pair of the opening round of eliminations on Saturday morning. He’ll face Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey.
“You never know when you’ll be No. 1 in anything ever again,” said Gustafson, the 2020 NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod champion. “For me, it’s important. I wanted to recognize my team as well, and had Jason [Lee] and Cam [Hensley] come up for that picture. They’re the guys who help make this thing run. I’m just lucky enough to let go of a button and have a good time.”
Winter Series points leader Jason Harris qualified second in his Harts Charger-boosted “Party Time” ’69 Camaro for the second consecutive race after qualifying No. 1 and winning the Snowbirds. He missed the top spot by just two thousandths with his 3.555 at 211.26. He’ll line up against Pro Mod newcomer Greg Blevins Jr. in the first round.
“We definitely have a fast car; I think we proved that point in the first and second race,” Harris said. “And losing No. 1 by four thousandths – two thou this race, two thou last race – it’s just part of the way this game goes. I think right now the chip draw throws it all out the window. Once you’re in, you’re in, and all these guys can win. You’ve just got to do the best you can. Tomorrow the weather might change and change your tune-up. But I’m pretty confident going in. I know nobody here wants to draw me, so that gives me a little confidence going in.”
Spencer Hyde, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year, qualified third behind the wheel of the screw-blown Tidwell Nesloney Racing ’69 Camaro. Both Hyde and the car have history in the Winter Series. Hyde won the 2023 edition of the WSOPM before getting into nitro racing, including a full 2025 campaign in NHRA Funny Car. He didn’t compete in the Snowbirds, but when reigning Winter Series champion Ken Quartuccio took a step back from driving the Tidwell/Nesloney Camaro to focus on business opportunities, Hyde got the call to drive the championship-winning car at the final two Winter Series races. He made the most of the opportunity, laying down a 3.560 at 205.16.
“Making 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,” said Hyde, who will take on fellow Canadian Kenny Lang in the opening round. “Going in there, driving well, and having a good hot rod is a good recipe for race day.
“To think that I wasn’t even going to race this (Winter Series) starting off, I missed the first race. When Ken Q and Scott Tidwell called me and said, ‘Hey, we want you to fill,’ I jumped at it right away. It’s 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’s got Steve Petty on the keyboard, you’re in good hands. You’ve just got to show up and do your job. It does add some extra pressure, because you’re expected to be as good as they are, and they’re the best.”
Johnny Camp, who qualified No. 1 at the 2023 WSOPM, ended up fourth in his Winter Series return with a 3.566 at 210.73 in his ProCharged “Hells Bells” ’69 Camaro. Stevie “Fast” Jackson, ranked No. 2 in Winter Series points after winning the U.S. Street Nationals, qualified fifth driving Dave and Jeff Pierce’s screw-blown M&M Transmission/Motion Raceworks “Purple Heart” ’68 Firebird. Past No Prep Kings winner Robin Roberts locked down the No. 32 spot with a 3.602 at 211.00.
The DI Winter Series also presented a number of first-time special awards. Peter Norton won Rookie of the Year honors, Derek Menholt’s PRC-built ’19 Corvette won the Best Engineered Car, Jason Harris’s “Party Time” Harold Denton tribute ’69 Camaro won Best Appearing Car, and Kallee Mills’ team won the Best Appearing Crew award.
The drivers who didn’t qualify for the main 32-car race will have the opportunity to compete in the Outlaw Light Beer Wild Card Shootout, a full five-round race using a traditional ladder and paying $15,000 to win.
Pro Mod First-Round Pairings: 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’Aprile, 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, Eric Gustafson vs. Travis Harvey.
In Pro 10.5, Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox set low E.T. of the first round of eliminations. He ran a 3.906 at 190.14 in his nitrous-fed “Training Day” ’69 Camaro to defeat J.R. Webb and his 4.072 at 182.72.
Pro 10.5 First-Round Results: Nick Agostino 3.974 def. Tony Norfleet 5.127, Steve Halprin 3.962 def. Carmen Damiani 4.082, Tim Partin 4.027 def. Roger Holder 4.070, Ty Kasper 3.962 def. Chris Mattingly 4.046, Fletcher Cox 3.906 def. J.R. Webb 4.072, Joel Wensley 3.960 def. Grantley Schloss 4.020, Bill Riddle 4.055 def. Jerry Morgano 4.533, Chris Tuten 3.993 def. Billy Glidden 4.176.
True 10.5 also completed its first round of eliminations. Bill Lutz and Russell Stone both dipped into the 3.90s to win their matchups. Larry Larson, Brad Eglian, Scott Taylor, Jason Terrell, James Daniels, Kyle Canion, Ryan Martin, and Greg Chandler also advanced to the second round.
Saturday eliminations at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil will begin at 10 a.m. starting with Pro Mod.
Saturday general admission tickets are available for $40. Active military and children ages 12 and under get in free.
Fans can watch the race through the official event livestream on www.FloRacing.com.
For a detailed schedule, tickets, and other event info, visit www.RaceBMP.com.
This story was originally published on February 27, 2026. 
The post Eric Gustafson Secures $10,000 Low Qualifier Bonus at World Series of Pro Mod first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
