After two years away from the driver’s seat, Eric Gustafson made a powerful return to Pro Modified competition at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks, quickly proving that the time away has done nothing to hinder his performance.
The 2020 NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod champion qualified No. 5 in a loaded Pro Mod field of 80 cars, posting a 3.576-second pass at 210.01 mph in his ProCharger-equipped, Coast Packing Co. “Lard Machine” ‘69 Camaro. Gustafson also captured the $5,000 ProLine Racing “Off the Trailer” bonus in the opening qualifying session, immediately establishing himself as a front-runner.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Gustafson said of his return to driving duties. “It was better than I thought, maybe because I had no expectations – which is not easy for me. As a very competitive person, it’s hard to temper your expectations; but given the time away, it’s an opportunity to reflect and just be grateful for the opportunity to get back behind the wheel. We’re having a good time and letting the chips fall where they may.”
Gustafson’s confidence only grew as the weekend progressed. After making a 3.59-second pass during testing — the quickest run of his career at the time — he followed with four consecutive career-best runs, living solidly in the 3.50s throughout qualifying and eliminations.
“To jump back in after two years and make my four quickest passes in a row felt pretty damn good,” said Gustafson. “Any time you have a car that is performing well, it allows you as a driver to stay focused and slow down in terms of what’s coming naturally to you. You don’t have to worry about if the car is going to go down (the track). All you have to worry about is driving. That helps tremendously with your psyche and approach.”
That momentum carried into eliminations, where Gustafson defeated reigning PDRA Pro Boost champion Ty Tutterow in the opening round with another 3.57-second run, then followed up with a second-round victory over Brandon Snider with a 3.590. Gustafson’s day came to an end in the quarterfinals on a narrow -.003 redlight against Kevin Rivenbark.
“You know, we feel pretty good about what we have, but first round of eliminations, I honestly didn’t know if it was gonna go down or not,” Gustafson admitted. “Against Snider, I felt more locked in. When I went up against Rivenbark, I honestly didn’t feel like I pushed it as hard – it just picked up as the weather was getting better. It didn’t look red to me, but it was red on the scoreboard, and that’s all that matters. I feel like I let my guys down, knowing we had a car that could win the race. It’s disappointing, but that’s just part of racing.”
In addition to his individual performance, Gustafson credited the strength of his team and the benefit of running alongside teammate Jason Lee, noting the value of gathering data from both ProCharger and screw-blown combinations throughout the weekend.
“I think you can learn from different combinations – what’s working, what’s not working,” said Gustafson. “The more data you have, where you can apply it, figure out how each one wants to go down. While the combinations are different on paper, the more opportunities you have to compare data on the track, the better off you are.”
Following the Snowbirds, Gustafson sits sixth in the Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service points standings, just one point behind Kye Kelley for the fifth spot. It’s a familiar position for a driver who already has a Pro Mod championship on his résumé.
“I think in some aspects, people may have forgotten who I am, but I haven’t,” Gustafson said. “I know what I’m capable of, and I feel I belong just as much as anybody else out there. I don’t want to sound like I’m coming off cocky, and it’s not a slight to anybody. We’re racing against the best drivers out there, and I have a high amount respect for everybody. But you give me more time and more opportunity to prepare, plan, and test, I’ll just get that much better honing my skills.”
With the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission up next January 22-25, Gustafson and the Coast Packing Co. team head into the second race of the Winter Series with a ton of momentum, confidence, and maybe a few surprises in store. In pre-race testing, the team has already run an incredible 3.537-second elapsed time.
“We’re always trying to get better and certainly have some new things we’ve done that we’ll keep to ourselves for the time being,” said Gustafson. “Nothing really changes to my approach mentally. I’m gonna go out there and have fun and know that I’m very fortunate and grateful to do this again. I’m just going to go out there, kick some ass, and let it rip.”
This story was originally published on January 21, 2026. 
The post Eric Gustafson Feeling Confident Back in Driver’s Seat Going Into U.S. Street Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
