This coming weekend, July 18-19, the Pro Modifieds will return to Empire Dragway in Leicester, NY, along with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and Pro Bike & Sled Series.
The event will feature a solid contingent of Pro Mod teams from Eastern Canada and the United States running over 200 mph in the eighth-mile.
Complete fields are expected in all divisions. Pro Modified cars expected are those piloted by Melanie Salemi, Johnny Camp, Steve King, Jay Santos, Mike Decker Jr., Mike Decker III, Mike Stawicki, Jack Grainy, Jason Kalso, Sal Cammisuli, Don Klooster, Claude St. Maurice, Robert Bauer, John Vergotz and Robert Bingham.
Top Dragster expected team entries include Brett Bennett, Craig Chadderdon, Buddy Forrest, Mike Kalin, Burt Lyon, Tony Platania, Cody Reome, Mark Romanofsky, Tyler Rudolph, Lucas Salemi, Ron Wightman, and Rich Yacos, Ron Wightman, all from New York, Art Cioffi from Ohio, John Vergotz Jr. III from Pennsylvania, and Ontario’s Ryan Harris and Shawna Woudstra.
Top Sportsman teams include New York State’s Charlie Emler, Dan Germano, Gary Grahner, Matt Gregoire, Jennifer Guenther, Bobby Jaus Sr., Tony Madonia, Gary O’Connell, Allan Runions II, Tom Simone, Bill Stevens, and Ron Szewczyk plus Bryan Borders from Pennsylvania. The Ontario teams of Dave Burchell, Luke DeJonge, Dustin Gabel, Mike Wagg, and Kayden Wicke will also make the trip to Empire Dragway.
The Pro Bike and Sled Series teams will include Ontario’s Josie Brooks and Jim Bernier, along with Lee Burgess from Pennsylvania. Josh Costa, Peter Edwards, Haley Feher, Brandon MacCombie, Dick Nearhoof, Mike Puglia, Joel Rivera, Kevin Sutliffe, and Tom Varney are all from New York state and race in Pro Bike. Nichole Albin and Clayton Knicely from Ontario, plus Brian Baker, Ron Dean, and Bob Salerno from New York State will compete in Pro Sleds.
The gates open at 8:00 a.m. Camping is available all weekend. Qualifying rounds will be held Friday, July 18, beginning at 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 19, starting at 10:00 a.m., with eliminations starting at 2:00 p.m.
Charlie Rudolph leads the Quick 32 Sportsman Series Championship Point Award Series with 338 points, followed by Doug Lynden in second with 314 points, Brian Werner in third with 297 points, Art Cioffi in fourth with 297 points, and Dan Germano in the Top Five with 280 points.
The Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) Championship Point Award Series is led by Brian Babiak with 315 points, followed by Haley Feher in second place with 295 points, Ken Babiak Jr. in third place with 280 points and Brian Baker in fourth place with 278.
The event will be live-streamed on YouTube. Check here to connect to an active live stream, watch past live streams, or learn about our schedule. https://standbackperformance.com/livestreams.html
The Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) will continue to compete on the Empire Dragway eighth-mile track surface and for their respective Championship Point Award Series on July 18 – 19, August 15 – 16, and September 12 – 13, 2025, along with the Box and No-Box Divisions.
Visit the Pro Modified Racing Association at facebook.com/promodifiedracing, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series at facebook.com/quick32, the Pro Bike & Sled Series (PBSS) at facebook.com/probikeandsledseries and the Empire Dragway at EmpireDragway.com for more information and event updates.
This story was originally published on July 14, 2025.
The post PowerFest Pro Modifieds to Highlight Event at Empire Dragway first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
