{"id":103124,"date":"2026-02-28T07:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T07:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/eric-gustafson-secures-10000-low-qualifier-bonus-at-world-series-of-pro-mod\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T07:44:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T07:44:07","slug":"eric-gustafson-secures-10000-low-qualifier-bonus-at-world-series-of-pro-mod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/eric-gustafson-secures-10000-low-qualifier-bonus-at-world-series-of-pro-mod\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Gustafson Secures $10,000 Low Qualifier Bonus at World Series of Pro Mod"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0<\/strong>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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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 \u201cLard Machine\u201d \u201969 Camaro. Gustafson\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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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\u2019ll be in the final pair of the opening round of eliminations on Saturday morning. He\u2019ll face Travis \u201cThe Carolina Kid\u201d Harvey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know when you\u2019ll be No. 1 in anything ever again,\u201d said Gustafson, the 2020 NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod champion. \u201cFor me, it\u2019s important. I wanted to recognize my team as well, and had Jason [Lee] and Cam [Hensley] come up for that picture. They\u2019re the guys who help make this thing run. I\u2019m just lucky enough to let go of a button and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Winter Series points leader Jason Harris qualified second in his Harts Charger-boosted \u201cParty Time\u201d \u201969 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\u2019ll line up against Pro Mod newcomer Greg Blevins Jr. in the first round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely have a fast car; I think we proved that point in the first and second race,\u201d Harris said. \u201cAnd losing No. 1 by four thousandths \u2013 two thou this race, two thou last race \u2013 it\u2019s just part of the way this game goes. I think right now the chip draw throws it all out the window. Once you\u2019re in, you\u2019re in, and all these guys can win. You\u2019ve just got to do the best you can. Tomorrow the weather might change and change your tune-up. But I\u2019m pretty confident going in. I know nobody here wants to draw me, so that gives me a little confidence going in.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Spencer Hyde, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year, qualified third behind the wheel of the screw-blown Tidwell Nesloney Racing \u201969 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\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking 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,\u201d said Hyde, who will take on fellow Canadian Kenny Lang in the opening round. \u201cGoing in there, driving well, and having a good hot rod is a good recipe for race day.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo think that I wasn\u2019t even going to race this (Winter Series) starting off, I missed the first race. When Ken Q and Scott Tidwell called me and said, \u2018Hey, we want you to fill,\u2019 I jumped at it right away. It\u2019s 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\u2019s got Steve Petty on the keyboard, you\u2019re in good hands. You\u2019ve just got to show up and do your job. It does add some extra pressure, because you\u2019re expected to be as good as they are, and they\u2019re the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u201cHells Bells\u201d \u201969 Camaro. Stevie \u201cFast\u201d Jackson, ranked No. 2 in Winter Series points after winning the U.S. Street Nationals, qualified fifth driving Dave and Jeff Pierce\u2019s screw-blown M&M Transmission\/Motion Raceworks \u201cPurple Heart\u201d \u201968 Firebird. Past No Prep Kings winner Robin Roberts locked down the No. 32 spot with a 3.602 at 211.00.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The DI Winter Series also presented a number of first-time special awards. Peter Norton won Rookie of the Year honors, Derek Menholt\u2019s PRC-built \u201919 Corvette won the Best Engineered Car, Jason Harris\u2019s \u201cParty Time\u201d Harold Denton tribute \u201969 Camaro won Best Appearing Car, and Kallee Mills\u2019 team won the Best Appearing Crew award.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The drivers who didn\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u2019Aprile, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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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 \u201cTraining Day\u201d \u201969 Camaro to defeat J.R. Webb and his 4.072 at 182.72.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saturday general admission tickets are available for $40. Active military and children ages 12 and under get in free.<\/p>\n

Fans can watch the race through the official event livestream on\u00a0www.FloRacing.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For a detailed schedule, tickets, and other event info, visit\u00a0www.RaceBMP.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on February 27, 2026. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post Eric Gustafson Secures $10,000 Low Qualifier Bonus at World Series of Pro Mod<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0World Series of Pro Mod presented by Red Line Oil. In the first of three Friday qualifying sessions at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103124\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}