(Luke Nieuwhof photo)
By Nate Van Wagnen | December 9,2024
Kye Kelley, known for competing on the hit television show Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings, turned heads Sunday night when he outlasted the quickest 32-car field in Pro Mod history to win the $50,000 Snowbird Outlaw Nationals presented by Motion Raceworks. Driving his steel-roof-and-quarters ’85 Camaro, Kelley fired off a stunning 3.594-second pass at 207.78 MPH in the M&M Transmission Outlaw Pro Mod presented by FuelTech and PJS Racing final round to defeat Ken Quartuccio and his 3.688 at 194.66 in the first race of the three-race inaugural Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service.
Winners in the other heads-up classes at the Snowbirds included Lyle Barnett in Precision Shaft Technologies Pro 275 presented by Mickey Thompson Tires, Greg Blevins Jr. in Callies Performance Products Limited Drag Radial presented by Energy Manufacturing, Chris Holdorf in TBM Brakes Outlaw 632 presented by Rife Sensors, and Dave Fiscus in TRZ Motorsports Ultra Street presented by Precision Turbo & Engine.
Victories also went to Mac McAdams in 4.60 Bike, Carl Mitchell in 5.50 Index, Scott Travers in 6.50 Index, Anthony Hodges in 7.50 Index, Klein Simpson in Advanced Jr. Dragster, and Tre Collins in Intermediate Jr. Dragster.
Kallee Mills won the Florida N/T Racing No-Time Shootout presented by Pro Line Racing and Ray Morton won the Larry Jeffers Race Cars No-Time Truck Shootout presented by Innovative Racecraft.
PRO MOD
Kye Kelley rolled into the first race of the inaugural Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service as one of the drivers from beyond the Pro Modified ranks who was hoping to make a statement in the three-race Pro Mod series at Bradenton Motorsports Park. As qualifying and eliminations unfolded at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, it became obvious that Kelley wasn’t just a participant, but a serious contender in the Winter Series. Rather than field a purpose-built Pro Mod, Kelley brought his No Prep Kings-legal, screw-blown “Can’t Get Right” ’85 Camaro to compete against 60-plus elite Pro Mod drivers and teams.
After qualifying for the quickest 32-car field in Pro Mod history, Kelley made his way through four rounds – winning two on holeshots – to reach the final round. He faced veteran doorslammer driver Ken Quartuccio, who won the 2023 U.S. Street Nationals in Pro Mod at Bradenton. Quartuccio left first in his screw-blown ’69 Camaro, but he eventually had to lift to a 3.688 at 194.66. Meanwhile, Kelley threw down a career-best 3.594 at 207.78 to turn on the win light worth $50,000 and the DI Winter Series points lead.
“It was all I could do to not wreck the car down there,” Kelley said. “I was in there celebrating, cheering, punching shit. It’s just an unbelievable feeling to even race at this stage. But to win at this stage? It’s something I know will probably never happen again under these circumstances, so I’m just going to live it up. I’m gonna own it, because it happened tonight.”
Kelley’s incredible weekend began in pre-race testing, where he recorded multiple mid-3.60-second passes, though the scoreboards weren’t on. He turned heads once qualifying began, starting with a 3.665 to put him No. 18 after the first session. He improved to a 3.659 in Q2 but slipped to No. 26 to wrap up Friday qualifying. Kelley slipped another couple spots in Q3, and by the time he made it to the starting line for the final fourth session, he was bumped out of the field. He threw down a 3.621 at 207.21 to move all the way up to No. 2. By the time the session was complete, Kelley qualified No. 13 out of 64 cars.
In the first-round chip draw on Saturday night, Kelley drew two-time Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association champion Mike Decker Jr. On Sunday, Kelley left first with a .049 reaction time, and though both drivers struggled with traction, Kelley recovered quicker with a 4.003 at 195.11 to Decker’s 9.306. He then drew Decker’s son, 2024 NEOPMA champion Mike “Hollywood” Decker III, in the second round. It would’ve been a side-by-side race, but Kelley grabbed a sizable starting-line advantage and ran a 3.661 at 204.48 to beat Decker III’s 3.662 at 206.64. Kelley was on his game yet again in the third round, where he cut a .013 light and ripped off a 3.626 at 205.88 to defeat 2023 World Series of Pro Mod winner Spencer Hyde and his 3.624 on a holeshot. Another holeshot win came in the semifinals, with Kelley laying down a 3.62 at 206.73 to knock out 2023 WSOPM runner-up Kurt Steding, who set low E.T. of race day with his 3.592 at 208.26.
Kelley hoped to partner with a Pro Mod car owner for the Winter Series, but tuner Jeff Pierce convinced Kelley to bring his No Prep Kings car. The move obviously paid off, as Kelley qualified, won the race, and lit up the scoreboard with a final-round performance that tied the third-quickest pass of the event.
“It’s just phenomenal,” Kelley said. “I decided to go screw blower – we were big nitrous guys – and Jeff and Jon Salemi, they both told me what I needed to buy, ordered all my stuff for me, told me how to set it all up…Jeff came over, we went to a test session, he jetted it up like it needed to be jetted up, showed me the ropes, and he just took it from there. We won a championship in NPK the first year Jeff was there, and we’re still doing the same thing. Jeff’s here, and we’re winning.”
Similarly, Pierce was thrilled with the car’s performance and Kelley’s driving abilities. The duo, along with Kelley’s small team of young crew members, put on a clinic at the Snowbirds.
“It’s a 104-inch wheelbase. Typical Pro Mods are 112 to 115 [inches]. It’s the rules for NPK. You gotta have that and you gotta have a steel body,” Pierce said. “That is an ’85 Camaro body that rolled off the production line. I salvaged the body for that car myself. It’s just freaking incredible that we can do that. We learned more about that car this week, and [Kelley] put everything into this. He came here Sunday and started testing on Monday. We made I can’t even remember how many test runs. Ten freaking test runs. He wanted to do the best he could at this race.”
Pierce praised Kelley as one of the top five drivers he’d put in any car he’s tuning, and it’s easy to see why. Kelley had reaction times of .049, .012, .013, .023, and .033 in eliminations.
“It wasn’t that I wanted to, it’s that I knew I needed to,” Kelley said of his quick reaction times. “These guys are fast, and I didn’t think my car was as fast as them. I was doing everything I could to kill that tree and stay out front.”
Quartuccio established a solid baseline in the first qualifying session when he recorded a 3.651 at 203.16 to sit No. 9 and later drop to No. 19 after the second session. He moved up to No. 16 with his 3.644 at 205.79 in the third session on Saturday. The Connecticut-based wheelman made a major statement in the final session, though, as he ripped off a 3.601 at 208.94 to qualify fourth out of 64 cars.
Quartuccio and Jeff Rudolf drew the No. 1 chips in the first-round chip draw, meaning they’d be the first pair out in Sunday’s first round of eliminations. Quartuccio was uncharacteristically late on the tree, but he laid down a 3.641 at 206.35 to move on over Rudolf, who slowed to a 5.063. He used a 3.645 at 206.13 to get the win over Jason Lee and his 6.666. Quartuccio then drew one of the biggest headline-grabbing doorslammer drivers of the season, Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey, for the third round. He left on Harvey and won with a 3.619 at 206.95 to finish ahead of Harvey and his 3.626 at 208.46. In the semifinals, Quartuccio double-bulbed No. 1 qualifier Mark Micke, who went red by .153 and let off the throttle. Quartuccio charged to a 3.595 at 208.49 to advance to the final round.
PRO 275
With entries in Pro Mod, Pro 275, and Limited Drag Radial, Lyle Barnett had more chances than anyone else at walking away from the Snowbirds with a win. He pulled it off in Pro 275, driving Tommy Youmans’ ProCharged “Salvage Title” Mustang to a final-round victory over Mark Woodruff. Barnett, who qualified No. 1, posted a 3.742 at 203.03, while Woodruff encountered traction issues and coasted to an 8.17 at 62.26.
“If you want a better chance at winning a race, bring three cars in three different classes. It drastically improves your chances,” said Barnett, who thanked car owners Tommy and Cheryl Youmans. “There’s no denying we did not have a great weekend in the Pro Mod, but that can be fixed. We’ll be better come U.S. Street Nationals. The Pro 275 car ran stellar all weekend long, qualified No. 1 with a 3.67, tuned it in on race day, and the thing just printed tickets.”
Barnett was surrounded by family and friends in the winner’s circle, which he reached after running a 3.756 at 201.73 on a first-round bye, a 3.754 at 201.49 to beat Jennifer Brooke’s 4.169 in the second round, and a 3.668 at 203.98 over a red-lighting Nick Lacerenza in the semifinals.
“This is the first weekend that my little boy’s been at the racetrack with me,” Barnett said. “My wife is here and my dad and my stepmom. It’s the first time I’ve won with everybody here and it’s special. I’ve raced with my dad my entire life, and for my son to be here for the first time when I’ve won a race, and for him to be here with his grandpa, it’s just this is what it’s about.”
LIMITED DRAG RADIAL
Limited Drag Radial No. 1 qualifier Greg Blevins Jr. kept his class-leading performance level going through Sunday’s four rounds of eliminations, as he threw down low E.T. of race day in the final round to claim the event win. He recorded a 3.88 at 186.61 in his ProCharged ’69 Camaro to get the win over No. 3 qualifier Wally Farbaky, who slowed to an 8.398 at 86.37 in his turbocharged ’20 GT350R.
“We just had a really long year, a lot of ups and a lot of downs,” said Blevins, the 2024 FuelTech Radial Outlaws Series LDR season champion. “We just put our head down, honestly, and we just literally never gave up. We had a never-quit attitude, we put some long hours into test sessions, and it just all paid off. Jamie Miller and the Red Hat Mafia – Jamie’s a bad dude. He’s just a bad dude, and Jimbo and Johnny, they worked their asses off on this car. We’re a big team here. There’s no hero in our camp. Everybody has to pull their weight. Everybody has to do their job. All that hard work pays off, and here we are. We get the moments like this.”
Blevins started race day with a 3.974 at 187.96 to beat Jimmy Nicolette, a 3.952 at 185.97 to beat Tommy Youmans’ 3.963, and a 3.919 at 186.56 over Jamie Stanton’s 3.93 in the semifinals.
OUTLAW 632
Clermont, Florida’s Chris Holdorf enjoyed a dominant performance in Outlaw 632, where he qualified No. 1, set low E.T. of the weekend, and won the race. The final round was over before it started, as No. 2 qualifier Kyle Salminen went red by .118 and coasted across the finish line. Holdorf in his Nelson-powered Freedom Grow ’06 GTO raced to a 4.126 at 169.70 on his victory lap.
“This is pretty special, especially since it’s a home track and I’ve always had pretty good luck at Bradenton,” said Holdorf, who thanked his crew, tuner Jamie Miller, engine builder Kris Nelson, and M&M Transmission. “I think I took second here at the Snowbirds last year, then won U.S. Street. I’ve always been pretty much one/two, so to keep that going is pretty special. Jamie and all his guys, the Red Hat Mafia, they make it pretty easy. I pretty much just get in the car and hang on.”
Holdorf earned a first-round bye, where he coasted to a 10.391. He ran a 4.179 at 168.91 in the second round to move past FIA European Pro Stock champion Jimmy Alund, who couldn’t make the run. Finally, Holdorf used a 4.144 at 169.51 to get past Bradenton’s own Lenny Grawburg and his 4.197 in the semifinals.
ULTRA STREET
Dave Fiscus may not have been the quickest or fastest in qualifying, but he had what it took to pull off the win on race day. Behind the wheel of his unique Buick-powered ’93 Mustang, Fiscus cut a .010 reaction time and charged to a 4.432 at 157.26 to hold off No. 3 qualifier Kieffer Simpson and his 4.447 at 161.71 in the final round.
“It feels amazing, especially when you’re competing with a Buick V6 with a turbo,” said Fiscus, who thanked Tin Soldier Race Cars, Barker Machine, Bischoff Engine Service, TRZ, Precision Turbo, FuelTech, and RPM Transmissions. “On paper, there’s no reason why this engine should be able to compete, but we run it hard enough and make good decisions. ‘Cheeseburger’ has this thing dialed in. We have a lot of good parts on this thing, but we have a 35-year-old engine. You put all that together, and it just goes to show, if you buy good parts, you can have an old engine like this and this thing will still make it happen.”
Fiscus recorded three new personal-best passes over the course of the weekend. He won first round over Brian Keep with a 4.504 at 156.14, then laid down a 4.44 at 156.92 to get past Jason Spina. The Cincinnati area racer prepared for the final by recording a 4.43 at 157.17 to beat Walter Drakeford and his 4.842 in the semifinals.
The next major event at Bradenton Motorsports Park is the fifth annual Christmas Tree Drag Racing World Championship on Dec. 20. The Drag Illustrated Winter Series presented by J&A Service at BMP continues Jan. 23-26, 2025, at the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission.
Nate Van Wagnen | Drag Illustrated | Luke Nieuwhof photos
