Around 32 of the best eighth-mile Pro Modified drivers and teams are heading to Cecil County Dragway for this weekend’s inaugural $50,000 Pro Mod Invitational. Located just off I-95 in Rising Sun, Maryland, Cecil County Dragway will combine the big-money Pro Mod show with its NHRA Lucas Oil Series divisional race featuring Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, and several other sportsman classes for a well-rounded weekend of both eighth-mile and quarter-mile racing.
Before qualifying kicks off on Friday, we’re taking a look at several drivers who have a very good chance at walking away with the $50,000 on Sunday.
1. Jim Halsey
The four-time PDRA Pro Nitrous world champion has a home field advantage here. Halsey and wife Cathy are the longtime owner/operators of Cecil County Dragway, so it’s unlikely anyone else in the field has made more laps down the track than Halsey – especially if you consider the laps he’s made on the track prep equipment. Halsey’s Fulton-powered “Daddy Shark” ’68 Camaro might not have as much experience here, as it made its competition debut at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod in early March, but tuner Brandon Switzer and Halsey’s experienced team have more than enough data from the last “Daddy Shark” Camaro.
Plus, this version has already proven it’s as good or better than the old one. Halsey qualified No. 2 and went to the finals in a mixed-combination field at WSOPM, then lowered his own PDRA Pro Nitrous E.T. national record at the season-opening East Coast Nationals. He also won the next race, the Mid-Atlantic Showdown, and qualified No. 1 at both races.
2. Derek Ward
Continuing on the topic of record holders, we have Derek Ward, the 2024 WSOPM champion. After defeating Halsey in the $100,000 final round, Ward stayed hot at the PDRA season opener by qualifying No. 1 with a record-setting 3.555-second blast in his screw-blown ’68 Firebird. He’s reached the semifinals at both PDRA races so far this season, putting him No. 2 in the points standings. Like Halsey, Ward calls Maryland home, and he’s made more than a few passes down the Cecil County surface. He won one of the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association races here last summer on his way to the NEOPMA season championship.
3. Spencer Hyde
That’s right, there are two WSOPM champions on the entry list. Just over a year removed from his breakout win at Bradenton, Spencer Hyde is still proving he has what it takes to compete with the biggest teams in the class. He qualified sixth in this year’s WSOPM field, an improvement of 26 spots compared to his qualifying position last year when he won. He’s making a full run at the PDRA Pro Boost world championship this season, and it’s off to a strong start. The Canadian Pro Mod champ qualified No. 2 and charged to his first Pro Boost win at the Virginia race, courtesy of quick lights and consistent 3.50-second passes in his Mark Savage-tuned, screw-blown “Jack & The Green Stock” ’69 Camaro. He’s the current Pro Boost points leader.
4. Mike Decker III
Just a few weeks ago, Mike “Hollywood” Decker III collected his first-ever Pro Mod win by defeating his father, two-time NEOPMA champion Mike Decker Jr., in the final round of the season-opening Door Wars at Maryland International Raceway. It was the third time the father-son duo lined up in a final round and the second consecutive year they did it at Door Wars. With tuning support from Todd “King Tut” Tutterow, Decker’s screw-blown Decker’s Salvage Camaro is now a race-winning, 3.50-second player.
5. Mike Decker Jr.
The Baltimore-based Decker family knows how to win in their home state. Last year, Mike Decker Jr. beat “Hollywood” in the final round of the Yellowbullet Nationals at Cecil County to claim his third consecutive win at the prestigious race. On top of those three wins, he’s been a Yellowbullet Nationals runner-up once in Pro Mod and twice in Outlaw 10.5. With a field similar to the ones he’s mowed through at Yellowbullet, he’s going to be a contender this weekend.
6. Todd Tutterow
Two-time PDRA Pro Boost world champion Todd Tutterow not only tunes or consults for several of the drivers on the entry list, but he’s also driving again this season. After a semifinal finish at WSOPM, Tutterow drove car owner Justin Smith’s screw-blown Quik Fuel ’69 Camaro to victory at the PDRA season opener. He didn’t qualify at the second race on tour only because his strong mid-3.60-second run didn’t fit into the quickest Pro Boost field in the 10-year history of the series. King Tut can win when it’s cool and he can win when it’s hot. He’s had success in Pro Boost over the last few years, but he’s due for a big-money Pro Mod win.
7. Ken Quartuccio
Connecticut’s Ken Quartuccio may be focusing on Radial vs. the World competition with his Jamie Miller-tuned, ProCharged “Serial Killer” ’69 Camaro this season, but he has had success with it on big tires in recent years too. He won the $32,000 U.S. Street Nationals at Bradenton last year, then grabbed his first PDRA Pro Boost win later in the season. Quartuccio recently won the Battle for the Thrones in Radial vs. the World to put him No. 2 in the FuelTech Radial Outlaws Series points after four of six races. He’s also No. 2 in the NHRA Pro Mod points standings driving for Scott Tidwell.
This story was originally published on May 8, 2024. 
