After taking 2018 off, the Carolina Xtreme Pro Mod series is back for 2019 and is starting the year with a resounding return. With a massive lineup and a number of major Pro Mod names scheduled for Saturday’s opening race at Darlington Dragway, the series is set to again establish itself as a premier local series.
The Pee Dee Fleet Winter Nationals at Darlington is the first of five races for the 2019 season and more than 35 Pro Mods have already pre-registered for the event. Top names like Rickie Smith, Jeremy Ray, Charles Carpenter, Doug Winters and Tommy Mauney are on the huge entry list for Saturday’s race, which appears to be the start of a solid campaign for the Carolina Xtreme Pro Mod series in 2019.
“We’re really looking forward to this year and it looks like a lot of racers are excited as well,” co-founder and racer Tony Wilson said. “We’ve got a lot of people entered and I think it’s going to be fast. We got the sense that people really missed it and are looking forward to having a local series. But this is not your run of the mill Quick 8 show. You’re going to have to run 3.70s and maybe 3.60s, and we expect to have fast bumps.”
Drawing some of the top names in the class will create plenty of exciting action, which is what Wilson and co-founder Nathan Vanbeek are focused on.
Their five-race series in 2019 will include stops at Darlington, GALOT Motorsports Park, Union County Dragway and Rockingham Dragway, catering to racers in the Carolinas with events at a number of top facilities.
Each race will also be a one-day event featuring qualifying and eliminations on the same day, adding another appealing option for drivers.
With $4,000 going to the winner and $500 to the No. 1 qualifier at each race, Vanbeek believes everything the series has to offer in 2019 sparked the interest from a multitude of racers in the area.
“It was a mixture of going to places like Darlington, having a one-day race and things like that,” Vanbeek said. “The smaller teams appreciate that, and it really helps with costs. To see this kind of commitment, it’s a big deal to us. We’re going to some good facilities that will keep people coming and we’re definitely ready to get it going.”
Vanbeek and Wilson hatched the idea for the Carolina Xtreme Pro Mod series after doing a Quick 8 Top Sportsman race together a handful of years ago, and it debuted in 2016. It continued in 2017 before taking last year off, but they have both seen a great deal of support already in 2019.
They also made sure to not schedule races on top of PDRA events, allowing for teams to hit a variety of races throughout the year. The series is poised to showcase fast and thrilling Pro Mod action on a single day, believing that approach will continue to draw in big-name drivers and spectators.
Vanbeek said he would love to see 20-plus cars at each of the five events, and he believes it’s possible should Saturday’s opener go well.
“When you see some of the names like that on the pre-registered list, it means a lot to us,” Wilson said. “It’s rewarding for both of us. There’s a mix of new cars and familiar names coming out, and we’re really looking forward to it. As long as the racers are committed, we’re committed to giving them a great series.”
The Carolina Xtreme Pro Mod series is also seeking marketing partners for the 2019 season. If interested or for more info, contact Wilson at (704) 239-7601 or Vanbeek at (904) 556-4609.
This story was originally published on March 26, 2019. 
