Lenny Lottig made the most of his first opportunity to compete at the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by J&A Service as part of the David H Davies Racing Factory Stock Classic. The veteran driver from Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, qualified No. 2 and raced to victory Sunday at Bradenton Motorsports Park collecting the $15,000 check for his efforts.
In the first round he had to take out the No. 1 qualifier AJ Berge and in the final round he outran fellow Chevrolet COPO Camaro racer Jesse Alexandra in front of a passionate crowd of established Pro Mod fans and new Factory Stock fans.
“At end of the day I’m telling you winning a race takes a ton of work,” said Lottig. “To see the win light come on is a beautiful thing. It’s been a great learning opportunity for all of us because we either win or we learn. This weekend we got to do both.”
In the semis Lottig continued his march towards victory with a close win over Lindsay Wheelock and her Dodge Drag Pak. Finalist Alexandra used a .002 light off the starting line to get out in front of Scott Libersher and it was enough to give him a hole-shot win. Three of the four semifinalists were Camaros and Lottig knew going into that round he would have to bring his best effort.
“You know, we go in every one of these races just hoping to compete. You want to make the field and have a good time,” said Lottig from the top end. “When you throw in the winning that really takes it over the top. I mean, that’s because I say everybody works so hard to make this stuff happen. You know, we got United Site Services and my company that help make this all happen. Ray and David Barton gave us good engines to make it through the weekend because we beat on them pretty hard.”
At the end of the day Lottig looked back at the three-day World Series of Pro Mod experience with fond memories and an appreciation for growing a class that he loves.
“The attendance here was great, so much interaction with the people and the crowd,” said Lottig. “I can’t believe how well the crowd was here. I’d say that the Pro Mod cars have a great following and it was an honor to be invited here to take part of it. I appreciate David Davies putting this race together and you know, making a good package for everyone. It takes people like him to be able to make this sport and keep continuing to grow it.”
The second round opened with a strong match-up between No. 2 qualifier Lottig against David H Davies and his Save Our Allies Dodge Drag Pak. Lottig was first off the line and had a slightly quicker elapsed time to advance. He was joined by two other Chevrolet Camaros piloted by Alexandra and Libersher.
By Elon Werner
