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NEOPM Returns To Action July 10-12 At Maple Grove Raceway

THE NORTHEAST OUTLAW PRO MOD ASSOCIATION (NEOPMA), the longest‐ running Pro Modified drag racing association in the United States, will resume its 2020 racing season on July 10‐ 12 at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, after a temporary hiatus due to the Covid‐19 pandemic.

When the racing season came to an unexpected halt in early 2020, racers and sanctioning bodies alike were concerned about the ramifications and impacts to planned schedules including cancellations and postponements. John Mazzorana, Director of the NEOPMA, however, has been working relentlessly to ensure things got back on track as quickly as possible and that the excitement picked up right where it left off.

Prior to the pandemic, the NEOPMA kicked off its 2020 drag racing season with an eighth‐mile format event at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland, with 19 cars in the Pro Mod class and numerous entries running in the 3.6‐ to 3.8‐second elapsed time range. Now, the NEOPMA is ready to resume racing at Maple Grove Raceway over the weekend of July 10‐12 with a live feed of the action being broadcasted worldwide, and its racers are just as eager to get back to the track as 28 cars have already been pre‐registered for the event.

Drivers such as Mike Achenbach, Joe Albrecht, Jim Bersani, Tom Blincoe, Ed Burnley, John Camp, John Cozzalli, Gary Courtier, John Decerbo, Matt Deitsch, Derrick Ford, Tyler Hard, Larry Higgenbotham, Andy Jensen, Alan Juhasz, Michael Lubuneski, Bill Marks, Dean Marinis/Harry Pappas, Kevin McCurdy, David Monday, Fifi Montrond, Tony Morrell, Dave Norris, George Papalexandrou, Fred Scriba, Casey Stemper, Chuck Ulsch, Derek Ward, and Wally Zalak have all already committed to being at the race, and it’s expected that even more will register within the coming weeks.

“After so much time off, we’re really looking forward to this upcoming race. The Coronavirus, its financial impacts, and recent protests have hurt New York as well as the rest of the country, and not having spectators at the track impacts both the bottom line and overall morale” shared Mazzorana candidly. “However, even with these unprecedented circumstances, we have 28 pre‐registered attendees for Maple Grove and expect to also have a good number of cars testing on both Thursday and Friday. We can’t wait to get back at it!”

The NEOPMA group recently switched to an eighth‐mile racing format and has seen a surge in newly registered racers as a result. The rejuvenated organization has garnered more interest than the former quarter‐mile distance, with NEOPMA membership increasing from 34 to 46, while projections show an expectation to exceed 55+ Pro Mod racers. In 2019, the organization’s racers broke eight Pro Modified world records.

Parity amongst the Pro Mod power adder combinations is essential to the NEOPMA’s popularity as a sanctioning body. With rules blended from both the PDRA and NMCA, as well as a few small adjustments, the organization’s racers enjoy a level playing field while fans love seeing nitrous injected, supercharged, turbocharged, and ProCharged entries all competing side‐by‐side.

The NEOPMA 2020 drag racing season will continue after its stop at Maple Grove with additional events at Cecil County Dragway (July 31‐August 1), Maryland International Raceway (August 21‐22), a to‐be‐determined facility depending on Covid‐19 availability (September 26‐27), and again at Maryland International Raceway (October 9‐10) to finish out the year.

This story was originally published on July 5, 2020. Drag Illustrated

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