After an acclaimed debut in 2021, the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (NEOPMA) is returning to Empire Dragway this weekend, June 17-18, for the second annual Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge. Approximately 30 cars have pre-entered for the fourth race of the series’ 30th anniversary season.
“Our racers made the trip to Empire for the first time last year, and the enthusiastic fan support made it an obvious choice to come back not once, but twice this season,” said John Mazzorana, founder and president, NEOPMA. “Jerry Scaccia and his team have made even more improvements to the facility since we were there last June. The fantastic facility and the cheering fans really make for an exciting atmosphere. We’re looking forward to racing at Empire this weekend and again August 5-6.”
The pre-entry list is made up of stars from across the Pro Mod racing world. The list includes NEOPMA standouts like defending champion Mike Decker Jr. and son Mike “Hollywood” Decker III, Steve King and the King/Pilot/Miller team, Fredy Scriba, Tyler Hard, Kevin McCurdy, Matt Deitsch, Dave Norris, Derek Ward, Andy Jensen, Tommy Gray, and recent winner Chuck Ulsch. They’ll be joined by home-track heroes Mike Janis and Melanie Salemi, as well as hitters like Kurt Steding, Ken Quartuccio, and Todd Moyer.
“We’re expecting a huge turnout from our member racers, as well as drivers and teams that typically race with other organizations,” Mazzorana said. “This group includes numerous cars that are more than capable of running in the 3.60-second range or quicker. We’re going to have all the power adders represented and all kinds of different body styles. The Empire fans are really in for a great show.”
With additional support from Kurt Steding and the P2 Contracting/P2 Racing team, the race will pay $7,000 to the winner and $2,000 to the runner-up. The Empire Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Challenge will also include an eight-car consolation race, which pays $1,500 to the winner and $500 to the runner-up. The No. 1 qualifier will receive a $1,500 bonus courtesy of Dave Hance’s NY Boom Truck and Jon and Jim Salemi of Resolution Racing Services and G-Force Race Cars, respectively.
“We’re fortunate to have sponsors that believe in us and want to help us provide solid payouts for our racers,” Mazzorana said. “Between our season-long sponsors and the people who’ve stepped up to support this event, we’ve rounded up the funds to pay out over $20,000 at this race.”
Racers will first take to the track for Thursday testing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The track will also be available for testing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. Two qualifying sessions will follow at 4 and 6 p.m. Pro Mod will get a third and final qualifying session Saturday at noon before going into eliminations at 2 p.m.
This story was originally published on June 13, 2022. 
