Number-one qualifier Rickie Smith won his first-round matchup Sep. 1, while Tim Tindle (right) escaped serious injury in a spectacular first-round accident that destroyed his Agave Underground Tequila ’69 Camaro during the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the 59th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
The race is the seventh of 10 races in 2013 for NHRA’s popular 250-mph doorslammer touring series.
UPDATE: A Facebook post late Sunday night by Tindle’s son TJ says his father suffered “a fracture on his upper spine,” but it looks like he’ll be released shortly from the hospital.
Smith, who is the points leader, kept up his strong weekend pace in his IDG Chevy Camaro, putting together a pass of 6.199 seconds at 229.86 mph in his first-round win against Jason Hamstra. That came on the heels of finishing as the No. 1 qualifier in his nitrous-injected entry, as his 5.963 at 240.68 gave him the top spot for the second straight race.
Smith will be seeking his third straight NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series victory on Monday and will meet Von Smith in a second-round matchup. Von Smith, a former world champion in the class, knocked off fellow Al-Anabi Racing racer Mike Castellana in his supercharger-powered Camaro with a run of 6.023 at 237.80.
Running in the left lane against defending class champion Troy Coughlin, Tindle made a hard left turn into the guardwall just as he approached the quarter-mile finish line. Tindle’s car climbed the wall and then tumbled to a stop in the grass outside the racing surface, where the Florida-based driver then exited the car under his own power. As a precaution, however, he was taken to Methodist Hospital for overnight observation.
“I didn’t know there was a wreck until I could see the trucks coming up the track,” Coughlin said. “Then the guys on the radio said, ‘Is everything all right?’ because they couldn’t see that well. I said, ‘Yeah.’
“I’m glad he’s OK,” Coughlin added. “He’s a good racer, as good as any of us out here.”
Coughlin and his JEGS.com Corvette will race Kevin Fiscus in the second round. Fiscus went 5.977 at 240.98 in his opening-round victory over Canadian Eric Latino.
Other first-round winners included Mike Janis, who went a round-best 5.976, setting up a second-round matchup with Kenny Lang. The final quarterfinal matchup will feature Harold Martin, who beat Tindle’s Agave Underground teammate Danny Rowe, and Kevin Rivenbark, who went 6.033 at 234.74 for his career-first NHRA round win against Mike Knowles.
Eliminations for the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will continue Monday at approximately 2:30 p.m.
BROWNSBURG, Ind. — First round results from the 59th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway Park at Indianapolis, the race is the seventh of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
PRO MOD
ROUND ONE — Von Smith, Chevy Camaro, 6.023, 237.80 def. Mike Castellana, Camaro, 6.064, 240.51; Kenny Lang, Chevy Corvette, 6.003, 240.72 def. Pete Farber, Dodge Daytona, 6.045, 241.37; Troy Coughlin, Corvette, 5.977, 244.43 def. Tim Tindle, Camaro, DQ; Kevin Rivenbark, Pontiac Firebird, 6.033, 234.74 def. Mike Knowles, Camaro, 6.005, 241.58; Kevin Fiscus, Ford Mustang, 5.977, 240.98 def. Eric Latino, Camaro, 10.993, 78.92; Harold Martin, Corvette, 6.034, 230.80 def. Danny Rowe, Camaro, 9.947, 101.55; Mike Janis, Camaro, 5.976, 241.15 def. Jimmy Widener, Mercury Cougar, 6.078, 232.43; Rickie Smith, Camaro, 6.199, 229.86 def. Jason Hamstra, Mustang, 21.838, 34.26:
BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Final order after 3 rounds of qualifying in Pro Modified at the 59th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals. The race is the seventh of 10 events in the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.
Psn—Num-Driver, Home Town, Car Type—————Qual-ET–Qual-Spd-Top Spd
1 43 Rickie Smith, King NC, ’12 Camaro 5.963 240.68 240.68
2 1456 Mike Janis, Lancaster NY, ’13 Camaro 5.986 241.76 241.76
3 5 Danny Rowe, Laguna Hills CA, ’68 Camaro 5.990 242.89 242.89
4 220F Kevin Fiscus, Jacksonville FL, ’12 Mustang 6.004 243.15 243.15
5 T217 Tim Tindle, Santa Rosa Bch FL, ’68 Camaro 6.006 242.71 242.71
6 5011 Mike Knowles, Grand Junction CO, ’68 Camaro 6.037 240.17 240.72
7 10 Kenny Lang, Grande Pointe MB, ’63 Corvette 6.039 240.17 240.17
8 2 Mike Castellana, Muttontown NY, ’12 Camaro 6.057 237.50 237.50
9 2377 Von Smith, Oak Ridge TN, ’68 Camaro 6.061 236.75 236.75
10 8 Pete Farber, Baldwinville MA, ’69 Daytona 6.064 240.47 240.47
11 205 Kevin Rivenbark, Wallace NC, ’02 Firebird 6.064 235.89 235.89
12 1 Troy Coughlin, Delaware OH, ’13 Corvette 6.069 233.44 242.67
13 1938 Eric Latino, Port Perry ON, ’69 Camaro 6.070 240.72 240.72
14 377 Harold Martin, New Hudson MI, ’14 Corvette 6.074 234.00 234.41
15 308W Jimmy Widener, Batesville IN, ’00 Cougar 6.104 231.95 231.95
16 367J Jason Hamstra, Demotte IN, ’10 Mustang 6.123 232.79 232.79
Not Qualified:
17 6556 Craig Cawte, Cranbrook BC, ’68 Camaro 6.127 232.75 232.75
18 3969 Bill Lutz, Canal Winchester OH, ’69 Camaro 6.157 241.32 243.19
19 567 Chris Juliano, Iberia MO, ’67 Mustang 6.176 225.11 225.11
20 202 Todd Tutterow, Lewisville NC, ’67 Mustang 6.190 240.81 240.81
21 213 Chip King, Semora NC, ’69 Daytona 6.206 241.71 241.71
22 9 Steve Matusek, Olathe KS, ’12 Mustang 6.208 242.67 242.67
23 701 Clint Satterfield, Albuquerque NM, ’68 Firebi 6.272 236.42 236.42
24 2105 Doug Winters, Pleasant Garden NC, ’57 Bel Air 6.325 222.66 222.66
This story was originally published on September 2, 2013. 
