To say Bryan LaFlam is excited about competing at the fifth annual Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by JHG and J&A Service would be an understatement. LaFlam will be battling against the best in the business in the inaugural FTI Competition Converters Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship at Bradenton Motorsports Park, slated for March 1-3, 2024.
“We’re very excited and blessed to be invited,” said LaFlam. “Looking over the list, there’s going to be some stiff competition, but we’re also going into it to have fun, and hopefully, we come out on the victorious end at the end of the day.”
The Top Sportsman class, which is the perfect complement to the Pro Mod headliners, is set to deliver some of the best competition on the property, and with $50,000 up for grabs, LaFlam has been preparing.
“Preparation was different in the offseason because there’s not much of an offseason anymore,” added LaFlam, as he mentioned arriving early at BMP to test his Jerry Bickel-built 1967 supercharged Mustang.
“I was just glad to get invited early enough before I completely tore my whole package apart. I know it’s going to be a competitive field and I want to be as competitive as I can be, and having the exact same combination from finishing last year, I feel is the best bet for me.”
LaFlam is familiar with some of the racers on the list because of his history of racing in the PDRA.
“We’ve had a few run-ins in the past, and they’re all positive, except I ended up being on the losing end in a couple finals – three finals this past year – so I’m hoping to redeem myself,” he said.
Even though the Arizona native turned Mooresville, North Carolina resident has been putting a lot of thought into the inaugural FTI Competition Converters Intercontinental Top Sportsman Championship, LaFlam confessed that he hasn’t focused much on the purse.
“I’m going to try not to because I don’t want it to affect me,” stated LaFlam. “I just want to go and have fun and race within our means and our program. However, it is exciting to be able to race for a large amount of money for a single race, but I’m just trying not to let the pressure get to me over that, but you know it’s going to happen to everyone. I don’t care what they say.”
In addition to winning the $50,000, plus taking home the bragging rights and hardware, LaFlam is looking forward to something else the WSOPM offers.
“I’m really looking forward to something different, like the fun and lighthearted environment I hear about,” he concluded.
Tickets for the Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod presented by JHG and J&A Service are on sale now and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/wsopm2024. Fans watching from home can tune in to the official event livestream on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/3uYLot3.
This story was originally published on February 21, 2024.