DI Winter Series — Round Two Roundup!

by editor on Jan.27, 2025, under Smokies Garage - Pro Mod Portal

Drag Illustrated’s creative 3-event Winter Series continued in Florida last weekend…

Ken Quartuccio proved once again why he considers Bradenton Motorsports Park to be “home,” taking home a $75,000 payday and the Drag Illustrated Winter Series points lead driving the screw-blown ’69 Camaro out of the Scott Tidwell Racing camp. Quartuccio used a .001 reaction time and 3.586-second pass at 208.62 mph to defeat 2022 NHRA U.S. Nationals Pro Mod winner Lyle Barnett’s 3.608 at 207.62.

Quartuccio is no stranger to success at BMP. Most recently, he won the 2023 U.S. Street Nationals and was the runner-up in 2024 at both the U.S. Street Nationals and Snowbird Outlaw Nationals. He stated on Friday night during qualifying that whenever he runners-up at the Snowbirds, he goes on to win U.S. Street – a prediction that soon became reality.

“It’s just crazy the level of confidence that I have when I come here,” Quartuccio said. “This is a totally different team than when I runnered-up to Mark Micke last year, or the year before that when we won it. It’s a totally different group of guys, different combination, different car, but just something about this place is magic for me. They can bury me in the back here (at BMP). Let them put a house on me. I don’t care. This is where I’m going to rest my final days.”

Quartuccio stayed in the 3.50’s in every round but one on Saturday. His slowest pass in eliminations was a 3.607, which he said also would’ve been in the .50’s if he hadn’t let off early. That consistency, along with incredible reaction times – he posted .001, .007, .018, and .022 throughout the day – proved to be too much for the rest of the 32-car field to overcome.

Some super consistency earned Ken Quartuccio’s Scott Tidwell team a lucrative payout at the Drag Illustrated US Street Nationals event.

In the first-round chip draw on Saturday night, Quartuccio drew Brazilian native Sidnei Frigo. On Sunday, the two had identical .022 reaction times, but Quartuccio used a 3.572 at 209.65 mph to outrun Frigo’s 3.622 at 207.21. He then drew 2023 NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod champion Ty Tutterow in the second round. It would’ve been a side-by-side race, but Tutterow went red, throwing away a 3.619; Quartuccio was still slightly quicker, running a 3.607-second pass at 207.56 mph. Quartuccio dipped back into the .50s in the quarterfinals, ripping off a 3.599 at 208.81 to defeat two-time NHRA U.S. Nationals Top Dragster winner Zach Sackman’s 3.751. In the semifinals, Quartuccio combined a .007 reaction time with yet another 3.50 pass – this time a 3.595 – to take the win over west-coast newcomer Rian Hayward, who ran a career-best 3.609 at 209.04 in a losing effort.

Defending US Street Nationals champion Mark Micke qualified #1 for the massively entered Pro Mod class.

With the victory, Quartuccio leaves Bradenton with 1,210 points, a sizable advantage over his closest competitors: Kye Kelley (896), Mark Micke (714), Kurt Steding (707), Mike Decker III (700), and Melanie Salemi (700). The championship will be decided at the World Series of Pro Mod, Feb. 27-March 1.

Australia’s Grantley Schloss won the Pro 275 title with is Chevy Nova

Marty Pearcy roared to the event’s X275 class title with his Mopar.

The event included ferocious competition in 6 other fast Doorslammer classes. For Pro 275 it was invading Australian Grantley Schloss who prevailed. Other winners included Greg Blevins Jr (Limited Street Radial), Marty Pearcy (X275), Jessie Coulter (Ultra Street) and Eddie Pamirez (Limited Street). For Outlaw 632 it was Mike Fiorelli earning his long-awaited first victory in that category.

The third and final event of the very lucrative Drag Illustrated Winter series will be the $150,000-to-win World Series of Pro Mod, Feb. 27-March 1 at Bradenton Motorsports Park.