BRADENTON, Fla. — After qualifying No. 1 on Friday, Mark Micke charged through five rounds of eliminations in PJS Racing Outlaw Pro Mod presented by FuelTech to secure the $32,000 win at the U.S. Street Nationals presented by M&M Transmission on Sunday night at Bradenton Motorsports Park.
Micke fired off a 3.609-second pass at 222.84 mph in the final round to deny Ken Quartuccio a second consecutive U.S. Street Nationals win.
Quartuccio posted a 3.629-second, 208.14 mph runner-up effort.
The U.S. Street Nationals served as the season opener for the FuelTech Radial Outlaws Racing Series, which crowned winners in five drag radial classes.
Victories went to Jason Collins in PST Driveshafts Pro 275 presented by Pro Line Racing, Mark Meiering in Mickey Thompson Tires X275 presented by Precision Turbo & Engine, Rob Goss in Energy Manufacturing Limited Drag Radial presented by Callies Performance, Shawn Pevlor in TRZ Motorsports Ultra Street presented by Motion Raceworks and Louie Filippides in SP Tools Limited 235 presented by ICE Ignition.
Brandon McGee won the Radial Remix over Steven Wardlow.
Chris Holdorf secured the win in Summit Racing Outlaw 632 presented by Rife Sensors. The winners in the index classes were Jerry Norton in 5.50 Index, Pat Nanney in 6.50 Index, and Mickey Pearce in 7.50 Index.
OUTLAW PRO MOD
As pre-race testing at Bradenton progressed in the days leading up to the U.S. Street Nationals, Micke in his twin-turbocharged M&M Transmission 1969 Camaro emerged as a serious contender to win the event. Low 3.60-second passes in testing and early qualifying sessions paved the way for a 3.57-second No. 1 qualifying effort in the final session.
His bracket-car-like consistency continued in eliminations, culminating with a final round win over close friend Ken Quartuccio. Micke cut a .006-second reaction time, but Quartuccio was also ready with a .026-second time. Micke charged to a 3.609 at 222.84 mph to beat Quartuccio’s 3.629 at 208.14 mph. He collected $32,000 and a custom trophy for his efforts.
“This is one of our biggest wins, period,” Micke said. “I’m just so proud of my team because we never missed a run. We were here since Tuesday. We never missed a run for anything falling off the car. The car was flawless. The team was just phenomenal. I don’t even know how to put it. My guys are just young and that makes it a lot more fun. We’re a bunch of crusty old guys and these young guys just kicked ass.”
Micke started eliminations Saturday afternoon facing Top Fuel veteran Scott Palmer, who left the starting line first but coasted to a 7.453 at 85.23 mph, while Micke laid down a 3.644 at 219.19 mph. In the cool Saturday night conditions, Micke dipped back into the 3.50s with a 3.598 at 220.04 mph to take out past PDRA Pro Boost world champion Tommy D’Aprile and his 3.644 at 207.91 mph.
The third round brought on a battle with Pro Modified heavy hitter Todd Tutterow, who’s breaking in a new car for car owner Justin Smith. Micke got up on the wheel and fired off a 3.590 at 222.07 mph to finish ahead of Tutterow and his 3.598 at 210.18 mph by just .017 seconds. I
n the semifinals, Micke used a 3.593 at 222.80 mph to defeat truck pulling standout Stan Shelton, who slowed to a 5.617 at 79.54 mph.
“I look back at the eliminations rounds, and it was a dream race for me,” Micke said. “I got to race my buddy Scott Palmer first round. Unbelievable. I took out Tommy D’Aprile – badass champ. Third round against Todd Tutterow, that was my most nervous in the race car ever. I’m like, ‘God, this dude, he’s a badass.’ Then we just kept it going. Stan Shelton, he’s just a machine too.
“Then, to run Ken, one of my best friends, in the final. We went into that final thinking if either car wins, it’s a win for me. But man, I’m so happy for my guys. I’m more happy for them than anything.
“I just gotta thank all my people,” Micke continued. “Of course, M&M Transmission, all the guys at the shop, my wife, Maria, and my kids Brooke and Lauren for putting up with all this craziness for the past 30-some years. I couldn’t do it without them. I got my buddy Jason Carter here, so I have to thank him and all my guys: Bryce, Troy, Damon, Alec. I had had our family here, had some friends from Sweden. We brought on Harts Turbos. Pro Line Racing, TurboSmart, Rick Jones, Blake Housley – I could go on forever. We’ve just got the dream team, man.”