NHRA Sunday: Harold Martin Powers to His First Career Pro Mod Pole at the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

Final Qualifying Results

Harold Martin Powers to His First Career Pro Mod Pole at 
the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals

Event: 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals
Location:  Indianapolis Raceway Park
       Indianapolis, IN
Day/Date: Sunday September 5, 2004

In only his third career NHRA event, ACDelco Grand Am pilot Harold Martin captured the first No. 1 qualifying position of his Pro Modified career at the biggest event on the circuit, the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S.Nationals in Indianapolis, IN.  After posting the quickest time on Saturday, Martin entered Sunday's third and final qualifying session in the second position, based on a top speed tie-breaker with rival Richie Stevens Jr., who had matched Martin's elapsed time in the earlier run.

Responding to the challenge, Martin blasted through the quarter-mile in 6.183-seconds with a top speed of 228.96 mph to secure his position atop the eight-car AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge starting field.

 "We set our goals for this race with some very careful strategies, trying to develop some new technology and race it among the best Pro Mods on the planet to see just how we stacked up.  Naturally, we are quite pleased with the outcome, capturing our first No. 1 qualifying position at such a premium event, and to do so in dramatic fashion, having it, then losing it and taking it back.  That was quite special.

"This has the entire team excited as we go forward.  We feel that we have learned something that will be very important, not only tomorrow, but in our championship chase in the other series, which, quite honestly, is our major focus.  We knew that we needed to advance our program, and our performance in qualifying at the U.S. Nationals has shown that we have done that.  

"I can't complement my Team ACDelco enough.  These guys and girls have worked very, very hard, spending an extensive amount of time between our race last week and this event preparing our total program.  We came to Indianapolis with some very new technology that we had never raced before.  We believed in its potential, and thought we could do well with it, but wow!  To have the results at the U.S. Nationals really pumps us up for the future."