TOPEKA, KS – August 11, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – A lengthy break in the schedule in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon might have been just what Lyle Barnett needed. The standout driver suffered back-to-back first-round losses, dropping him from second to fourth in the points standings heading into the extended layoff.
But teams have had seven weeks off since the last race, giving Barnett and his team plenty of time to get things back in order on his turbocharged Elite HP Camaro as the class returns during this weekend’s Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor at Heartland Motorsports Park.
After winning two of the final three races to end the 2021 season in NHRA Pro Mod, Barnett had big hopes this year and he hopes some of that success starts to come his way at Topeka’s House of Speed this weekend.
“We had to shake off whatever was ailing us,” Barnett said. “We’ve had a little string of bad luck. In Norwalk, we didn’t make the run we should have in the first round (against points leader Kris Thorne), and he got us. We should have won the four-wide race in Charlotte and I didn’t get the job done on the starting line like I usually do. We’ve had almost two months off to shake some of that off and we’ve just kept our nose down and continued to grind.”
The race, which is the fifth of 10 events during the 2022 season in the FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by D-Wagon, is powered by M&M Transmission, which is known for its championship-winning and record-setting transmissions and torque converters. It’s a top choice for Jose Gonzalez and Stevie “Fast” Jackson, who are the last two world title winners in the class, as well as points leader Thorne, Sidnei Frigo, Justin Bond, and Barnett.
“Topeka is our home track, so it was a natural decision to support our NHRA Pro Mod racers and customers,” M&M Transmission Owner and CEO Mark Micke said. “Our on-track maintenance services are an extension of our beliefs of delivering reliability and performance to enable the quickest and fastest doorslammers in the world to win and set records.”
Added Barnett: “It’s a racing company led by a race car driver, which is cool. When you think of transmissions and converters, Mark Micke is probably the first person that comes to mind. They have great trackside support and they’re awesome people and we all appreciate it.”
Barnett is focused on a big weekend in Topeka…
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