The Pro Modified Racing Ass’n’s season finale at Grand Bend, Ontario, was supercharged enough. But third-place Bruce Boland, still with a chance to win the championship, was trying desperately to hold off No. 4 Scott Wildgust. But Boland broke the wheels on his ’53 Corvette. 
Wildgust offered Boland some of his own. Boland defeated him in the second round and advanced to accrue enough points to win the series title without winning a single event. Boland then passed on the attention, dedicating his achievement to Kevin Short, the 12-year-old son of crew member Brad Short who died last July of a heart ailment. “This one’s for Kevin. He was my biggest fan. He always came to our races and helped us out.”
From the racing pits to the barbecue pits that are the home to many after-hours race gatherings, PMRA competitors are like family.
“This is more of a hobby for these guys,” PMRA Director of Operations Bruce Mehlenbacher said. “They pit together and hang out with each other, because many of them have known each other for a long time. The Ontario and Western New York area has long been a hotbed for Pro Modified. Back in the 1960s and ’70s, many of these same guys were involved with Competition Eliminators, and they’ve just progressed.”

PMRA SCHEDULE
May 17-18    Toronto Motorsports Park
June 7    New York Int’l Raceway Park
June 28    Toronto Motorsports Park
July 26    Dunn Tire Raceway Park
Aug. 16    Sanair Motorsport Complex
Aug. 30-31    Grand Bend Motorplex

Make no mistake, though. These drivers are intense on the track. They’re passionate about their racing, but Ontario driver Carl “Top Dog” Spiering wondered aloud at a 2003 IHRA event at Rockingham, N.C., why the Northern crowd couldn't have its own, smaller series for those who wanted to race five or six weekends a year. Spiering and Mehlenbacher helped form the PMRA, which saves time and money, compared to pursuing the IHRA/NHRA format.
“We said that membership would cost $1,250 Canadian, the fee necessary to fund the day-to-day operation of the series. At the next meeting, three or four weeks later, 17 guys put down the cash.”
To preserve precious weekend time for the drivers, who have 9-to-5 jobs, Mehlenbacher said, “Several of our shows are one-day events on Saturdays. This allows Friday to be a travel day, with Sunday as our rain date. The exceptions are our Victoria Day Weekend in May at Toronto Motorsports Park, and our end-of-the-season event at Grand Bend Motorplex. We’re in competition with other attractions such as Niagara Falls, and our events allow fans to come out for a day and then enjoy the rest of the weekend pursuing other activities.”
PMRA uses technical and safety rules from both the IHRA and NHRA but carries its own payout structure. It also has grown in numbers and scope.
“We started with 17 teams,” Mehlenbacher said. “Today, we have 23 teams, seven of which are American, and in 2007 had five events.”
To accommodate teams from Canada’s Eastern provinces and Western New York, PMRA now sanctions races at Cayuga and Grand Bend in Ontario, St. Pie in Quebec and Lancaster Raceway Park in New York.
“Our biggest hurdle is expansion,” Mehlenbacher said. “We want to get more race tracks in the United States, specifically into Ohio, Michigan and New York. We have a tremendous product, and our vision is to increase our spectator and our sponsor appeal.”