Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
This might be the wildest Pro Modified moment you’ve ever seen — and it happened at the very first NHRA Pro Mod exhibition.
During qualifying at that historic debut, Paul Athey, driving Johnny Rocca’s wild 1949 Mercury, lost control in the burnout. The car crossed the centerline and sideswiped Ronnie Hood’s 1963 Corvette before either machine ever staged.
And here’s where it becomes legend.
Both drivers backed up. Both staged. They ran anyway.
Athey aborted his pass early, but Hood kept his foot in it and thundered to a 6.322-second pass at 224.25 mph, good enough for the provisional pole. It was chaos, commitment, and pure outlaw spirit — all in one sequence.
A score of onlookers stood just feet away, including 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force. But it wasn’t just the contact that made this part of Pro Mod lore — it was who was watching.
Alcohol Funny Car standout Jay Payne stood alongside his father-in-law, Top Alcohol icon Brad Anderson, as Rocca — dressed in full Indian garb — backed the Mercury up after the contact. According to legend, Payne turned to Anderson and said:
“They have Indians, they crash into each other and still race — we gotta have one of those.”
Shortly thereafter, Payne and Anderson fielded a supercharged Camaro Pro Modified of their own, adding fuel to the category’s rapid rise.
That’s how movements start.
Not with perfect runs — but with moments no one forgets.
#NHRA #ProMod #DragRacing #DragRacingHistory #JayPayne #JohnForce #OutlawRacing #Doorslammer #QuarterMile #CompetitionPlusTV #PEAKSquad
This might be the wildest Pro Modified moment you’ve ever seen — and it happened at the very first NHRA Pro Mod exhibition.
During qualifying at that historic debut, Paul Athey, driving Johnny Rocca’s wild 1949 Mercury, lost control in the burnout. The car crossed the centerline and sideswiped Ronnie Hood’s 1963 Corvette before either machine ever staged.
And here’s where it becomes legend.
Both drivers backed up. Both staged. They ran anyway.
Athey aborted his pass early, but Hood kept his foot in it and thundered to a 6.322-second pass at 224.25 mph, good enough for the provisional pole. It was chaos, commitment, and pure outlaw spirit — all in one sequence.
A score of onlookers stood just feet away, including 16-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force. But it wasn’t just the contact that made this part of Pro Mod lore — it was who was watching.
Alcohol Funny Car standout Jay Payne stood alongside his father-in-law, Top Alcohol icon Brad Anderson, as Rocca — dressed in full Indian garb — backed the Mercury up after the contact. According to legend, Payne turned to Anderson and said:
“They have Indians, they crash into each other and still race — we gotta have one of those.”
Shortly thereafter, Payne and Anderson fielded a supercharged Camaro Pro Modified of their own, adding fuel to the category’s rapid rise.
That’s how movements start.
Not with perfect runs — but with moments no one forgets.
#NHRA #ProMod #DragRacing #DragRacingHistory #JayPayne #JohnForce #OutlawRacing #Doorslammer #QuarterMile #CompetitionPlusTV #PEAKSquad
