Steve Easton Racing
Steve Easton and Patriot Pro Mod Head to Dragway 42 Looking for Consistency
SALEM, OH – So far in 2019 Steve Easton and the Patriot Pro Mod team have been doing everything right they just 
haven’t seen the results on the race track. Over the off-season new parts were added and tested by the young Australian who is driving and contributing to the tuning efforts. Easton and his team continued to make improvements on the set-up and put together an on-track testing schedule that they felt would have them ready to improve upon the success they experienced at the end of 2018. Through a number of test sessions and two races this season there is has been frustration but no concession.
“We have had a tough go of it for sure,” said Easton. “It seems like we just haven’t been able to get the power to the track or we are creating too much power for the conditions. This team is working so hard and putting in a ton of hours. I really think we are about to turn the corner. We had high hopes headed into the Night Under Fire.”
The team had high hopes heading into the iconic Night Under Fire two weekends ago in Norwalk but a disappointing DNQ set them back on their heels. They realized they needed to do a full tear down of the ’63 Corvette Pro Mod following the event. After a systematic evaluation the team discovered some chassis damage which is not unusual but had to be repaired.
STEVE EASTON TARGETS NIGHT UNDER FIRE FOR CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT
NORWALK, OH – Since his last visit to America’s Racetrack Australian tuner and racer Steve Easton has won races 
and continued to work with the Patriot Pro Mod team on improving its overall performance. This weekend at the Kelly Services Night Under Fire, the largest single day drag racing event in the country the former crewman for NHRA super star Courtney Force will continue to fine tune both this driver and tune-up. He will be vying for one of the eight available spots in the R&R Auto Body/DeCerbo Construction Rumble Wars Extreme 8. With two qualifying runs on Saturday, August 11, the young racer from Down Under knows he will have his hands full against many other Pro Mod racers.
“We have been testing for a while this year and a few weeks ago we made it to the “B” Final at the PDRA Northern National Pro Mod Challenge at Dragway 42,” said Easton. “I think this Patriot Pro Mod team is really coming together and we are excited about the Night Under Fire. That is a really special event where fans can see a little bit of everything. We are really proud to represent our sponsors and the Pro Mod fans at the race.”
Qualifying will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. and only the quickest eight drivers will qualify for the show which will kick off at 7 p.m. Pro Mods will be the first cars down the track and Easton would love to be a part of that spectacle.
TESTING MOVING FORWARD AS EASTON AND PATRIOT PRO MOD HEAD TO NORWALK THIS WEEKEND
SALEM, OH – Multiple test sessions have Steve Easton and the Patriot Pro Mod team eager to get back on a race 
track this weekend with an eye on moving into race mode. The team will be racing the Rumble Wars 8 Pro Mod race which is one of the many exciting classes that will be featured during the 18th Annual Lingenfelter Performance Engineering Blue Suede Cruise presented by ScottRods Custom Hot Rods and Fiberglass, July 12-14, at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio. Easton, the young Australian who has been campaigning the Patriot Pro Mod, a ’63 split window Corvette, since last summer knows consistent runs are right around the corner and he hopes to see results this Saturday on one of the NHRA’s premiere tracks.
“I am looking forward to going to Norwalk on Saturday,” said Easton on Wednesday night. “We will be in test mode and we’ll be looking to make that transition to race mode after a few more positive runs. We feel like we are moving in the right direction with this new transmission. I am a little frustrated at the moment because I am not making progress fast enough, but I know we can get it to come together. We got a lot of good data (in testing) so we just need to spend some time reviewing it before we head to Norwalk. We are going to be looking to make as many good clean runs as possible and keep moving forward.”
On Wednesday night the team made a number of test runs at Dragway 42 in Salem, Ohio and while the track was superb Easton admitted they didn’t get the maximum benefit.
STEVE EASTON AND PATRIOT PRO MOD LOOKING FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS IN 2019
SALEM, OH – Last year Australian Pro Mod racer Steve Easton drove the Patriot Pro Mod, a ’63 split window 
Corvette, to two wins and a career best elapsed time before packing it in for a well-deserved off-season. In partnership with crew chief Randy Minadeo the duo made steady improvement throughout the season. With Minadeo once again handling the chassis and suspension while Easton manages the driving duties and weighing in on engine tune-up and drive train the pair expects even more positive results in 2019. Easton and the Patriot Pro Mod team are starting off more prepared and more excited for a busy Pro Mod campaign throughout Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina and Virginia.
“We really didn’t take too much time off after last season,” said Easton. “We were right back in the shop working on the whole car. My tune-up really came together at the end of the season and to finish the way we did is a tribute to everyone on this team and all our sponsors. I think we will be even stronger this season.”
As the 2019 season came together Easton and the Patriot Pro Mod team brought on a new sponsor in SSI Supercharger Systems out of Cleveland, Ohio. The team tested at Dragway 42 in mid-June with tremendous results and more importantly consistent power.
STEVE EASTON AND PATRIOT PRO MOD FINISH SEASON STRONG
SALEM, OH – Over the course of the last month Australian Pro Mod racer Steve Easton and the Patriot Pro Mod 
team have made amazing strides picking up two wins and running a career best elapsed time. On September 22 Easton picked up his second win of the season at D.A.D.’s Big Tire Outlaw at Quaker City Motorsports Park.
“It was an amazing weekend at Quaker City Motorsports Park. I love driving this Patriot Pro Mod race car. We put so much work into it over the summer and now it is tune-able and it is only getting quicker. I have to thank this whole team and especially owner Cor Valentyn,” said Easton after the win.
The last weekend in September at Dragway 42, the site of Easton’s first win this year, the young Australian powered the Patriot Pro Mod to its best run of the year, a strong 3.91 second run at 188 mph. It was an impressive run, ultimately standing as low ET of the event, but due to cold weather the event was called for safety.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY LEADS TO STEVE EASTON AND PATRIOT PRO MOD FIRST WIN OF 2018
SALEM, OH – Every driver and crew person knows that the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals is the biggest and 
richest NHRA event of the year. It is an honor to hit the throttle or turn a wrench during that race. Steve Easton has felt the thrill of participating in the U.S. Nationals before and the Australian Pro Mod racer who has been competing across Ohio this summer was looking forward to a return engagement as a fill-in crew person on a Top Fuel team but at the last minute the team’s needs changed.
Easton decided to race the Outlaw 660 event at Dragway 42 instead. It was a fortuitous turn of events as the team picked up their first win of 2018 in the eight car qualified Pro Mod field on Saturday night.
“It was a great day and our guys worked their asses off. We have been working all summer to get to this point,” said an excited Easton a day after the event. “We have struggled and worked so hard. We probably put as much work into this Patriot Pro Mod over the last three races than most guys do in two seasons just to try and getting everything just right. It was really good to be able to share this with the whole Patriot Pro Mod team.
It was great to see the look on everyone’s faces especially (team owner) Cor (Valentyn) since this was his first win with this car. All the crew guys put so much blood sweat and tears into this car it was amazing to see all the win lights on Saturday. I am happy to be a part of it and give them everything I have. I have to thank Motorsports Unlimited and Brown and Miller racing solutions have helped us so much and of course Simpson Racing keeps me safe in the race car all the time.”
NMCA ALL-AMERICAN NATIONALS NEXT STOP FOR BUSY PRO MOD RACER STEVE EASTON
NORWALK, OH – On the heels of a busy weekend racing at the massive Night Under Fire event at Summit 
Motorsports Park, followed by a charity event on Tuesday in Painesville, Ohio, Australian Pro Mod racer Steve Easton will be back on track at the 17th annual NMCA All-American Nationals in Norwalk the weekend of August 23-26. The 35 year-old will be behind the wheel of the Patriot Pro Mod once again racing in the Rumble Wars Extreme 8 event and Easton continues to work with the team behind the scenes as well to give this amazing race car the best chance of success on the track.
“We have been incredibly busy but it has been totally worth it,” said Easton. “These long days pay off when you see the car run fast. You want everything to be right. When you are going out to win you have to have your equipment squared away. Every race team goes through this process and it is the behind the scenes blood, sweat and tears that really helps fuel this race car.”
The highlight of the Night Under Fire for Easton, in addition to the massive fireworks show, was getting the chance to talk with Parade.com writer Nancy Berk about racing in the U.S. and showing off the Patriot Pro Mod team at such an iconic event. The team was included in the article which ran on Thursday on parade.com and can be seen here.
