WCOPMA
The West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association releases their 2012 schedule
Courtesy of WCOPMA
Redding, CA – The West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association kicks off their fifth season this year and it is shaping up to be an exciting one as three new tracks have come on board for 2012. There are eight events total on tap for the
upcoming season, more events than any of the previous years for the series.
The season will start off at one of those new tracks; Rocky Mountain Raceways in Salt Lake City, Utah on Memorial Day weekend, May 25-26. There will be three weeks off until the second event at Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho; the “Fox Hunt” event on June 22-23.
The group will then have one week off before traveling to Mission, BC, Canada which is the first event for the WCOPMA outside of the states and will be the first time many of the racers have ran at Mission Raceway Park. The Mission event is on the July 7-8 weekend and many of our racers look forward to running at the low elevation track that has all the right factors for career best numbers.
Rod Burbage; the 2011 West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association Champion
Coiurtesy of WCOPMA
Anderson, CA – Rod Burbage’s quest to his third West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association championship this season was his toughest yet. During his previous 2008 & 2009 championship-winning seasons the competition was not nearly 
as fierce as it was in the last two years. In 2010 Bret Williamson showed up and completely dominated the year by going to 5 final rounds (out of 6 races on the schedule) and winning three of them. Burbage finished second place in 2010 behind Williamson and wanted to get back on top in 2011.
Over the 2010-2011 winter offseason, Rod took drastic steps to lighten his car from the 2,800+ pound brick it was to stay at the top of the pack with rumors going around of everyone stepping up their game with new cars, new combos and the new teams expected to join the group in the upcoming 2011 season. He worked with Richard Earle of Advanced Fiberglass Concepts (who designed and built the body for his 1958 Corvette) to build a new lightweight and more aerodynamic front end. Once the new front end arrived it was off to Bunker Race Cars to have it mounted and to have some more work done to remove unnecessary weight.
Burbage gets final win of 2011 WCOPMA season and clinches 3rd championship
Courtesy of WCOPMA
Bakersfield, CA – In a points battle that came down to the wire, Rod Burbage was victorious and won his third West 
Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association championship (2008, 2009 & 2011) last weekend at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield.
Burbage, who was in first place going into the final event, had to go further than Marc Meadors and the Good Guys Racing “Pure Hell 2” Camaro who were right on his heels after closing the gap between #1 and #2 with their win at the Super Chevy Show event in Denver last month.
Williamson & Gore Motorsports Team look for drag racing ‘Hail Mary’ at Bakersfield
Courtesy of Jamie Clerf
Photos by Marilyn Jacobo
Campbell, CA – If you have been anywhere near or watched a high-school, college, or NFL football game – you know the moment well. Behind on the scoreboard, time running out, and the Quarterback drops back to a throw a long, last
minute pass to the end zone in the hopes that someone, anyone on his team will reach up amongst the outstretched arms of defenders to pull down the game-winning or tying touchdown.
For Bret Williamson, driver of the Williamson & Gore Motorsports Team ‘53 West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (WCOPMA) Studebaker, this weekend (September 23-25) in Bakersfield, CA represents the drag racing equivalent of football’s ‘Hail Mary’ pass.
Williamson currently sits in 3rd place (behind both Rod Burbage and Marc Meadors) in the WCOPMA standings, but still has a slim mathematical chance of catching points leader Burbage IF he can qualify at the top of the 8-car qualified field, WIN the race and the ever consistent Burbage goes out early in competition. Like the team trailing at the end of the football game, the cards and odds are indeed stacked against Williamson and his hard working team, but that isn’t diminishing his optimism or hope he can pull off a shocking comeback.
2011 WCOPMA Champion to be determined this weekend at season ending event
Courtesy of WCOPMA
Bakersfield, CA – It is finally here, the final event of the 2011 West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association’s schedule is this weekend (September 23-25) at the historic Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, California. This season ending
event is guaranteed to be filled with action as 12 of the quickest and fastest pro mod cars on the west coast will be in attendance.
Other than just the killer pre entry list, the 2011 champion will be decided during this event and the race is on between the current point’s leader (and 2x WCOPMA champion) Rod Burbage, Marc Meadors and Bret Williamson. Behind Burbage by just a mere 29 points is Marc Meadors and his “Pure Hell 2” 1969 Camaro. Last year’s champion is only 33 points behind Meadors and a total of 62 points out of first place and that would be Bret Williamson in the Williamson and Gore Racing 1953 Studebaker.
Burbage wins the 40th annual Nightfire Nationals
Courtesy of WCOPMA
Boise, ID – The West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association ran its fourth event of the 2011 season last weekend at Firebird 
Raceway in Boise, Idaho at their historic 40th annual Nightfire Nationals event. 11 of the baddest pro mod cars showed up to try and make the 8-car qualified show and once again laid down record setting performances all weekend.
With the air conditions in the 5,000+ foot corrected range not many people were thinking that the pro mod track record would be broken which was set last year by Bret Williamson at 6.09 seconds. After the first two qualifying sessions Rod Burbage held the top qualifying spot with a 6.11 and the 8-car bump spot was a 6.73, not the typically quick racing the WCOPMA is becoming known for but there was still the final Saturday night qualifying session and that’s when the big numbers were lit up on the score boards.
WCOPMA head’s to Firebird Raceway Boise for 40th anniversary “Nightfire Nationals”
Boise, ID – The 2011 West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association has reached the half way point in their 2011 season as they head to their fourth event this year in Boise, Idaho at Firebird Raceway for the track’s 40th anniversary of their prestigious “Nightfire Nationals” event on August 12-14.
This will mark the second trip to Boise for the WCOPMA this year as they kicked off their season at Firebird Raceway in late June. The “Nightfire Nationals” event is the signature event for Firebird Raceway every year as they bring in the NHRA Heritage series Nostalgia Fuel Funny Cars and Dragsters for 16-car fields, Outlaw Pro Mods for an 8-car show, jet cars and wheel standers to top off each night and the largest 4-day bracket race on the west coast.
Williamson & Gore Motorsports Team inches closer in Sonoma – looks to defend in Boise
Courtesy: Jamie Clerf
Sonoma, CA – The Williamson & Gore Motorsports Team is so close to finding a powerful and consistent tune-up for their mean West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association (WCOPMA) ’53 Studebaker that they can practically taste it. A 
feeling appropriate perhaps considering they spent their last race weekend (July 22-24) in the renowned wine country of Sonoma, CA where the tasty Cabernets, Sparkling Wines, and Chardonnays are tantalizing close, but slightly out of reach from the confines of the track.
“Our car definitely got better in Sonoma and we are getting real close to finding the right tune-up,” said Bret Williamson driver of the fierce ’53 Studebaker Pro Mod. “We’ve kind of been in this one good run, one bad run kind of rut, but at Sonoma we were finally able to put a couple of good laps together”.
The team, which is regarded as one of the real power brokers in the class, returned to the vaunted 5 second performance zone with a stout 5.991 @ 240.38 mph pass that placed them in a solid 4th qualifying position in what turned out to be the quickest field in WCOPMA history.
Maggio wins Sonoma West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod event
Courtesy of WCOPMA
Sonoma, CA – The West Coast Outlaw Pro Mod Association’s 2011 season is half way finished after completing the third event of six last weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. 15 of the toughest competitors on the west coast
came to battle it out just to qualify for the 8-car field, let alone go home with the win and the “Wally” on Sunday.
Mike Maggio was running with the WCOPMA for his first time ever and set the bar high early in the weekend during Thursday’s open test session when he was the first pro mod car down the track and ran a very respectable 5.97 pass.
Marc Meadors would be the second quickest in testing on Thursday with a 6.06 run. Many others tested on Thursday but only made planned shut off runs to be on the safe side in preparation of the four total qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday.
Meadors, Goodguys Racing Look Forward to Big Weekend at Infineon Raceway
Courtesy of Goddguys racing
Sonoma, CA – The Goodguys Racing “Pure Hell2” ’69 Camaro Pro Mod will be on familiar turf this weekend as Goodguys President Marc Meadors looks to win his first event of the 2011 season on his home track at Infineon Raceway. A field 
of close to 20 West Coast Outlaw Pro Mods is expected at the Sonoma track this weekend during the NHRA Division 7 points meet presented by Korbel.
It will be the deepest, most talented field of Pro Mods assembled so far this year out West and hope springs eternal in the Goodguys Racing camp following a sparkling test session here over Memorial Day weekend.
It was during that test session that Meadors logged the best run of his career, ripping off a 5.83 @ 247mph. His was the first “door car” to ever record a sub-six second run at the vaunted track. The team will need to repeat that performance and more this weekend if they’re to hoist the winner’s trophy Sunday afternoon.
