Knowles Happy to be Headed To “A Business Man’s Track” for the 14th annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals
Grand Junction, CO – After a less than pleasing experience on the last two stops of the NHRA Pro Modified Tour, in Englishtown, NJ 
and Atlanta, GA, Mike Knowles is happy to be headed to what he considers one of the premier venues in drag racing; Bristol Dragway, better known as “Thunder Valley”!
The Bruton Smith owned Bristol Dragway will host the fifth stop of the ten race NHRA Pro Modified series and knowing that already has Mike Knowles in a better mood. “Atlanta was a big disappointment. It was the first time the Pro Mods had been there in a few years and for being a national event facility I wasn’t pleased with the conditions at all. Then Englishtown was a real let down. So, to say I’m happy to be going to a “Business Man’s Track” would be an understatement,” said Knowles.
Knowles reference to a “Business Man’s Track” refers to the attention to detail that the Bristol Dragway staff and owner have put into this venue. Bruton Smith purchased the facility in 1996 and one year later he literally moved mountains to transform Bristol Dragway into the impressive facility it is today. No expense was spared in the $18 million dollar rebuild.
Knowing that you won’t have reservations about the facility or the track surface eases a drivers mind and brings a level of comfort to the team. With that said Car Chief, Bill Rice, feels Bristol can be a turning point for the “Blown Money Team”.
At the last event in Englishtown the Blown Money team was part of the first pair down the newly repaired racing surface that had become an issue with all the classes. The repaired and re-repaired surface gave the team some cause for concern.
“We’ve had our own issues this year and have really been working hard at taming the power we have. There’s no doubt that we could have made the field but, when you go to a National Event your last worry should be the quality of the racing conditions. We had a really good run at E-Town but chose a planned shutoff because we were the first ones out on a repaired track. That run woulda got us in for sure but we thought we could get her in on the final attempt and the track changed. That’s on us were not making any excuses we just made the wrong call but, the extra pressure of a “green” track is something you shouldn’t have to deal with at a National Event. So, coming into Bristol we’re looking to have our sh*t together and take advantage of one of the premier tracks on the tour,” said Rice.
Each Pro Modified team will be afforded three qualifying attempts with the first set for Friday at 4:30 PM and the second at 6:45. The final attempt is scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 PM with the first round of eliminations to go off at 4:30 PM.
The remaining rounds of eliminations are set for Sunday and lead off the Pro Classes onto their second round at approximately 1PM local time.
