Mike Janis Superchargers Puts $10,000 On the Line for 2023 WSOPM Low Qualifier
BRADENTON, FL – The cash bonuses for racers at the 2023 Drag Illustrated World Series of Pro Mod continue to grow, as Mike Janis 
Superchargers announced today a $10,000 low qualifier award for the Bradenton Motorsports Park event on March 3-5, 2023. The quickest of 40 invited drivers in qualifying will collect the $10,000 before chasing the $100,000 winner-take-all prize on race day.
“I’ve always said if I had the opportunity to help somebody, I would. I have that opportunity now,” said Mike Janis Jr., CEO/owner, Mike Janis Superchargers. “When Wes [Buck] started this deal a long time ago, I told him I’d support him from here to Alaska if we could. When he came out with this race, I just thought it was over the top. I wanted to be a part of it. We look forward to making a big bang. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a low qualifier bonus like this before. We wanted to do something a little different for everybody.”
A passion for Pro Modified racing runs in the family for Janis, the son of three-time Pro Mod world champion Mike Janis. The father-son duo fielded two NHRA Pro Mod entries in 2022 with drivers J.R. Gray and Mike Thielen. While Janis Sr. has taken a step back from driving for the last couple seasons due to health issues, he’s been cleared by his doctors to return to competition.
Janis Sr. and Gray will both be in competition at the WSOPM, which will utilize an outlaw eighth-mile format for the first time.
“This race complements every one of the major series out there, from the NHRA quarter-mile scene to PDRA and Mid-West Pro Mods and Northeast Outlaw Pro Mods, with Pro Mod being the biggest class in the world,” Janis said. “It blows Top Fuel away, it blows Funny Car away. There’s no amount of cars like Pro Mods.”
With world champions, veterans, rising stars, and standout drivers from numerous different Pro Modified classes in competition at the WSOPM, Janis is expecting all-time-high competition levels. While all the drivers will be focused on the $100,000 check, the Mike Janis Superchargers Low Qualifier Award for $10,000 has created an incentive to throw down in qualifying too.
“Depending on the weather, I think it’s going to take somewhere around a 3.57 or a 3.58 to get that No. 1 money,” Janis said. “I think it’ll be in that range. If somebody can go faster than that, game on.”
Putting up the low qualifier money is about more than just adding more fuel to the fire. It’s about supporting an event that seeks to unite the Pro Mod racing world by bringing together a unique mix of drivers at one high-stakes race.
“I want to thank Wes and Drag Illustrated and all the staff for taking the time and putting on such a great event,” Janis said. “I think it’s a big deal. It’ll be a big kickoff to the 2023 season of Pro Mod racing. At the end of the day, it’s going to bring everyone together from different organizations. It’s going to be good to have everyone on the same grounds to talk and drink a beer together at the end of the day.”
