All of the pictures on this page were contributed by Benoit Pigeon,
I am grateful to him for the opportunity of reproducing them here.

Click on any image to get the bigger picture

This page continues Benoit's doorslammer theme and contains pictures of Pro Mods taken during the early years of the class.  As you can see, many of them look more like modified Pro Stocks than the cars that we are familiar with today.  Those with a technical leaning will find comparison of those early chassis with current designs of interest.

1989 Shuffletown, North Carolina
Benoit comments on this meeting :
"While it was totally unexpected for me to be there that day, this race at Shuffletown is dear to me and I have great memories of it.  It was a very likable crowd, totally local and absolutely into the race.  Small Pro Mod races still have that charming feel.  It's as opposite to the French culture as it can get, and I ask for more. I was in my mid-twenties with some understanding of outlaw racing and had read about the Wild Bunch.  This narrow track was a sensation and while it's no longer there, I have talked to many people who have great memories of the place.  Certainly Pro Modified would not be what it is today if it was not for these little tracks and the many people who made these races happen."

1989 Atlanta

1991 New York Empire
Benoit comments :
"On my last trip before moving to the US, we went to see a friend in upstate New York.  IHRA was running the class officially under the Pro Modified name by then.  Al Billes and Bill Kuhlmann were there.  For some reason, Camaros, Pontiacs and other traditional door slammer body styles were still looking fairly stock unlike any hot rod body styles like Willys and late '30s Chevys.   However, spoilers were stretching longer in the back.  The frames still did not hang all the way to the front either."

1993 Englishtown
Benoit comments :
"This was not a big event, but the spoilers were getting bigger and bigger and the frames extend now way past the engine.  Nitrous was still the dominant way to run the engines that year."

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(First posted on 4 April 2013)

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