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Pontieri Vaults to Jegs Challenge Points Lead!
Bruce Biegler - May 6, 2008
 Following yet another impressive outing during last weekend's NHRA O'Reilly Midwest Nationals near St. Louis, Toronto's Tony Pontieri has scrambled to the top of the 2008 Jegs Pro Mod Challenge
points podium.
Pontieri drove Rob Sporring's potent Quality Plus Compressors-sponsored '57 to it's second final round of the season, placing runner-up to defending series champion Josh Hernandez. Hernandez (from Texas) earned his first win of the year with a winning run of 5.934 secs at 242.36 mph while Pontieri slowed from his earlier pace to a losing 6.318 secs at 193.88 mph. The final round did see Pontieri suffer some apparent ill-effect following a required motor swap after a semi-final round win.
Tony's strong placing (his 5th career NHRA Jegs final round) did include some significant performance highlights for his team -- including his first career "fives" and his fastest yet terminal speed.
 Pontieri did take full advantage of some "mineshaft" conditions during Friday night's qualifying. While some teams did option out of that particular session due to cool and tricky track conditions, Pontieri's talented group elected to run and were rewarded big time with his first ever 5-second time slip at 5.966 secs. That did earn them the provision pole going into Saturday's action.
During eliminations Tony racked up two more "fives"; a 5.980 secs over Dan Saitz in round one and then a career quick/fast 5.952 secs at 241.11 mph while dominating Joe Baker in the second round. During the
semi-final round they prevailed over recent Atlanta event winner Eddie Ware, - but that run proved costly necessitating the motor change prior to the final round.
Pontieri's rewarding performance came with the team's fast-improving own engine development program. This is a morphed Al Billes design currently being tuned by crew chief Paulo DaLamonte
Pontieri now leads the Jegs Pro Mod Challenge by 26 points as that circuit nears it's 10-race half way mark.
(Bruce Biegler Photos)
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