IHRA: President’s Cup Preview - Pro Stock

A potent field of Pro Stock cars are on the entry list for the President's Cup Nationals Fueled by Sunoco at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland, this weekend, with the major players from the first two races of the season looking to improve on their points standings.

It will be a complete show at one of the IHRA's flagship tracks, with the AMSOIL Nitro Funny Cars, Nitro Motorcycles and Pro Mods, along with a huge field of Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association cars. The Summit Pro-Am Tour will also take center stage as sportsman racers compete in Good Vibrations Top Sportsman, Good Vibrations Top Dragster, Super Stock, Stock Eliminator, Jiffy-tite Super Rod, Jiffy-tite Quick Rod, Hot Rod and Junior Dragster.

At the season-opening AMSOIL Nitro Nationals at Orlando Speed World, Cary Goforth (pictured above) took out John Pluchino in the finals, as Goforth laid down a pass of 6.350 at 224.58 mph.

One race later, at the Good Vibrations Texas Nationals at San Antonio Raceway, John Konigshofer squeaked by Trevor Eman, with a run of 6.2558 at 224.78 mph, to Eman's 6.2402 at 223.10 mph.

All four drivers are expected to race in Maryland, and the points couldn't be much closer, with Konigshofer leading with 170 to defending champion's Goforth's 167 and Eman's 150. Add to that the presence of 2015 race winner Matt Bertsch, as well as a newly resurfaced track, and you have the ingredients for some tense elimination rounds.