VALDOSTA, Ga. – Second-year Pro Modified driver Josh Hernandez will testify that even though he made his rookie season in Pro Modified look easy, it was the toughest fight of his life. Now he faces an even higher uphill challenge during this weekend’s ADRL Speedtech Winter Drags at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga. The question remains how a driver improves on a season that yielded four national event victories, six final round appearances, four pole positions (one of which was the NHRA U.S. Nationals) and a Rookie of the Year presentation?

 

Hernandez pulls no punches when offering his suggestion.

 

“You forget you ever did any of it,” said Hernandez, who now carries major sponsorship from RacingJunk.com. “The Pro Modified world we race in mandates just that. You can be on top one minute and the next you’re fighting for your survival. That’s the nature of this class and the intrigue of it all.

 

“The stakes are higher now than they’ve ever been. We are representing RacingJunk.com and we are attempting to contend for three titles.”

 

Hernandez signed racing oriented racecar sales website RacingJunk.com to a lucrative contract during the off-season and brings to the table a team intent on proving last season’s accolades were no fluke.

 

Hernandez returns this season with the tuning guidance of Howard “Doctor” Moon, a multi-time world championship crewchief and a fourth year member of Tommy Lipar’s “Dr. Moon’s Rage” operation. Gone is the trademark 1957 Chevy of last year and replaced with a sleeker 1968 Camaro. The rage of conquering the quarter-mile is there for this team.

 

“This is the finest hot rod that we’ve ever had to come out of this team and we have high expectations for it,” Hernandez said. “I’m sure there will be some intricacies that we’ll need to work out and I’m confident we’ll remedy that this weekend in Valdosta.”

 

Don’t think for a moment that Hernandez looks past the ADRL competition as just a test session. Hernandez reached the finals in two events during the 2005 season.

 

“There’s a reason they call the ADRL’s top class Pro Extreme,” Hernandez said. “It’s the most intense form of Pro Modified you’ll find. It gives true meaning to Bill Kuhlmann’s phrase that suggested you “Run whatcha brung and hope ya brung enough.

 

“It’s all tough to be honest, no matter whether it’s ADRL, IHRA or NHRA.”

 

Qualifications for this weekend’s event, the first of seven events on the FLOWMASTER ADRL Series, begin on Saturday at Noon with three sessions. Final eliminations are slated for 6:30 PM. Friday is reserved for open testing, a venue Hernandez plans to take advantage of.

 

“You’re going to think this is a bracket car,” Hernandez said. “We just need to get some laps on it to find out its likes and dislikes. “