Mike Janis
Even before last weekend, Virginia Motorsports Park had always been a special place for Mike Janis.
After the American Drag Racing League’s (ADRL) Speedtech U.S. Drags IV, the facility now holds an even more revered place in the heart of the doorslammer standout.
Racing in two classes, Janis put together a weekend he will always remember. He knocked out No. 1 qualifier Frankie Taylor in a huge Pro Extreme first-round upset, but that ultimately took a backseat to his other driving duties at VMP.
Janis was one of the participants in the ADRL Pro Modified class, which ran an eight-car exhibition for the first time in its history.
Janis did more than participate, too, becoming the first Pro Mod winner by going 3.914 and winning on a holeshot against Khalid Al-Balooshi in the final.
“This track has always been good to us and just to win, period, is special,” Janis said. “We’ve always ran well here and this was just a thrill to be able to do this. We saw a lot of encouraging things and it was just a great weekend.”
Janis had been searching and waiting far too long for his next victory, and maybe it was fitting it came at a track where he earned his first national-event win 10 years ago.
Searching for consistency all year, Janis found it in a major way at VMP. He qualified in the No. 2 position, going 3.915 at 189.87 miles per hour, and then ran 3.93, 3.91 and 3.91 during eliminations to knock off Thomas Jones, Leah Pruett-LeDuc and Al-Balooshi.
Al-Balooshi went 3.896 in the final, but Janis had a fantastic .038 reaction time to earn the victory.
“We made a lot of consistent runs, which was good to see,” Janis said. “To run 3.91 almost every run, I was really happy with that. There was a lot to be encouraged about.”
Running two cars in two different classes made for an exhausting weekend, but it was well worth it for Janis and his New York-based team. The ADRL debuted a new legal Pro Mod class at the Speedtech U.S. Drags IV and it immediately had Janis’ interest.
“It was a no-brainer to bring a second car,” Janis said. “Our hauler is set up for it and we 
were coming here with the AJPE equipped Duster anyway. My initial reaction was that it would be a good way to test the Mustang before Indy but once the weekend got going it was about winning.”
Janis was certainly dialed in and the focus all weekend was his performance in the 1/8-mile as he had his Eaton Aeroquip-backed Pro Mod Mustang still set up with its 1/4-mile combination.
It worked out perfectly on that front and the added bonus was his performance in Pro Extreme.
Janis had not got his combination down in his PX Duster in 2011, but the weekend at VMP was by far the best of the season. With an ultra-fast field, Janis qualified in the No. 16 position, running 3.836 in what ended up as the third-quickest qualifying field in PX history.
Janis got defending world champion Frankie Taylor in the first round, who qualified No. 1 with an impressive 3.62.
But Janis won this matchup on a holeshot, as his .045 reaction time and a 3.797 run carried him to a win. Janis went 3.76 a round later – his best run of the weekend – but fell to Todd Tutterow.
Janis, though, quickly moved back to his Mustang and finished his weekend in dramatic style.
“This has been a fantastic weekend. I’d like to thank Tim McAmis and the entire ADRL staff for this opportunity,” Janis said. “I think it was a great thing, and I just like the 1/8-mile setup, period. It’s so much easier on parts and there was a lot of great racing out there. I think it’s going to be a great thing.
“I’d also like to thank all of the people and sponsors who help make this possible: Rasnick, Scott, Eric and all of the people from Eaton Aeroquip, Safety-Kleen, LAT Oil, Probell, Goodyear and everyone who believes in us.
“It has been a long time (away from the Winner’s Circle) but we’re here and we couldn’t do it without the support of the crew, our families and our sponsors.”
(Photos by ADRL/Richards)
