Pontieri poised for promising things in JEGS ProMod Challenge
BOLTON, ONTARIO, Canada (April 22) --There is little question that Canadian Tony Pontieri is a rising star in the JEGS ProMod Challenge. After years racing other sanctions in a variety of racecars, Pontieri came to NHRA competition a year and a half ago and was instantly hooked on the atmosphere and racing action.
In 13 starts in Rob Sporring's Quality Plus Compressors Bel Air, he's been rock-solid, qualifying for all 13 events with a win and a pair of runner-up finishes to his credit.
His recipe for success is a little different than most and one he devised partially by mistake and mostly by circumstances. Regardless of how it came to be, it works, and Pontieri isn't about to change a thing.
"We found ourselves really short on crew when we were getting started," Pontieri said. "It basically ended up where it was just me and my buddy, Paolo Dalimonte, running the car. We joke that we're like a Super Gas team but you know it's turned into a nice deal.
"When we talk about what we're gonna do with the tune-up we're thinking we can't get too crazy because we don't have the time to fix stuff. What happened was we ended up with this really consistent racecar."
Currently second in the JEGS points, Pontieri has raced to two finals in the last three races, dating back to last year's season-ending event in Las Vegas, which he won. His successful race day ratio of 59 percent is 10th-best in class history.
"I have to credit Scotty Cannon for a lot of our success," Pontieri said. "He basically taught us how to do everything. He's always saying, 'Just keep your cool, guys.' He tells us we don't need to be the quickest or the fastest car to win races. It's better to make sure you go wire-to-wire every run. And you know what? He's right. If you don't get to the finish line you're not going to win many races."
The strategy is susceptible to big-time runs by Pontieri's opponents, like his quarterfinal loss to Ray Commisso in Gainesville where he gained five-hundredths of a second at the line only to lose by about that same margin when Commisso posted a 5.95 to his 6.06. But for the most part, it works.
"It's something we've come to embrace because we don't have a choice," Pontieri said. "When you have a race like we did against Ray, I just shake his hand and tell him 'good job.' He was 10 mph faster than us at the other end. But then you get some back and you feel better. I shook the tires in Round 1 in Houston and Scott (Ray) red-lighted so that was a break. It all works out.
"We're going to be as consistent as we can. If you look at it, you can go to the semis or finals every race and win the championship without ever winning a race. If your opponents know your car is going down the track every time, they have to be ready for that and maybe try some things to beat you. It's the same in the points standings. If your opponents know you're going rounds every race, they might need to push a little harder to keep pace. That's when they make mistakes."
When that happens, Pontieri and his consistent hot rod will be there to take full advantage of the situation.
"We know the car is going to be there and I'm gonna get better with my driving in those later rounds," Pontieri said. "I do pretty good with reaction times but I've always kind of backed off a little at the end because you don't want to red-light away a win. But Scotty told me the final is the best time to go for that Tree because the worst thing that can happen is you come in second, and that's pretty good. He's a pretty smart guy so I'm going to listen to him and see what happens."
