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Mike
Recchia Rises to the Top in Pro Extreme
PITTSBORO, N.C. (November 7, 2017): It was a long climb to
the top for PDRA Pro Extreme’s newest champion, but the
wait was well worth it. Recchia bought his first Pro Mod,
a 1996 Don Ness Chevy Lumina in 2000 and raced it with the
the midwest outlaw match racers, Chicago Wise Guys,
winning championships there in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003,
2005, 2007 and 2009.
He chose to continue racing locally so that his father,
who lived for the races, could attend. When his father
passed in 2009, Recchia knew it was time to race on a
bigger scene. “We decided to travel, go down south and see
if we can't run with the fastest outlaw cars in the
world,” Recchia explained. “Figured we take a shot at
that. Took us a long time to go as fast as those guys. It
always seemed like we were behind them six months or a
year as far as performance. Recently we just started
catching up to them. So it felt pretty good after about
five years now of chasing the guys in the south, here we
are today with the championship.”
Recchia had never won a PDRA race until this season when
he captured his first win at the East Coast Nationals at
GALOT Motorsports Park. He quickly followed that up with
another final round appearance at The Legendary Darlington
Dragway. Two races later, Recchia, again made his way to
the final round, this time in front of his home crowd and
on one of the biggest stages drag racing has to offer.
“Heart and desire are really what transformed our
program,” continued the Illinois native. “It's a long road
to go as fast as these guys. For points this season, the
win at Indy is what really put us over the hump. Everybody
wants to win at Indy. God-willing and my guardian angels
next to me, we pulled it off. My crew, of course, gave me
a great car. We had about 30 people come drive in three
hours away. They came to root us on. Of course there was a
big party afterwards. Doing that in front of your family
and friends - you can't script it any better than that.”
It seemed Recchia was nearly unstoppable. But then a
catastrophic engine failure nearly cost him the
championship.
“What really hurt us was during round two of the second
GALOT race, we blew the engine up so bad that it broke
about everything on the car. We didn't realize there was
an electrical problem with the car until the last race of
the year in Virginia. So instead of testing on Thursday to
get ready for the final race of the year, we spent the day
wrenching, not a good way to start your weekend. We tried
tuning around our problems but the car wasn't consistently
responding. We hung on by the skin of our teeth. Thank God
for Terry Leggett in the final. He put the number two guy
on the trailer.”
It was just what Recchia needed to hang on to the
championship. He stayed in front of Mattias Wulcan by a
scant two points. Terry Leggett finished the season in
third, followed by Tommy D’Aprile in fourth and Jose
Gonzales in fifth. Wesley Jones, Frankie Taylor, Jason
Scruggs, John Stanley and Jay Deidrich round out the PDRA
Pro Extreme top 10.
Recchia’s Jerry Bickel-built ‘69 Camaro is going through
an overhaul this winter to take care of any leftover
problems from the engine carnage.
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“The car is being pulled all
apart basically right down to the frame rails. We pulled the suspension
out of it; everything comes out of the car, including the electrical
system. We have a problem with the electrical system somewhere, so we're
just going to replace it all. Then it's just wash, rinse, repeat.
“I have two engine shops I deal with. One is Fowler Race Engines. The
other is Legend Racing Enterprises. Everything else other than the block
machining is done in house right here at our place.”
Michael Recchia Jr. tunes the Agrow Fresh-backed Camaro, and, as his
father confides, he’s become a proficient tuner.
“We were in the midst of building him a car and he decided he didn't want
to drive,” Sr. explained. “He wanted to be behind the keyboards, calling
all the shots. He was the student for years. The last year or so, he's
been the teacher, teaching me a few things. He's really a sharp kid. I'm
blessed to have him on my team. I'm glad I don't have to pay him,” Recchia
laughed. “He's free, he's family. My wife Michele, she's behind the
scenes, doing all the managing of the team. So that's pretty cool. When I
first started bracket racing, it was only my wife and kids that went to
the track but today we need a little more help. Michael is obviously our
crew chief and then we have Larry Abbate, Mark Tukiendorf, Tom Tukiendorf,
Denny Miller, Tim Norton and Antonio Salerno.
Recchia says that without his crew and backing from Agrow Fresh Produce
Co, none of this this would be possible. He and his family have paid their
dues in Pro Extreme and are now ready to reap the rewards as the 2017 PDRA
Pro Extreme World Champion.
ABOUT THE PDRA
Based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, the Professional Drag
Racers Association is the top sanctioning body in the
United States for the sport of eighth-mile drag racing.
The PDRA’s professional categories include Pro Extreme,
Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, Extreme Pro Stock and Pro Extreme
Motorcycle along with several sportsman and various
exhibition categories. The 2017 PDRA schedule consists of
eight national events. For more on the world’s premier
eighth-mile drag racing organization visit
www.pdra660.com. Follow the PDRA: Facebook, Instagram,
Youtube.
Photos: Gary Rowe / RaceWorks.com / PDRA660.com
PRESS CONTACT: Lisa Collier
Professional Drag Racers Association
lisa@pdra660.com
704.692.4636
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