Harry Hruska and HPL Lubricants Look to Gain Traction in Pro Mod

Getting to where you want to be often means going through peaks and valleys, even in drag racing. There are no shortcuts. The only way out is to dig in hard and push through.

Pro Mod team owner/driver Harry Hruska has been bringing turbocharger and fuel-injection technology and innovation to the performance industry for more than 30 years. But his greater purpose has been to bring “solution-providing” products to the market; Hruska’s latest being HPL Lubricants. After a successful rookie season behind the wheel last year, the newly branded HPL Oil team has used this season as a developmental year with an eye to it paying dividends in the future.

Hruska’s role as a guru fuel-injection tuner and turbocharger expert goes back long before his 2008 Pro Mod debut with Brad Personett. Most NHRA Pro Mod competitors were unaware he even existed because turbocharging was not part of the equation back in the early days of Real Pro Mod. As the founder and driving force behind Precision Turbo & Engine, back in 1993, Hruska’s vision in developing modern turbochargers produced many championship customers in NMCA, NSCA, Fun Ford and NHRA Sport Compact. His foundation of experience has spilled over into many ancillary product lines, including fuel injection, engine data logging, intercoolers and modern wastegates.

Thirty years of Hruska growing the turbo market and gaining its acceptance as a power adder has been a challenge. Running a turbo car was considered a voodoo art. The rule makers didn’t always allow them to compete on a level playing field with other power adders, while others simply outlawed rather than attempting to regulate them. In fairness, Hruska admits he was constantly reinventing the turbos to support even more power, driving the sanctioning bodies crazy with the need to continually update rules for parity. Additionally, there wasn’t broad support from the aftermarket; consequently, turbo car owners lacked the right parts that would allow them to reach their full potential.

Still, there would be no holding these turbo cars back. Working first from his home garage back in the ’80s, Hruska eventually opened Precision Turbo & Engine. Catering to enthusiast cars, including Mustang SVOs and Buick Grand Nationals, he developed turbo housings, intercoolers and fuel-delivery solutions that helped the market expand. The company’s reputation grew rapidly within the fastest street car and sport compact ranks. As the market evolved, its goal was to gain a foothold in NHRA Real Pro Modified.

In 2007, Hruska had a hand behind the scenes in the development of Troy Coughlin’s revolutionary 2006 twin turbo GTO, as well as Mike Moran’s Pro Mod. In 2008, he appeared at the Gatornationals with new driver Brad Personett in a ’53 ’Vette, qualifying dead last, never getting out of the 10s. At the next event in Houston, they were in the 6.50s and then the 6.20s just weeks later. In the end, they qualified for one NHRA Pro Mod event while running an abbreviated schedule. The effort paid off, however, as the duo qualified for every race in 2009 with a stellar 5.843-second best time and a speed faster than 253 mph, nearly 10 years ago. This positive trend continued into 2010, culminating in a prestigious win at the U.S. Nationals and the final race in Las Vegas.

Hruska’s Pro Mod team experienced varying degrees of success with different drivers until he stepped behind the wheel himself in 2017. As a rookie driver/drag racer he qualified for four of 11 events (after missing the season opener) with best numbers of 5.722 seconds at 255.58 mph. Once into eliminations, Hruska had a .500 winning percentage, winning four out of eight rounds.

With new HPL Lubricant colors on the car for the 2018 season, Hruska hopes the industry takes notice of his latest solution-providing product. The team hasn’t been as productive early on, but Hruska has hung in there, missing only one event as this story is written. After all this comes Real Pro Mod, and it’s a tough field. Yet, with a track record of overcoming obstacles to finish on top, he’s paying his dues to overcome that sophomore slump. Once there, there will be no slowing down.

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