PRO NITROUS RESULTS PRO BOOST RESULTS  PRO STOCK RESULTS FRIDAY RECAP SATURDAY RECAP

FRI. GALLERY  SAT. GALLERY

 

 

FINAL NOTEBOOK - OF REPEAT WINNERS AND FAMILY SUCCESS
 
FRANKLIN IN CHARGE - Two-time world champion Tommy Franklin is one of the winningest drivers in the history of PDRA Pro Nitrous, but he’s never won three consecutive races. That changed Saturday night when he defeated Jay Cox in the final round for the second race in a row. Franklin was first off the starting line in his Musi-powered “Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro, then he charged to his second consecutive 3.626-second pass at 207.56 MPH to collect his fourth win on the season. Cox, from nearby Smithfield, recorded a 3.65 at 206.48 to take runner-up honors. 
 
“My crew, I said it at the last race – we just go through our steps,” said Franklin, who thanked Pat Musi Racing Engines, Red Line Oil, Mark Menscer of Menscer Motorsports, and Jerry Bickel Race Cars. “The motor's been good. This thing's been through testing, it's been through qualifying, it's been through eliminations, and it can head right to Virginia [for the World Finals] right now. It's happy. It's good. 
 
“I'm proud of everything we put together,” Franklin continued. “I told everybody we had the odds stacked against us. We'd won two in a row. How do you win three in a row? But we come in with the idea that we're gonna try to win, really, four in a row. We've got one more that we want to get. It's good, but it's hats off to [the team]. I didn't feel like I was driving good in qualifying. I just had to really get in the game and finally got better in eliminations.”
 
Franklin, who passed four-time and defending world champion Jim Halsey for the points lead, shared the winner’s circle with daughter Amber, the Pro 632 winner, for the second time. 
 
“I do this because I do it with my family every day,” Franklin said. “We race together. To be able to put cars in the winner’s circle, final rounds, or just qualifying, it doesn't matter, but we come here together, and we have just a heck of a crew that helps us. My daughter, she's at a rules disadvantage right now, but, hey, she went out there and she won that on her driving. I'm happy for her.”
 
Franklin earned a first-round bye when he qualified No. 1, using it to set low E.T. of the round with a 3.662 at 206.23. He stepped up to a 3.634 at 207.15 to take out Brian Shrader in the second round. At the same time, Halsey lost his match with Billy Albert, opening the door for Franklin to move around him for the points lead. The Pro Nitrous veteran picked away at it in the semifinals, lowering the boom with a 3.626 at 207.02 to defeat nitrous Pro Modified legend “Tricky” Rickie Smith and his 3.662 at 208.14. 
 
Cox, driver of the Musi-powered Butner Construction “Pumpkin” ’69 Camaro, was the second-quickest of the first round with a 3.694 at 205.98 alongside Dane Wood’s 3.77. He laid down a 3.656 at 207.05 to take down Chris Rini and his 3.699 in the second round. Semifinal opponent Billy Albert grabbed a holeshot advantage, but Cox drove around his 3.706 with a 3.653 at 207.11. 
 
LANG GOES BACK-TO-BACK - At the last race on the PDRA tour, Scott Lang picked up his first career win in Pro Boost when points leader Jason Harris went red in the final round. The two North Carolina-based drivers met up again in the DragWars final round, and Lang won again on the starting line. This time, it was a holeshot advantage that sealed the deal. Driving his ProCharged AML Motorsports ’18 Camaro, Lang used a .014 reaction time and a 3.603 at 205.69 to finish ahead of Harris and his 3.589 at 208.91 by just .005 seconds. 
 
“I came here at the first race of the year and did not qualify, just got in the car,” Lang said. “To come full circle and win, it's huge. Huge. It's hard to describe. I just want to thank God for the opportunity. Thanks to the PDRA for giving us a great racing facility. Over here, you're racing the best Pro Mod racers in the country, hands down. You think you got a good Pro Mod car? Come over here because these guys ain't no layups. You gotta be on your game each and every round to win these things.”
 
Lang was a 3.60-second player throughout eliminations, steadily improving on his way to the final round. He started with a 3.654 at 203.16 to beat a tire-shaking William Brown III. Second-round opponent Ken Quartuccio went red by .371 on a 3.661 pass, while Lang went .008 on the tree and recorded a 3.641 at 201.37 to move on to the semis. He was first off the line there, running a 3.621 at 205.76 over Kurt Steding, who lifted to a 4.304. 
 
Harris, who padded his points lead with just one race left, kicked off race day as the No. 1 qualifier in his ProCharged “Party Time” ’69 Camaro with a 3.639 at 207.05 over a red-lighting Josh Chester, who ran a career-best 3.708 after going red by .002 seconds. On a second-round bye, he fired off a 3.600 at 207.62 to earn lane choice in the semifinals. There, the North Carolina native set low E.T. with a 3.585 at 208.23 to drive around Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey and his 3.616, advancing to his third consecutive final round and fifth of the season. 

 

 

 
GILLIG GETS ANOTHER - Two years after winning DragWars in the debut of his family’s Gillig-Wagner Motorsports ’10 GXP, Mountain Motor Pro Stock veteran Tony Gillig added another DragWars title to his trophy case. It was Gillig’s second Extreme Pro Stock win of the season, a career first for the driver of the Dayco-backed Pontiac. In the final round, Gillig posted a 4.086 at 178.57, while Scott Benham lost traction shortly after cutting a .008 reaction time. 
 
“To come out and win it again here this year has been pretty cool,” said Gillig, who dedicated the win to longtime family friend Gary Johnson, who recently lost his cancer battle. “Like everybody else in the pits, we made mistakes. We made good runs. It was gut-wrenching because all of a sudden, we’ve got a full field. We’ve got a DNQ list. Everyone's making great runs, everyone's going fast, and coming into eliminations today, it was like a battle. The field was tight, there were 16 cars within seven hundredths, and every round was just a dog fight. It was pretty cool to have that level of competition back in this class.”
 
Gillig, who thanked his team and partners like Dayco, Right Trailers, Jon Kaase Racing Engines, Ram Clutches, Liberty’s Gears, Jerry Haas Race Cars, Race Star Wheels, and Flatout Gaskets, started eliminations by getting around Dave Hughes’ .004 reaction time with a 4.058 at 178.71 to Hughes’ 4.115. It was Gillig’s turn to cut a quick light in the second round, as he left with a .005 reaction time and ran a 4.065 at 179.21 to defeat young gun Jordan Ensslin and his 4.096. Gillig lined up against championship contender Alan Drinkwater in the semifinals, recording a weekend-best 4.032 at 179.14, while Drinkwater lost traction and coasted to a 6.202. 
 
Racing from the bump spot, Benham in the Team O Motorsports Cobalt started his path to the final round with a 4.112 at 175.48 to move on past No. 1 qualifier Elijah Morton, who went red on a 4.06. He improved to a 4.085 at 176.14 next to class E.T. record holder John DeFlorian, who had to lift to a 5.448. The Texan driver caught a break in the semifinals when points leader Chris Powers went red by .031 on a 4.051, while Benham slowed to a 4.125 at 175.23. 
 
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER - After watching her dad turn on the final-round win light in Pro Nitrous just a few pairs ahead of her, reigning Pro 632 world champion Amber Franklin knew it was up to her to seal the deal on a second Franklin family double-up. Even with the added pressure of facing No. 1 qualifier Daryl Stewart in the final round, Franklin kept her cool and delivered the win on a holeshot. She recorded a 4.156 at 170.56 in her Musi-powered “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro to hold off Stewart’s 4.109 at 174.35. 
 
“This means everything,” Franklin said. “We come out here as a family, and obviously the goal at the end of the weekend is to get as many win lights as possible. Being able to double up in this level of competition is hard. When we can pull it off, it's really special for us. 
 
“I just want to thank everyone that's behind me,” Franklin added. “Obviously, God first because without Him, I couldn't do any of this. My parents, Blake, Ashley, Chase – he's been helping me full time, Jeff Pierce, Sam Pierce, all of our guys, Pat Musi Racing Engines, Red Line Oil, and Hoosier Racing Tires. Everyone just does such a great job and I really can't thank everyone enough for it.”
 
Franklin qualified second before starting eliminations with a 4.184 at 170.21 to beat J.C. Beattie Jr. and his 4.55. Her starting line prowess paid off in the second round as she and class newcomer Jayme Thompson recorded identical 4.168s, but Franklin was .008 quicker off the line for the win. She ended up with a single in the semis, choosing to break the stage beams and coast down the track. 
 
Stewart qualified No. 1 for the second consecutive race in his HRE-powered Chassis Engineering ’12 Camaro. He ran a 4.177 at 172.04 on a first-round single, then fired off a 4.165 at 172.54 to drive around the quicker reacting Lexi Tanner and her 4.322. The Florida-based driver tied the class E.T. record in the semifinals, running a 4.105 at 174.08 to knock out points leader Jeff Melnick and his 4.20.  

 

 

 
VICTORY RETURNS FOR AL-SABER - Kuwait-based Pro Nitrous Motorcycle rider Meshal Al-Saber has been chasing another win for several years after his last victory in 2016. Tuner Brad McCoy last won on the Q80 Racing Hayabusa at DragWars in 2017, so Saturday’s win was a long time coming for both Al-Saber and McCoy. Al-Saber qualified No. 1, then raced to the final round, where he laid down a 4.012 at 176.10 to beat points leader Chris Garner-Jones. The 2021 world champion encountered problems on the starting line and coasted to an 8.358 at 52.30. 
 
“I go to the finals a lot, but I lose in the final. Every time it’s some little problem in the final,” Al-Saber said. “Now, the team is coming back. We're pushing to come to the next race better than this race. I hope we can get the record. That would help the team also. I think Brad McCoy is the best tuner. He gives me the best bike and helps me lots. Thank you to the Q80 Racing team and the BMRC. They give me the support to come here to the States and win again. We want to go back-to-back at Virginia [at the World Finals].”
 
Al-Saber started eliminations with a 4.041 at 175.46 over a red-lighting Terry Wynn. It was an all-Kuwait matchup in the semis, where Al-Saber ran a 4.032 at 175.50 to beat Mohammed Alawad, who slowed to a 6.168. 
 
Garner-Jones qualified No. 2 on his T.T. Jones Racing Hayabusa before charging to his fourth final round in five races. He posted a 4.005 at 177.49 in the first round to beat class veteran Ashley Owens, who went red. The second-generation rider then knocked out title contender Brayden Davis on a holeshot in the semis, running a 4.031 at 173.96 to Davis’ 3.988. 

 

 

 
WINNING DEFINED IN PRO STREET - Pro Street rookie Scott Kincaid went into DragWars undefeated, as he won both of his prior appearances on the PDRA tour. It took a career-best E.T. and a holeshot advantage in the final round for Kincaid to maintain his perfect scorecard, adding a third win in as many races. Kincaid, who recently switched from a roots supercharger to a screw-type blower, recorded a 3.912 at 196.99 to beat Bill Lutz’s quicker 3.897 at 197.54 in the final round. 
 
“I’m normally not that good on the tree, so that made me feel pretty good,” said Kincaid, 24. “We've had a fun time [in Pro Street]. We're going to try to run them all next year. We'll see how that works out. I'm excited about next year. Hopefully we'll have as good of luck as we did this year.”
 
Kincaid qualified fourth, and when first-round opponent Chris Tuten couldn’t make the call, he lifted to a 5.182 at 117.01. It was his only miss of the day, as he was .007 on the tree and ran a 4.017 at 193.54 to beat Joe Thomas and his 4.337 in the second round. The Tennessee-based driver left first again in the semis and dipped into the 3-second zone with a 3.985 at 194.10, finishing ahead of Joel Wensley Jr. and his 4.043. 
 
Lutz, who appeared in his second consecutive final round, took over the points lead in his screw-blown “Big Boost” ’68 Camaro. He qualified No. 2, and after a first-round pedal-fest with Jerry Morgano, he set low E.T. of the following three rounds. The Ohioan beat Ty Kasper’s 4.061 with a 3.917 at 195.51 in the second round, then recorded a 3.969 at 197.45 to defeat Jesse Lambert and his 4.03 in the semis. 
 
MOTA MAKES A MOVE - Derek Mota’s Super Street championship pursuit received another influx of points, as he swept the weekend for the second consecutive race. The Massachusetts-based fabricator qualified No. 1, set a new class E.T. record, and won the event behind the wheel of his Jamie Miller-tuned, single-turbo Mustang. Final-round opponent and points leader Blake Denton left on Mota, but Mota drove past him with a 4.601 at 166.01. Denton recorded a weekend-best 4.725 at 156.05 in the runner-up effort. 
 
“Man, this one didn't come easy,” said Mota, who started the weekend second in points. “We tore up some stuff in Q1 and we lost some valvetrain parts. My whole team stands behind me. We were here until 2 a.m., got everything finished, came out today, and the car was just on rails. I got to give it up to Jamie. He's got this thing on cruise control. My crew, my dad, my girlfriend at home – everybody just supported me. At this point in time, I wish we had more rounds to go today because of the last race coming up, but at least we got No. 1, the record, and the win. We should go in there and hopefully be able to wrap this thing up in Virginia.”
 
Mota turned heads with his 4.599 at 165.68 in the first round, where he was supposed to face Kaitlin Quartuccio. It was the first pass in the 4.50-second zone in Super Street. He then ran a 4.615 at 164.91 in the semifinals to defeat Dan Whetstine, who lifted to a 5.739. 
 
Denton qualified second in his nitrous-fed, Musi-powered ’76 Camaro and won the first round with a 4.751 at 155.63 to Brad McBride’s 5.411. He won his semifinal pairing with fellow young gun Connor McGee on a holeshot, running a 4.743 at 155.29 to McGee’s 4.742. 
 
THE TOP SPORTSMEN - After three rounds of consistent performances, Elite Top Sportsman finalists Chris “Nitrous” Nyerges and Cheyenne Stanley slowed from their usual pace in the final. Nyerges was first off the line in Gary Schween’s Buck-powered Schween Motorsports ’20 Corvette, then posted a 3.878 on a 3.78 dial-in for the win. Stanley lifted to an 8.298 in his twin-turbo ’08 Mustang. 
 
Championship contender Chad Traylor scored a timely win in Top Sportsman 32 when he was .011 total in the final round against Dan Germano. Driving his ’63 Corvette, Traylor cut a .009 light and ran a 4.292 on a 4.29 dial-in to defeat Germano, who broke out with a 4.192 on a 4.20 dial-in in his nitrous-fed ’68 Camaro. 
 
A pair of 3.78s popped up on the scoreboards in the Elite Top Dragster final round. Fortunately for Michael White, his 3.789 in his ProCharged ’17 Maddox dragster was closer to his 3.78 dial-in. Brian Anderson was first off the starting line by a slight margin, but he slowed to a 3.787 on a 3.76 dial-in for the runner-up honors in his ProCharged ’23 Race Tech dragster. 
 
In Top Dragster 42, finalists Troy Williams and Zach Paap both cut .012 reaction times. Paap in his ’10 American dragster broke out with a 4.58 on a 4.60 dial-in, while Williams ran a 4.403 on a 4.40 dial-in in his ’10 Miller dragster to take the win back to Warrenton, Virginia. 
 
UP NEXT - The 2023 PDRA season will conclude Oct. 19-22 at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia. 

 

 

 

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - QUALIFYING RUNS INTO THE WEE HOURS BEFORE CURFEW HITS

THE BACK-AND-FORTH BATTLE - Throughout the season, two-time Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin and four-time and reigning world champion Jim Halsey have battled back and forth for No. 1 qualifier awards and race wins. Franklin won the latest battle, using a 3.644 at 205.63 to qualify No. 1 over Halsey’s 3.647 at 207.15. The two drivers are on opposite sides of the ladder, creating the potential for a final round fight for the points lead going into the World Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park. Franklin in his Musi-powered “Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro is motivated to do his part to make that happen. 
 
“All we’ve got to do is worry about our lane and turn on win lights,” Franklin said. “But [Halsey] is a tough team, so they're going to be good. We know they're going to be there. But some way between here and Virginia, we’ve got to win one more round than them. We came in here with the idea that to go No. 1 would be good, but we didn't want to cost a bunch of parts to do it. We're a little bit conservative, but wanted to make good laps when we did.”
 
Halsey’s 3.647 in his Fulton-powered “Daddy Shark” ’68 Camaro was good for the No. 2 spot. Local star Jay Cox, who plans to step back from driving duties after the season concludes, qualified third with a 3.667 at 205.63 in his Musi-powered Butner Construction “Pumpkin” ’69 Camaro. 
 
HARRIS TOPS THEM ALL - A slew of Pro Boost drivers fired off 3.60-second passes in the final qualifying session, but it was points leader Jason Harris’ 3.616 at 204.82 that topped them all. It was a rebound for the two-time Pro Nitrous world champion, who dropped a valve in Thursday testing and had to swap in new cylinder heads on his ProCharged “Party Time” ’69 Camaro. He made solid passes in the first two qualifying sessions, then went for it in the final session. 
 
“Truthfully, it's a killer game out here,” said Harris, who thanked partners like Hoosier Racing Tires, M&M Transmissions, and Pro Line Racing. “You gotta do what you gotta do to win, and I knew that we didn't really have anything to lose. We were already in the field. We weren't gonna get bumped out. It was either go or blow for it and just try to get No. 1. Me and Brandon [Stroud, tuner] talked about it. We put in there what we thought we could run and it ran a little bit quicker than what we thought. We were hoping for a low .62 to high .61. Everything's been killer all week, all year, and all weekend right now. Let's hope I can keep it up for tomorrow.”
 
Kurt Steding laid down a 3.621 at 208.46 in his Todd Tutterow-tuned, screw-blown P2 Contracting ’20 Camaro to qualify No. 2. Melanie Salemi, who won the season opener at GALOT in Eddie Whelan’s screw-blown ’19 Camaro, qualified third with a 3.622 at 206.10.
 
 

 
AL-SABER DOES IT AGAIN - Kuwait’s Meshal Al-Saber started his season as the No. 1 qualifier at the spring GALOT race. He repeated that feat on Friday night when he lit up the scoreboard with a 3.997 at 176.67 aboard the McCoy Motorsports-fielded Q80 Racing Hayabusa. Al-Saber can now turn his focus to securing his first event win of the season as he battles an eight-rider field that includes points leader and 2021 world champion Chris Garner-Jones and championship challenger Brayden Davis. 
 
“The best guys in the world are racing here in the PDRA,” said Al-Saber, who’s third in points. "That's very important to me and very important for the team and my sponsors, Q80 Racing and the BMRC. I thank PDRA – they make a good race for everybody here. Everybody here is fast. I fly overseas from Kuwait 14 hours to come racing here all season. I am really, really happy about qualifying No. 1. Thank you, Brad McCoy. He makes me faster, then faster, then faster.”
 
Garner-Jones nearly joined Al-Saber in the 3-second zone with his 4.005 at 177.98 on his T.T. Jones Racing Hayabusa to qualify second. Davis ended up third on his Timblin Chassis Hayabusa with a 4.022 at 174.82. 
 
 

SCARY MOMENT - In the last pair of Pro Street’s second qualifying session, Nick Agostino and Bill Lutz made what is likely the quickest side-by-side pass in the class’s history, with Agostino’s 3.911 topping Lutz’s 3.919. Both drivers were eying record-setting passes in the 3.80s in the third session, but Agostino’s tires broke loose around the 330-foot mark, sending him into the left retaining wall, then across the track into the right wall. Agostino has spent all season focusing on his early numbers, and the third session was one of his first attempts at applying more boost down-track to charge harder in the back half of the run. The result likely would’ve been a new class record. 
 
“Earlier this season, we decided let's do the smart thing. Let's start the race instead of just going out and seeing how fast we can go,” Agostino said. “We felt like we had a really good handle on it. That second run, we felt very comfortable. The third one, I was ready to go 3.85 or 3.86 with that.”
 
While Agostino’s twin-turbo ’69 Camaro known as the “Cannoli Express” took a couple hard hits in the crash, the chassis itself wasn’t too damaged. Agostino, though sore and disappointed to end a championship pursuit with a crash at the penultimate race of the season, was optimistic and already looking ahead at the rebuilding process. 
 
“We thought we actually had a shot at it in the points race,” said Agostino, who praised the PDRA’s safety and tech teams, as well as his crew, fellow racers, and partners like M&M Transmission. “We had a chance to win the last two races. I had the car. We just needed to do our thing. But moving ahead, we'll take our time now, and we won't have to do anything until maybe January. We’ve got some time to get it apart, get it back on the jig, get it all sorted out, and come back out better than ever.”
 
Lutz was set to make his final qualifying attempt on a single behind Agostino. His 3.919 in his screw-blown “Big Boost” ’68 Camaro from the second session held up for the No. 2 spot. Points leader Bill Riddle extended his one-point lead over defending world champion Tim Essick by two points when he recorded a 3.947 at 187.78 next to Agostino, putting his roots-blown Corrigan Race Fuels ’89 Camaro in the third spot. 

BACK IN CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENTION -  A dominant weekend at the last race on tour put season-opener winner Derek Mota back in championship contention. He went into DragWars needing another clean sweep to gain more ground on points leader Blake Denton, and he laid the groundwork for that with his first qualifying pass. He lowered his own class E.T. record with a 4.637 at 163.97, though he hurt his single-turbocharged engine and had to sit out the second session to make repairs. No one went quicker in that session, and the third session was cut, so Mota picked up his second consecutive No. 1 qualifier award. 
 
“We're running the car hard and this is going to happen,” Mota said, noting that his team had plenty of time to check over everything and make all necessary repairs for race day. “With the team I’ve got behind me – Jamie [Miller, tuner] and my crew guys and all the support I have from everybody here – we get it all done. We'll be out there and we're gonna give [Denton] a run for his money. Hopefully we’ll make up some points this weekend. We did go No. 1 and we reset the record. We're going to claim this one as the .63. If we back it up tomorrow in eliminations, that'll be another 50 points for the championship, and hopefully we’ll go into Virginia on his heels and try to come around him.”
 
Denton qualified No. 2 in his nitrous-assisted ’76 Camaro with a 4.773 at 153.46, putting him on the opposite side of the ladder from Mota. Fellow young gun Connor McGee used a 4.787 at 151.77 in his nitrous-fed ’85 Mustang to reset his personal best in Super Street trim, qualifying third in the process. 
 
THE SPORTSMAN REPORT - Bryan LaFlam in his supercharged ’67 Mustang led a pair of nitrous-assisted Camaros to pick up his second No. 1 qualifier award of the season in Elite Top Sportsman. LaFlam recorded a 3.733 in 196.56, holding off Buddy Perkinson and his 3.739 at 201.01 in his Musi-powered LAT Racing Oils ’69 Camaro. Glenn Butcher took the No. 3 spot in his Albert-powered ’69 Camaro with a 3.794 at 195.65. 
 
Tim Lawrence just missed out on the 16-car Elite field, but he scored the No. 1 spot in the Top Sportsman field with a 3.979 at 184.98 in his Albert-powered ’13 Camaro. 
 
Maryland’s Frank Falter IV used a 3.747 at 199.26 in his supercharged “Candy Man” ’20 Miller dragster to qualify on top of an Elite Top Dragster field that saw all but one of the 16 drivers post 3-second passes. Two North Carolina-based drivers, Asheville’s Charles J. Careccia and Graham’s Kellan Farmer, followed Falter in second and third. Careccia posted a 3.786 at 193.82 in his supercharged ’96 Horton dragster, while Farmer ran a 3.826 at 189.84 in his ProCharged ’20 Race Tech dragster. 
 
Brian Maine, who was the Top Dragster No. 1 qualifier at the spring GALOT race, claimed the top spot yet again with a 4.012 at 178.71 in his ’14 Miller dragster. 
 
TODAY'S SCHEDULE - Qualifying at the PDRA ProFabrication DragWars at GALOT Motorsports Park will continue Saturday beginning with Jr. Dragster final qualifying at 9:30 a.m. and Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams time trials at 10 a.m., followed by first round of eliminations in Top Dragster and Top Sportsman. Extreme Pro Stock will run its final qualifying session at 11:30. Pre-race ceremonies and pro eliminations will kick off at 2:45 p.m.