Story Courtesy of Nate Van Wagnen

Images: Geoff Sculley

Defending Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) world champions Jim Halsey, Johnny Pluchino and Wes Distefano reigned supreme at the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars race Saturday night at Virginia Motorsports Park’s Night of Fire. The specialty race featuring the top 8 drivers in ProStars points paid out over $50,000 to the winners in the professional and sportsman classes. All pairings were determined by a random chip draw.

Halsey was the winner of a special 16-car shootout pitting the top Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous drivers against the top Penske/PRS Pro Boost presented by WS Construction drivers.

Pluchino won in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition over Steven Boone and Distefano was victorious in $hameless Racing Pro Outlaw 632.

Larry Roberts won in an all-dragster final in the MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by Tejas Borja vs.

Lucas Oil Elite Top Dragster shootout. Stacy Hall earned the win in the MagnaFuel Top Sportsman vs. Lucas Oil Top Dragster race.

The PDRA’s rising stars in the Jr. Dragster classes also participated in the ProStars event. Ashley Franklin, daughter of two-time Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin, scored her first win in Coolshirt Systems Pro Jr. Dragster. In a double-breakout final round, Franklin drove her new Halfscale dragster to a 7.885 to beat Will Creasman’s 7.872.

Rowan Parlett secured the $2,000 event win in Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster, using a holeshot advantage and a 9.036 on an 8.95 dial-in to defeat Donald O’Meara II and his 8.958 on an 8.92 dial-in.

Eric Jasper won the Super 64 Shootout, defeating Bruce Sisk in the final round.

In addition to the All Stars, Jet Dragsters and a pair of Nostalgia Funny Cars were on hand to thrill the crowd.

Elijah Morton (far lane) and Justin Kirk had a 3-Minute staging burn down in the first round of Extreme Pro Stock. Kirk won and then went red in the next round against eventual R/U Boone.