Courtesy Nate Van Wagnen Drag Illustrated

Images Geoff Sculley and Mike Gregg

Reigning Pro Boost world champion Jason Harris took over the points lead in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive Saturday night when he earned his second consecutive win of the season. In a side-by-side 3.62-second final round against Todd “King Tut” Tutterow, Harris turned on the win light by five thousandths of a second to claim the ProFabrication PDRA DragWars presented by PST Driveshafts event win. It was a rematch of the final round at the 2024 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series season opener at GALOT Motorsports Park, as well as the first GALOT win for the Pittsboro, North Carolina, native.

Fredy Scriba earned his first career Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous win, taking over the points lead in the process. Reigning Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by Afco Racing world champion Bill Riddle collected his first event win of the season. Chris Powers, the 2021 Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition world champion, won to pad his points lead. Past PDRA Pro 632 world champion Amber Franklin Denton secured the 2024 world championship while also winning the event. Afco Racing Super Street presented by Menscer Motorsports points leader Dan Whetstine also won.

Sportsman class victories went to Tim Lawrence in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines, Steve Furr in Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, Dave Muller in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman presented by Corbin’s RV, and Joe Gary in Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Younce RV. 

PRO BOOST

Harris, far lane, tightened things up in PDRA Pro Boost with a win in GALOT

Reigning Pro Boost world champion Jason Harris started his title defense season at GALOT by racing to the final round, but he fell into a slump that saw him drop his first-round matches at the next three races. Things picked back up in the middle of the season, and his rebound continued when he met Todd “King Tut” Tutterow in the DragWars final round for a rematch of the season opener final round. With five PDRA world titles between the two, the final round lived up to expectations. Harris in his ProCharged Southern Diamond Company “Party Time” ’69 Camaro left the line first by one thousandth of a second, then lit up the scoreboard first with a 3.622 at 207.53 MPH. Tutterow was just five thousandths behind at the finish line with his 3.626 at 207.88. 

Harris went into the weekend just over two rounds behind points leader Kurt Steding, who lost in the first round, so Harris is the new points leader. 

“I really didn’t think about the points much because I had some crappy races earlier in the year and I really wasn’t looking at it,” said Harris, who thanked his team, including father Bob Harris and tuner Brandon Stroud, as well as partners like Southern Diamond Company, LAT Racing Oil, Hoosier Racing Tires, Alliance Racewear, and SP Tools. “I kind of kissed the championship goodbye a little bit [earlier in the season], but we gained some momentum in Bristol and some guys had some bad luck and I had some good luck. Going into Virginia, keeping a lead is always good. It’s easier to keep going than it is to try to catch sometimes. But all I can say is you just try to do the best you can every round. If you do that, you win a championship.”

Harris qualified No. 1 and kept up that performance level through eliminations, starting with a 3.652 at 206.95 to defeat Melanie Salemi’s 3.663. Second-round opponent Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey went red by .004 on a 3.641 pass, while Harris posted a 3.635 at 207.08. He then left on Randy Weatherford in the semifinals and won with a 3.613 at 207.11 over Weatherford’s 3.632, earning lane choice for the final round. 

Tutterow qualified third behind the wheel of Justin Smith’s screw-blown Quik Fuel ’69 Camaro before taking out Bubba Greene in the opening round with a low-of-the-round 3.643 at 207.94 to Greene’s 3.721. He used a consistent 3.641 at 207.53 in the second round to knock out 2024 World Series of Pro Mod winner Derek Ward and his 3.657 at 207.78. Tutterow squared off with young gun Preston Tanner in the semifinals, laying down a 3.629 at 207.82 to finish ahead of Tanner and his 3.639 at 204.98. 

PRO NITROUS

Maryland’s Fredy Scriba has been having the best season of his PDRA Pro Nitrous career, starting with two runner-up finishes in the first three races. He then won the Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars all-star event to hoist his first PDRA 660 Man trophy, but a points-earning win eluded him until Saturday night. Lined up against nitrous Pro Modified legend “Tricky” Rickie Smith in the final round, Scriba won when Smith went red on a 3.872 at 205.16 pass. Scriba was ready for a race, though, as he set low E.T. of race day with his 3.684 at 206.54 in his Musi-powered “Sorcerer” ’69 Camaro. 

With points leader Jim Halsey suffering a weekend-ending crash in Friday’s final qualifier and No. 2 in points Tommy Franklin losing in the opening round, Scriba took over the points lead with just one race remaining. The three drivers are separated by less than a round. 

“I feel like I’ve done a good job tuning, just not a good job driving the whole year,” said Scriba, who thanked his parents, Fred and Anne, his crew, engine builder Pat Musi, chassis builder Robert Hayes, partners like Ty-Drive, Liberty’s Gears, Neal Chance Converters, and Pro Wire, as well as his wife and kids cheering him on from home. “I feel like I’m driving a lot better, so hopefully it’s showing now a little bit. You’ve got to have both. If you don’t have both, you’re not going to go rounds. We’ve got some stuff to work on, but we’re ecstatic. We made two finals earlier in the year, won ProStars, but it means a lot to win one of these points races. The competition is really tough. 

“I think we’re more than happy no matter what happens at the next race,” Scriba added. “I think this has been an awesome year. We’ll just go up there and do our best. That’s all we can do. We have nothing to hang our heads about, that’s for sure.”

Scriba qualified third and won the first round with a 3.717 at 204.63 next to a red-lighting John Vergotz. He cut a .016 reaction time and set low E.T. of the second round, a 3.709 at 205.10, to beat Brian Shrader and his 3.71 in a rematch of the final round at the season opener. His reaction times helped him win in the semifinals, where he posted a 3.721 at 204.82 to hold off Marcus Butner and his 3.718 for a holeshot win. 

Smith, who qualified No. 8 in his Musi-powered Parkway Ford ’22 Mustang, eliminated past Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson in the first round on the strength of a 3.718 at 204.11. A consistent 3.717 at 204.51 followed on a second-round single. Like Scriba, a holeshot advantage helped him advance to the final round when he ran a 3.708 at 205.13 to defeat Tony Wilson and his 3.703. 

PRO STREET

Reigning Pro Street world champion Bill Riddle suffered first-round exits at the first three races of the season, but he’s finding some late-season success to close out the season. He qualified No. 1 at the most recent event at Bristol, then he reached his first final round of the season at DragWars. He turned that into a win by making the only 3-second pass of eliminations, a 3.981 at 188.81, to deny first-time finalist Richard Reagan, who pedaled his way to a 4.456 at 182.26. The win was the culmination of lots of work to repair body damage, wounded parts, and even his RV.

“I can’t even explain it because we’ve had nothing but issues,” said Riddle, who thanked his daughter, Brooke, for helping him run the car this weekend, as well as teammate Dan Norris, who helped after his first-round loss to Reagan. Riddle also thanked partners like Corrigan Race Fuels, Mickey Thompson, Motorsports Unlimited, SSI Superchargers, and Red Line Oil. “We went to Milan Dragway to do some testing and ended up winning the race but hurt the transmission since it has a whole season on it. Then the motorhome broke down. I wasn’t sure if I was even coming here until a couple of days ago. Fortunately, we were able to put it in the winner’s circle.”

Riddle qualified third and used a 4.056 at 188.33 to move past Mauro Caringi in the first round of eliminations. He was the second-quickest of the second round with his 4.025 at 188.83 to defeat rookie standout Brian Weddle and his 4.065. The Michigan-based driver then set low E.T. of the semifinals, a 4.008 at 189.52, to take out points leader Ethan Steding, who posted a 4.027 at 191.10.

Reagan had a career-best day after qualifying eighth in his screw-blown ’90 Mustang. He ran a 4.037 at 192.47 over Norris and his 4.035 on a holeshot in the first round, then pedaled to a 4.592 at 171.62 to beat teammate and No. 1 qualifier Scott Kincaid and his 4.70 in the quarterfinals. His 4.015 at 193.21 was the second-quickest pass of the semifinals, knocking out two-time world champion Tim Essick and his 4.117. 

EXTREME PRO STOCK

Chris Powers’ bid for a second Extreme Pro Stock world championship received a major boost when he raced to the final round, then defeated championship challenger and two-time world champion Johnny Pluchino. Powers led wire to wire in his Chuck Samuel-tuned Sonny’s Racing Engines ’21 Camaro, running a 4.101 at 175.16 to reach the finish line before Pluchino, who wasn’t far behind with a 4.105 at 177.65. It was Powers’ second win in three final-round appearances this season, putting him very close to clinching the championship.

“After last year, just throwing it away, I knew this year I had to step up and do a better job and get a lead because these guys will come crawling back at the end,” said Powers, who credited his team, including Samuel, Rob Bealko, and son Chris Powers II. “Hopefully this will almost seal the deal. We’ve got a brand-new bullet from Sonny’s. We’re going to put it in and see if we can put this thing in the 3.99 range. That’s the last goal we’ve got left here. We’re so thankful for Sonny’s. They’ve worked for months on this new motor, trying to get some power for us and we need it. We’re just behind, hopefully this new bullet gives us everything we need. My main objective there is to go and win [the World Finals] and set the record and put this thing to bed for once and all.

“This was for my brother, Nate, who passed away last year,” Powers added. “I’m glad we got this thing back in the winner’s circle for you, buddy.”

Powers qualified No. 2 and laid down a 4.161 at 175.27 to get past young gun Jordan Ensslin and his 4.207 in the first round. He left first in the semis against Dwayne Rice and recorded a 4.129 at 175.30 to beat Rice’s 4.152. 

Pluchino in his Kaase-powered Feather-Lite Batteries ’13 Mustang started the day with a 4.125 at 177.39 to defeat Doug Kittrell and his 4.257. He set low E.T. of the semifinals, a 4.108 at 177.63, to get the win over No. 1 qualifier Jeremy Huffman, who slowed to a 7.268. 

PRO 632

In a great final, Franklin Denton, far lane, squeaked by Lannigan Jr

Pro 632 points leader Amber Franklin Denton went into DragWars with a sizeable lead, but she knew her path to a second Pro 632 world championship wasn’t a clear one. Qualifying No. 1 made it a little clearer, but she had a full field of consistent and competitive racers standing in her way. The past Pro Jr. Dragster world champion held her own and locked up the championship before taking down championship runner-up Walter Lannigan Jr. in the final round. Lannigan grabbed a slight holeshot, but Franklin’s Musi-powered “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro laid down a 4.16 at 171.82 to drive around Lannigan’s 4.188 at 169.30. 

“I just tried to clear my mind each round and just try to take a deep breath,” said Franklin Denton, who dedicated the win and the championship to the late Lizzy Musi, as well as her late grandmother. “In the final round, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have butterflies and I wasn’t nervous, but honestly, it’s really fun racing like that. Running against Walt, they’re a great team and always a good race, so it was a super exciting final round.”

Franklin Denton’s 2024 championship scorecard includes victories at the North vs. South Shootout at Maryland and the Thunder Valley Throwdown at Bristol, as well as runner-up finishes at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown at Virginia and the American Doorslammer Challenge at Norwalk. She also qualified No. 1 at five of the seven races. 

“I’m still pretty speechless right now,” said Franklin Denton. “This year has tested us. As a driver, this one felt really, really good. My team has provided me end over end and had my back through everything. We’ve changed things, put things together, and I’m just super proud of them. I give all the glory to God. Thanks to my parents [Tommy and Judy], husband [Blake Denton], Jeff Pierce, Red Line Oil, Pat Musi Racing Engines, and everyone who helps us.”

Franklin Denton set low E.T. of the opening round in her win over Hank Hughes, running a 4.169 at 171.93 to Hughes’ 4.514 at 160.73. She slowed a bit to a 4.237 at 171.99, but it was enough to drive past returning driver Brian Clauss and his 4.29 at 166.85. The 2021 world champion secured her second world title in the class in the semifinals when she used a 4.16 at 172.23 to defeat rookie Chevy Floyd, who ran a 4.233 at 167.20. 

Lannigan, who stepped in to drive Chris Holdorf’s Nelson-powered Freedom Grow ’10 GTO this season, qualified No. 2 and beat a red-lighting Gary Hood in the first round with a 4.213 at 168.37. He was the quickest driver in the second round, driving to a 4.202 at 168.70 to finish ahead of Patrick Patterson and his 4.297. A .003 reaction time and a 4.198 at 168.98 put Lannigan well ahead of Jason Ventura in the semifinals, even though Ventura nearly matched his performance with a 4.199 at 167.66. 

SUPER STREET

The top two drivers in Super Street points, Dan Whetstine and Derek Mota, charged through three rounds to square off in the final round. Whetstine padded his lead over Mota with a nearly maximum points weekend, qualifying No. 1 and defeating Mota in the final round. Whetstine in his ProCharged “Red Velvet” ’91 Mustang set low E.T. of eliminations with his 4.612 at 160.56, while Mota left hard but got out of shape and had to coast through the finish line to a 6.704 at 79.11. 

“I felt a lot of stress coming into this race, but I tried to do as much preparation as we could, whether it was testing or taking the motor apart just to check it,” said Whetstine, who thanked his team and partners like Menscer Motorsports, ProCharger, Atomizer, UPR Products, Maxima Racing Oil and ATI Performance. “I think that’s the kind of stuff that makes Tim [Essick, tuner and two-time Pro Street world champion] a champion, and to have him on my team is why we are where we are right now. There’s no quit in him. We had great success with his car today too. I’m sorry we didn’t get his car in the winner’s circle too. It was a fun day, but it was a stressful day. I’m glad it’s over and I’m glad things worked out.”

Whetstine kicked off race day with a holeshot advantage and a 4.627 at 160.40 to hold off Austin Vincent and his 4.665 at 157.01. He coasted to a 5.96 at 87.34 on a second-round bye run. The Maryland driver dipped back into the 4.60s with a 4.639 at 166.17 in the semifinals to get the round win over Tommy Thrasher, who ran a 4.846 at 161.05. 

Mota, who qualified sixth in his turbocharged East Point Recovery Centers ‘93 Mustang, made it through the first round with a 4.768 at 159.27 over Matt Schalow’s 4.786. The 2023 championship runner-up left on Charles Potter in the second round and stepped up to a 4.722 at 159.16 to get the decisive win over Potter’s 4.993. Another major step up followed on a semifinal bye run, with Mota firing off a 4.671 at 159.32. 

TOP SPORTSMAN

Nitrous cars ruled the late rounds in Elite Top Sportsman, where Tim Lawrence met past world champion and No. 1 qualifier Tim Molnar in the final round. Lawrence had the quicker reaction time in his Albert-powered Bell ’13 Camaro and ran a 3.908 on a 3.88 dial-in to get the win over Molnar, who posted a 3.79 on a 3.77 dial-in in his ’68 Camaro. 

Hood scoops and big cubic inches were also the theme in the Top Sportsman 32 final round between Dave Muller and past world champion Joe Roubicek. Muller was away first in his New Jersey-based Dave Muller Automotive & Trailer ’00 Camaro and lit up the scoreboard with a 4.418 on a 4.40 dial-in, defeating Roubicek and his 4.237 on a 4.22 dial-in in his ’68 Camaro. 

TOP DRAGSTER

Furr, far lane, showed why is the champ beating Gonzalez in the finals at GALOT 

The ultra-competitive fast bracket racing in Elite Top Dragster was on full display in the final round, which saw two-time and reigning world champion Steve Furr and Danielle Gonzalez both lay down 3.88-second passes. Gonzalez was dead-on her dial-in in her ’23 American dragster compared to Furr’s 3.87 dial-in, but it was Furr’s .010 reaction time in his ProCharged Right Trailers ’13 American dragster that gave him the win by just two thousandths. 

The Top Dragster championship scenario tightened up even more, as No. 2 driver Lucas Salemi raced to the final round in Top Dragster 48 to meet Joe Gary, who was No. 10 in points going into the weekend. Salemi left .010 too soon in his supercharged ’07 S&W dragster, throwing away a 4.261 on a 4.26 dial-in. Gary cut a .008 light and lifted to a 4.587 on a 4.36 dial-in in his Fulton-powered ’22 American dragster to get the win. 

Salemi, near lane, left too soon in the finals giving Gary the win

EDELBROCK BRACKET BASH

Freer, far lane, beat Jackson’s Nova with a 4.64 on a 4.64 dial after a 0.004 RT. Hard to beat that combo

Lauren Freer picked up the win in Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams, defeating Michael Jackson in the final round.

JR DRAGSTER

The PDRA’s rising stars in the Jr. Dragster classes also took part in DragWars, with TJ Harvey and Griffin Davis winning in Coolshirt Systems Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products and Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products, respectively. Harvey, son of Pro Boost standout Travis Harvey, was quicker off the line in the Pro Jr. Dragster final round and posted a 7.937 to get the holeshot win over Ashton Halas’ 7.927, both on a 7.90 index. In an all-Virginia Top Jr. Dragster final round, Davis grabbed a sizable advantage on the starting line and ran a 9.009 on an 8.97 dial-in to turn on the win light over championship contender Kylie Varner and her 9.092 on a 9.03 dial-in.

World champions will be decided in two weeks at the final race of the 2024 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series season, the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger, Oct. 17-20, at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia.