“This is no manufactured, phony rivalry. These guys, Stevie and Travis, they’re
not doing this just to put on a show; they really don’t care for each other very
much,” PDRA Director Bob Harris stated. “So we’ve agreed to pair them up in
qualifying and if you want to see some good-old-fashioned, take-no-prisoners
drag racing, you need to be at Maryland International on Friday night. It’s
going to be exciting, I can promise you that.”
Also promising to provide fireworks in the 3.5-second, 220-mph NAS Racing Pro
Extreme class is the expected return of defending champion Bubba Stanton, who
last month sat out the most recent PDRA event at Martin, Michigan. Stanton’s
team owner, Roger Henson, stated he’s focused on beating Jason Scruggs, a
two-time winner this season, for the number one qualifying spot before going
after the race win. He’ll also have to counter the potent one-two punch of
Dubai’s Mustafa Buhumaid and Michigan winner Bader Ahli, however, as well as
deal with the likes of class veterans Todd Tutterow, Frankie “Mad Man” Taylor
and Maryland’s own John Stanley.
As mentioned, all attention will firmly focus on Jackson and Harvey on Friday
night, but the flame-throwing Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous class also includes
such stars as defending class champ Jason Harris (who won six of eight races
last season but still seeks his first in 2015), two-time reigning NHRA Pro Mod
champ Rickie Smith (with two PDRA wins this year), current points leader Tommy
Franklin from nearby Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Pat Stoken, fresh off picking
up a $5,000 bonus in Michigan for making the first Pro Nitrous run in the
3.6-seconds range on his way to the race win there.
“The PDRA Nitrous Wars have been heating up all season and MDIR is known as a
nitrous racing hotbed, so I think we’re going to see something special there,”
Harris said. “I know I’ll be watching every time those cars come to the line.”
With such a tight race at the head of the wildly diverse Precision Turbo Pro
Boost class, the North-South Shootout could mark a pivotal race in the eventual
championship. The most recent event saw chassis builder Alan Pittman earn his
first PDRA win with his blown Hemi-powered ’69 Camaro, but it was Kevin Fiscus
who took over the points lead with a semi-final finish in his twin-turbocharged
2012 Mustang. As runner-up to Pittman, Fiscus’ teammate, Jim Bell, moved to
third with his twin-turbo’d ’69 Camaro, with Kevin Rivenbark sandwiched between
the two after the debut of a brand-new, supercharged 2015 Corvette in Michigan.
The wild, blown ’41 Willys of Ric Fleck is fourth overall, followed by Tylor
Miller and his wicked, supercharged ’69 Chevelle rounding out the top five.
In Drag 965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle, second-generation rider Chris Garner-Jones
proved his first win at St. Louis was no fluke as he repeated the feat with a
second-straight win over defending class champ Eric McKinney in the Michigan
final. Based on the strength of winning the first three races this year from the
number-one qualifying slot, though, McKinney retains a sizable points lead over
teammate Ashley Owens as they head for MDIR, but Garner-Jones certainly is
making his presence felt as he’s climbed to third place overall.
The PDRA North-South Shootout also will feature the third of five appearances
this year by the Toefco Pro Open Outlaw class for high-horsepower, heads-up
dragsters that cover the eighth mile in 3.6 seconds at over 200 miles per hour.
In a very tight points race, Phil Esz, who won the first race early this year at
Rockingham, NC, holds a slim lead over Michigan winner Jody Stroud, tied for
second with Eddie Lykins, who finished runner-up in both prior events.
Meanwhile, defending MagnaFuel Top Sportsman champion and current points leader
Dan Ferguson will attempt to hold off the charge of veteran Ronnie Davis, winner
of two of the last three races, as well as Bob Gullitti in third and new ET and
speed record holder Tricia Musi, who continues to chase her first win in an
impressive rookie campaign.
Likewise, Kyle Dvorak has ridden a series of consistent results to sit atop the
Dart Machine Top Dragster points list, but needs a win to put some distance
between him and Justin Melton and Laramie Reid, who also are looking for that
first win this year. The PDRA also features two Jr. Dragster classes, with
Preston Tanner currently enjoying a commanding lead in Huddleston Performance
Pro Jr. Dragster, while it’s a much tighter race for Huddleston Top Jr. Dragster
leader Mia Schultz.
The inaugural PDRA North-South Shootout will begin 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday
(July 16) with all-day testing open to the public, followed by three rounds of
qualifying for all classes beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friday and a jet car closing
out the day’s action. One more qualifying session will start at 11 a.m. on
Saturday, followed by a 3:30 p.m. pre-race ceremony and elimination rounds at 4
p.m. for all classes. The jet car will make another pass to close out the event
on Saturday night.
Admission on Thursday is $10, with Friday and Saturday $30 each, but children 12
and under are admitted free each day. Discount coupons for the inaugural PDRA
North-South Shootout also are available at many retailers and commercial outlets
in the Western Michigan area, or reduced-rate coupons can be printed from the
PDRA web site at www.pdra660.com/2015/north-south-mdir/coupon/. Spectator
parking is free at all PDRA events, though fans can opt to pay $10 to park on
the pit side of Maryland International Raceway.
ABOUT THE PDRA
With offices in Pittsboro, North Carolina, and Saltillo, Mississippi, 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 Open Outlaw, Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Pro Boost, Pro
Nitrous and Pro Extreme, the quickest doorslammer class in drag racing. The 2015
PDRA schedule consists of 10 national events. For more information on the PDRA,
visit www.PDRA660.com.
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