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Spring
Nationals Marks PDRA’s Darlington Dragway Debut
HARTSVILLE, SC (May 15, 2017) – The Legendary Darlington
Dragway will play host to the stars of the Professional
Drag Racers Association (PDRA) for the first time ever at
this weekend’s PDRA Spring Nationals, May 18-20. The
historic South Carolina facility is the third stop on the
all-eighth-mile series’ eight-race 2017 tour.
One of the drivers expected to make a lasting impression
on the fans at Darlington is local star Tylor Miller,
whose family owns and operates Darlington Dragway. Miller
has finished no worse than sixth in Andy McCoy Race Cars
Pro Boost points since 2014, currently occupying the
fourth spot after the Valdosta and Benson races.
While the Hartsville resident is intensely familiar with
running his Pee Dee Fleet Truck & Trailer Center ’69
Chevelle at Darlington, he doesn’t expect that to give him
a leg up on the competition.
“Yes
and no,” Miller said when asked if he felt he has a
home-track advantage. “We don’t get to use the track as
much as people think we do. With it being my home track
and where I do most of my testing, I might have a little
advantage, but not by much. A lot of PDRA guys and racers
from other series come test at our track. The track will
be consistent for everybody. (Track prep specialist) Jimmy
Bradshaw will give us a track that is consistent with what
we would see at any other PDRA race.”
Miller has made plenty of test passes at his home track,
though he’s just like the rest of the Pro Boost teams in
that they’ve never been in PDRA race mode at Darlington.
“I can unload my car and go A to B here any day of the
week, but of course that won’t hold up at a PDRA race.
With the PDRA, you’ve gotta run as fast as you possibly
can every single run,” Miller said.
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Since the PDRA and its racers
have had a break on the tour since the PDRA East Coast Nationals at the
beginning of April, Miller and his Pee Dee Fleet team have had plenty of
time to service their equipment in preparation for this weekend’s race.
Along with crew chief and Rage Fuel Systems owner and engineer Mike
Kopchick, Miller has spent the last month doing dyno pulls, freshening
engine components and looking over the Andy McCoy Race Cars-built Chevelle.
“I’m very excited to get back to racing,” Miller said. “I enjoy working on
the car and doing R&D, but there’s nothing like being at the racetrack.
It’s a good feeling knowing the spares are ready to go and everything in
the car is fresh for the race.”
Joining Miller and fellow Pro Boost stars Jose Gonzales, John Strickland
and Jeremy Ray will be the touring regulars of the PDRA’s pro classes in
Pro Extreme, Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by MoTeC, Extreme Pro
Stock, and Drag 965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle. The PDRA Spring Nationals will
also feature sportsman racing in the form of Magnafuel Top Sportsman,
Lucas Oil Top Dragster, Campers Inn RV Pro Junior Dragster, MegaCorp Top
Junior Dragster, and Edelbrock Bracket Bash. The trending East Side Auto
Transport Extreme Outlaw 632 class will also join the PDRA for their
second of four races on the 2017 tour.
The semifinals and finals from the delayed PDRA East Coast Nationals in
Top Dragster, Pro Junior Dragster and Top Junior Dragster will be
contested during qualifying at this weekend’s race. The Extreme Outlaw 632
final round between No. 1 qualifier Ken Quartuccio and No. 2 qualifier
Johnny Pluchino will run during the third qualifying session.
Thursday, March 30 is reserved for a full day of open testing for all PDRA
competitors. Sportsman qualifying will begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday,
followed by Pro qualifying at 3 p.m. A grudge race between John Stanley’s
Pro Extreme Cadillac CTS-V and Robert Albertson’s Jet Dragster will
conclude Friday’s action. A third and final qualifying session is
scheduled for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. for Sportsman classes and 1 p.m. for
Pro classes. Sportsman eliminations begin at 4 p.m. and Pro eliminations
kick off at 6 p.m. A wheelstander and Jet Dragster will round out
Satuday’s show.
Tickets to the PDRA Spring Nationals at Darlington Dragway cost only $10
for general admission to Thursday’s test session, $20 on Friday, and $25
on Saturday. A weekend pass can be purchased for $40. Children aged 10 and
younger get in free.
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 Extreme Motorcycle, Extreme Pro Stock,
Pro Boost, Pro Nitrous and Pro Extreme, the quickest doorslammer class in
drag racing. The 2017 PDRA schedule consists of eight national events. For
more information on the PDRA, visit
www.PDRA660.com.
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