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January 8, 2014
EARWOOD APPLAUDS NEW EIGHTH-MILE
SANCTIONING BODY
According to Rockingham Dragway owner
Steve Earwood, the emergence of the
new Professional Drag Racers
Association (PDRA) as the principal
sanctioning body for Pro Modified drag
racing likely prevented a crisis in
credibility that threatened the very
future of one of the most popular
vehicle categories in the sport.
Earwood, who announced at the PRI Show
in Indianapolis his plans to form just
such an organization, said Tuesday
that he never seriously intended to
run a sanctioning body and frankly was
relieved when well-known Pro Mod
racers Jason and Mitchell Scruggs,
Gene Hector, Roger Henson and Tommy
Franklin stepped up to form the PDRA.
“My main goal has been to retain two
major Pro Mod races for my racetrack,”
Earwood said. “They have proved to be
among our most popular events so, when
the future of the ADRL (American Drag
Racing League) was called into
question, other track operators
contacted me about our options.
“Fortunately, many others recognized
the need to maintain such a viable
series. Once we established a
dialogue, things began to come
together pretty quickly,” said the man
who has operated Rockingham Dragway
for the last 21 seasons. “It is our
plan to support the PDRA in every way
possible.”
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Earwood’s track will host the PDRA
opener on April 4-5 as well as a
second race on September 5-6. Other
PDRA host tracks are South Georgia
Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Ga.,
Memphis International Raceway in
Millington, Tenn., U.S. 131
Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich.,
Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond,
Va., and Osage Casino Raceway Park in
Tulsa, Okla.
According to Earwood, the class
structure will be largely unchanged
with Pro Mod champions crowned in both
Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous
categories. Other classes contested
will be Extreme Pro Stock, Pro Boost,
Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Top Sportsman,
Top Dragster and Jr. Dragster.
Definitive rules and purse structures
will be released in the next several
weeks.
“I felt it was imperative that someone
make a move to preserve a viable door
slammer series for the benefit of our
racers, race fans, track operators,
engine builders, chassis builders and
all the other affiliated performance
industry manufacturers who would have
been adversely effected,” Earwood said
of his pre-emptive strike at the PRI
Show.
“Eighth-mile Pro Mod racing has been
embraced by the fans and for the
series to be in jeopardy prior to PRI,
I just believed someone needed to
address the issues and assure everyone
that regardless of the sanctioning
letters, there would be a series in
2014.
“Believe me, I do not care to run such
an association myself,” Earwood said.
“My schedule is full just conducting
the more than 50 events we run every
year at The Rock and separately
operating the Rock Racing Battery
business.
“We accomplished what we intended by
being the catalyst for the formation
of a new association to maintain what
I believe is a great racing series for
our industry,” Earwood said. “The end
justifies the means in this case and I
think that with the principals
involved in the new group, there will
be stability for years to come.”
According to Jason Scruggs, “the PDRA
is racer owned and racer operated and
while we understand that there will be
a building process, we’re looking
forward to a strong series in 2014.”
Long-time North Carolina racers Bob
Harris and Rick Moore have been tasked
with the day-to-day operation of the
series, a move that Earwood applauded.
“Without reservation, I
enthusiastically support the
appointment of Bob Harris and Rick
Moore,” he said. “Bob has seen
everything from both sides, as a track
operator and a racer, and I’m sure
that he and Rick will find ways to
make the series even more viable for
us all.”
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