DIALED IN
PTRA
organization. To make matters worse, Mooresville
Dragway, which was the recognized hub of PTRA,
changed their program and eventually couldn’t
reach an agreement for hosting the series any-
more. The track was later even shut down for a
period of time.
Meanwhile, Brown and the PTRA kept trudg-
ing forward and seemed to weather one storm
after another. Eventually, though, things began to
improve as the economy recovered and Moores-
ville Dragway was acquired by chassis builder
and racer Donnie Gibbs, Jr., who reopened the
improved facility this year and immediately
welcomed PTRA back to where it all started.
“Mooresville just seems to work out really well
for this series, and the PTRA was as big as it’s ever
been during the Mooresville years, so we’re all
very pleased to be racing here again,” says Brown.
The members of PTRA couldn’t agree more,
as evidenced by the huge turnout during the
May 13th gathering, which was the first of three
scheduled events to be held at Mooresville in
2017. The PTRA will also travel to Rockingham,
Farmington and Wilkesboro this season, and
while Brown says he still sees the effects of the
economy’s downturn, he’s more than enthusiastic
about the future. “Things are really looking up
for the PTRA,” insists Brown.
Last year, in fact, Brown noted a sharp rise
in car count that has continued thus far in 2017.
Series sponsors have been enthusiastically re-
turning as well, with GWT Services being named
title sponsor of the points series, and Fireplace
Solutions stepping up to fund the All-Star Shoot-
outs. “I haven’t been able to present the All-Star
Shootouts for a number of years due to lack of
funding, so it’s great to be able to do that again,
and I’m very appreciative of Barry Sims and Wess
Thompson for their support,” added Brown.
The line-up of classes has changed over the
years, with PTRA now offering the following cat-
egories of competition: 5.50 Index, 6.00 Index,
7.00 Index, and Pro Tree Eliminator. There are
no membership fees to join PTRA and compete
in the points program, which includes a trophy,
championship jacket and cash. A total of eight
points-earning events are on the 2017 schedule,
along with the All-Star Shootouts to be held No-
vember 18th at Farmington Dragway.
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May 2017
DragIllustrated.com
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