THE DI
TOP 3
THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST IS THE LATEST ADDITION TO DRAG ILLUSTRATED’S COVERAGE OF THE
2018 PROFESSIONAL DRAG RACERS ASSOCIATION (PDRA) SEASON. THIS LIST, REPRESENTING
PERFORMANCES FROM THE SEASON OPENER THROUGH THE PDRA FIRECRACKER NATIONALS
AT VIRGINIA MOTORSPORTS PARK, DOES NOT REFLECT THE CURRENT POINTS STANDINGS,
THOUGH MOST OF THE DRIVERS WHO APPEAR ON THIS LIST CAN ALSO BE FOUND NEAR THE
TOP OF THE POINTS STANDINGS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CLASSES. AS DRIVERS BATTLE BACK
AND FORTH FOR NO. 1 QUALIFYING SPOTS, EVENT WINS AND NATIONAL RECORDS OVER THE
COURSE OF THE 2018 SEASON, THIS LIST WILL CHANGE TO REFLECT THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
PRO
NITROUS PRO
BOOST EXTREME
PRO STOCK PRO EXTREME
MOTORCYCLE PRO OUTLAW
632
1. JASON HARRIS
2. JAY COX
3. JIM HALSEY 1. CHUCK ULSCH
2. RIC FLECK
3. TOMMY D’APRILE 1. JOHN PLUCHINO
2. J.R. CARR
3. JOHN MONTECALVO 1. RONNIE SMITH
2. TERRY SCHWEIGERT
3. EHREN LITTEN 1. JOHNNY PLUCHINO
2. DILLON VOSS
3. TONY GILLIG
Past Switzer Dynamics Pro
Nitrous presented by MoTeC
world champion Jason
Harris remains atop the Top
3 list after another decisive
win at the PDRA Firecracker
Nationals. Harris in the
“Party Time” ’69 Camaro
qualified No. 3 and laid up a
3.71-second lap at 203 mph
to defeat Tony Wilson in the
final round. Jay Cox, who
won the season opener,
moves onto the list in the
No. 2 spot after a semifinal
finish at Virginia, indicating
the “Pumpkin” ’69 Camaro
is back on track. Maintaining
the No. 3 spot is Jim Halsey,
who followed up his runner-
up finish at Martin with a
No. 2 qualifying effort and
semifinal finish at Virginia in
his Brandon Switzer-tuned
’69 Camaro. Chuck Ulsch is clearly on a
mission. The Outlaw 10.5
veteran made the move to
Moroso Pro Boost this
season and hasn’t looked
back, charging to the final
round in his Line-X ’68
Camaro at all four races so
far. He was defeated at the
Firecracker Nationals by Ric
Fleck, who jumps onto the
list on the strength of an
impressive No. 2 qualifying
effort and his first-ever
PDRA victory in the “Dragon
III” ’41 Willys. Rounding out
the Pro Boost Top 3 is Mary-
land race winner Tommy
D’Aprile, who qualified third
and fell to Fleck in the semi-
finals at Virginia. While son Johnny was being
interviewed for his No. 1
qualifying effort in Pro
Outlaw 632 Friday night at
Virginia, Martin runner-up
John Pluchino said he would
be ready for his interview
after winning the race. Sure
enough, the 2016 Liberty’s
Gears Extreme Pro Stock
world champion was eager
to talk after he drove his
Kaase-powered ’13 Mustang
to the winner’s circle late
Saturday night. Pluchino de-
feated J.R. Carr, who earned
the No. 2 spot on the list
with the runner-up effort.
John Montecalvo adds his
name to the list after quali-
fying No. 1 atop the largest
field of the season and
reaching the semifinals at
Virginia. Ronnie “Pro Mod” Smith has
yet to win a race this year,
but after a runner-up finish
to three-time world cham-
pion Eric McKinney at Mary-
land and semifinal finishes
at the other three races so
far, Smith is bound to break
through very soon. Similarly,
Virginia runner-up Terry
Schweigert is chasing his
first win of the year, but
finds himself sitting No. 2 in
points and on the Top 3 list.
The No. 3 spot is reserved
for Ehren Litten, who
became the first turbo-
charged entrant to win a
Drag 965 Pro Extreme Mo-
torcycle race when he de-
feated Schweigert in the
Virginia final round. Second-generation New
York drag racer Johnny
Pluchino leads the debut of
East Side Auto Transport Pro
Outlaw 632 on the Top 3 list.
He ended defending world
champion Dillon Voss’s
perfect No. 1 qualifying
streak on the season at Vir-
ginia, then raced to the
semifinals, slipping past Voss
to lead the points. Still, Voss
is hard to bet against
heading into the second half
of the season. The No. 3 spot
would typically go to
someone like Daryl Hameet-
man, the Virginia winner,
but the debut of former Pro
Stock star Tony Gillig and his
throwback ’69 Oldsmobile
Cutlass – a runner-up finish
at Virginia – is too impres-
sive to ignore.
26 PDRA660.com