STATE OF DRAG
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those times, but over time, truthfully, the splits I
think hurt the class. Truthfully, some people just
got sick of it, some people didn’t know where it
was going, some people changed classes. It was
just a little bit of everything. You could see it was
going downhill the last few years. And then the
PDRA rolled along and you just really never had
the car count. (But) Pro Nitrous is still pretty
healthy and Pro Boost is pretty healthy.
LEGGETT: I was an advocate and I tried to pro-
mote it, and I tried to get people to come. I called,
I done a lot of things to try to get cars to come
and for whatever reason people wouldn’t come.
RECORD BREAKER, MILESTONE MAKER Jason Scruggs was perhaps the marquee name when it
comes to the Pro Extreme class. Not only did he win two world championships in the ADRL, the
aura around his performances added to the massive growth of the class. He was the first to run 200
mph, and also the first to reach the 3.80s, 3.70s and 3.60s, becoming a star in the process.
choosing a number of alternatives like the NHRA
Pro Mod class, PDRA’s own Pro Boost class, the
NMCA Xtreme Pro Mod class and the Mid-West
Pro Mod Series. After a decade, it wasn’t just Pro
Extreme and Pro Nitrous anymore.
In short, there were more – and perhaps better
– options, especially as Pro Boost moved into the
3.60s as a much more cost-efficient option.
D’APRILE: There was a big difference between
Pro Boost and Pro Extreme, a good half a second.
That’s a pretty sizeable margin. Well, Pro Boost
teams did more and more research and it got to
where half the field in Pro Boost could qualify
for Pro Extreme. If you ask any fan, they don’t
know the difference between the cars. And the
cost to run a Pro Extreme car was way more. You
changed a belt every couple runs. If it hiccups,
you were changing a bunch of stuff. The Pro Boost
car is way easier on parts, on the pocketbook.
TUTTEROW: (Pro Boost) wasn’t as much
money. The blower belt is the biggest thing on
a Pro Extreme car. Max, you got three runs if
you could even get three and those were $300
apiece. On a Roots blower, you can run one for
a whole season. The connecting rods had a half-
life, and the cost kept going up. Pro Extreme
cars hit a flatline right around 3.50 flat. In Pro
Boost, the blower cars are going mid-3.60s,
and they’re still getting better all the time, still
creeping up.
SCRUGGS: Pro Extreme was still good during
THIS IS THE END Terry Leggett’s final-round victory
over Adam Flamholc at the PDRA Summer Drags
in 2018 proved to be the final run the class.
THE END
The final Pro Extreme pass came at the PDRA
Summer Drags in Martin, Michigan, as Leggett
grabbed the final win against a miniscule three-
car field.
Less than two weeks later, the PDRA announced
the end of the class, with race director Bob Harris
stating, “Although the incredible speeds and out-
law nature of Pro Extreme and screw blowers have
great appeal, it’s a unique niche in Pro Mod that
has, at least for a time, run its course.”
Not everyone sees this as the definitive end – this
is drag racing, after all – but most agree that Pro
Extreme is likely done for good.
SCRUGGS: I wouldn’t be surprised on some
level if you had 2-3 big-money, no-rules-except-
weight races, kind of like what (Donald Long)
does. I think that would be exciting a couple
times a year.
LEGGETT: I honestly believe it’s done. I really
do. I believe it’s done.
TUTTEROW: I think it’s done. Nobody is
going to spend the money to do that. I don’t
see it ever coming back. It’s a shame, but that’s
the nature of the beast. It was a good class, but
it ran its course.
August 2018
DragIllustrated.com
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