Drag Illustrated Issue 140, January 2019 | Page 91
Pro Boost / TOMMY D’APRILE
T
wo household names in out-
law eighth-mile drag racing did
battle in Moroso Pro Boost all sea-
son long, as Pro Modified veteran
Tommy D’Aprile and Outlaw 10.5
star-turned-Pro Boost rookie Chuck
Ulsch traded blows in their roots-blown Camaros.
Ulsch came out swinging with four consecutive
final rounds - including a win at Michigan - to
start the season, while D’Aprile was consistently
great and finished strong with two consecutive
victories before the World Finals.
The season-long championship battle then
ended in the first round of the World Finals as
Ulsch lost his match with Andy Jensen. D’Aprile
and his Al Billes-led team were declared the world
champions, then four pairs later recorded a 3.688
at 204.45 to move on to Monday’s quarterfinals.
D’Aprile fell in the semifinals when his hot rod
tried to go airborne.
“I still don’t believe it,” D’Aprile said after
clinching the title. “We came into this race with
the lead, but anything can happen out here. All of
the weather delays made it like pulling off a Band-
Aid; you just want to rip it off. We were having
some issues with the car, so we were just hoping
everything would work out. We just couldn’t stop
crying when we knew we won it.”
D’Aprile, who competed in Pro Extreme for
the last several seasons, teamed up with long-
time crew chief Al Billes for a 2018 Pro Boost
championship bid with a ’69 Camaro powered
by a Noonan engine and supercharged by one of
Billes’ roots-style blowers. The formidable duo
qualified No. 1 at all but one of the seven con-
tested races and reached the winner’s circle at
the North-South Shootout, Drag Wars and the
Fall Nationals.
“I give all the glory to God for this champion-
ship and for putting this team together,” D’Aprile
says. “This is about more than just me and Al and
our team; this is also about our families who made
sacrifices and supported us all season.”
D’Aprile shared the championship experience
with his children, Jonathan and Kendall, who
both won Jr. Dragster track championships at
their local Bradenton Motorsports Park in Flor-
ida. Jonathan won the 7.90 Heads-Up title and
Kendall secured the 8.90 Heads-Up title.
“It was really special to share this experience
with my kids,” D’Aprile adds. “It wasn’t even
planned. We ended up locking up the Pro Boost
championship at Virginia, then the next week we
had the last race of the season at Bradenton. They
were both leading the points, but we weren’t really
thinking about it. Lo and behold, they did what
they had to do to clinch their championships.”
DI DI DI
DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI
KELLY BETTES 400 THUNDER TOP FUEL // STEVEN REED 400 THUNDER PRO ALCOHOL
Ja n u a r y 2 0 1 9
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