Special Section
THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST FIRST APPEARED IN DRAG ILLUSTRATED IN JULY OF 2018 AS AN
EVER-CHANGING LIST OF THE BIGGEST NEWSMAKERS AND POWER PLAYERS IN THE PDRA’S
PROFESSIONAL CLASSES. THIS MONTH’S EDITION, REPRESENTING PERFORMANCES FROM
THE PDRA EAST COAST NATIONALS PRESENTED BY FUELTECH AT GALOT 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 2019 SEASON, THIS LIST WILL CHANGE TO REFLECT THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. (NOTE:
PRO NITROUS MOTORCYCLE WILL APPEAR ON NEXT MONTH’S LIST AFTER THE CLASS’ 2019
SEASON DEBUT AT THE MID-ATLANTIC SHOWDOWN.)
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRO
BOOST PRO
NITROUS
1. KEVIN RIVENBARK
2. TOMMY D’APRILE
3. ERIC GUSTAFSON 1. JIM HALSEY
2. JASON HARRIS
3. JAY COX
After switching to the ProCharger
Hemi combination over the winter,
Moroso Pro Boost 2016 world cham-
pion Kevin Rivenbark is back in
championship form. He qualified No.
1 and recorded runs in the mid-to-
high 3.60 range in three of four
eliminations rounds, including a fi-
nal-round 3.688 to defeat defending
world champion Tommy D’Aprile.
D’Aprile and his roots-blown ’69
Camaro struggled in qualifying but
the veteran Pro Modified wheelman
was on his game on race day, using
holeshot advantages to win first
round and to extend a narrow lead
in a 3.723-to-3.729 semifinal battle
with Melanie Salemi. New to the
PDRA Top 3 List (and to the PDRA in
general) is California’s Eric Gustafson,
who displayed bracket-like consis-
tency with his ProCharger-boosted
’69 Camaro before red-lighting away
a 3.703 in the semifinals.
46 PDRA660.com
Jim Halsey had all winter to think
about what might have been. He left
the 2018 World Finals with the
Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous
elapsed time record, but he fell in
the final round to 2018 world cham-
pion Jason Harris. At the East Coast
Nationals, Halsey and tuner Brandon
Switzer resisted the urge to chase
the record and instead focused on
winning Halsey’s first PDRA “660
Man” trophy. His 3.693 at 206.70 in
his Fulton-powered ’68 Camaro de-
feated Harris in the Musi-powered
“Party Time” ’69 Camaro in the final
round. Harris’ engine expired right
before the finish line, but not before
carrying Harris to a career-best 3.665
in the second round. Home crowd
favorite Jay Cox recorded two of the
quickest Pro Nitrous passes in history
in his Buck-powered “Pumpkin” ’69
Camaro, a 3.648 in qualifying and a
record 3.637 to open eliminations.
EXTREME
PRO STOCK
1. JOHN PLUCHINO
2. JEFF DOBBINS
3. TODD HOERNER
Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock
2016 world champion John Pluchino
came out swinging at the season-
opener, crushing the tree and
running a pair of 4.05s in his Kaase-
powered ’13 Mustang to reach the
final round. There, he used a 4.085
to take down Todd Hoerner and his
4.171 in the Zarella family’s Sonny’s-
powered ’12 Camaro. Hoerner,
making his return to Mountain Motor
Pro Stock racing after a four-year
hiatus, won first round over Dillon
Voss on a holeshot and defeated
class veteran John Montecalvo in
the semis. Class ET record holder Jeff
Dobbins and his Hemi-powered ’14
Dodge Avenger didn’t record the first
sub-4-second run as intended, but
his 4.043 in the first round stood for
low ET of the event.
PRO
OUTLAW 632
1. JOHNNY PLUCHINO
2. WES DISTEFANO
3. CHRIS HOLDORF
Schwing America Pro Outlaw 632
reigning world champion Johnny
Pluchino in Dominic Addeo’s Kaase-
powered ’06 Ford Escort didn’t miss
a beat as he kicked off his title
defense season with another No. 1
qualifying start and final-round
victory. Pluchino was locked in the
low 4.20s throughout eliminations,
ultimately knocking down Wes Dis-
tefano and his 4.247 with a 4.223 in
the final round. The win allowed him
to share the winner’s circle stage
with his father for the first time. Dis-
tefano made his presence known in
the first round when he recorded
low ET and top speed of the event,
a 4.195 at 173.27, in his Musi-powered
’68 Camaro. Like Pluchino and Dis-
tefano, Chris Holdorf had a consis-
tent 4.20 race car through race day,
but Pluchino put a stop to the ’53
Corvette’s 4.229 charge with a 4.217
in the semifinals.