1
2
EVEN BEFORE IT BEGAN , IT WAS APPARENT THE 2020 PDRA SEASON WOULDN ’ T BE SOON FORGOTTEN . THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS PUSHED THE SEASON OPENER BACK BY OVER A MONTH , AND MORE SCHEDULE REVISIONS , HOST TRACK CHANGES AND MORE WERE ANNOUNCED AS THE SEASON DEVEL- OPED . ¶ STILL , THE PDRA AND ITS RACERS FORGED AHEAD WITH A CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON , CONTESTING SIX RACES AT FOUR DIFFERENT TRACKS . THE ON- TRACK ACTION WAS AS COMPETITIVE AS EVER , WITH FIRST-TIME WINNERS , DOMINANT PERFORMANCES AND STRONG FIELDS FULL OF COMPETITORS ACROSS THE SERIES ’ PROFESSIONAL AND SPORTSMAN CATEGORIES . ¶ AFTER THE SEASON CONCLUDED , DRAG ILLUSTRATED SAT DOWN WITH A SMALL GROUP OF PDRA INSIDERS TO BREAK DOWN SOME OF THE BIGGEST RUNS AND THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM THE 2020 SEASON . [ EDITOR ’ S NOTE : THOUGH THIS FEATURE TOUCHES ON THE 2020 CHAMPIONS , THE CHAMPIONS ISSUE NEXT MONTH WILL INCLUDE FULL FEATURES ON ALL THE PDRA WORLD CHAMPIONS .] 1 . PDRA ADAPTS AND OVERCOMES
This season ’ s schedule changes presented challenges for everyone involved in the series , from racers and teams to track operators and series officials . The series did have to cancel two events completely , but when local officials wouldn ’ t let Maryland International Raceway ’ s event go on as planned , the event was moved a couple hours south to Virginia Motorsports Park .
Inclement weather was a factor at all six races , forcing daily schedules to change and racers to sacrifice valuable qualifying sessions so the events could be completed on time . Rain and humidity made it impossible to finish the Proline Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals ,
though the racers left in competition after the Saturday night eliminations stuck around until Tuesday afternoon with hopes of fighting it out to the end .
Through it all , the PDRA and its racers made the most out of the scenarios at hand , displaying a high level of grit and determination .
2 . JIMMY PELCARSKY DROPS BOMBSHELL 4.12
As a newcomer to the Pro Outlaw 632 class , Jimmy Pelcarsky dropped jaws and ruffled feathers when he posted a brutal 4.127-second , 172.67 MPH pass in his high-winding , smallblock-powered ’ 15 Camaro in the semifinals of the Summer Shootout . In just his second race , the former
Pro Nitrous driver ran four hundredths quicker than the class record . Pelcarsky ’ s winning 4.153 in the final round backed up the 4.126 as the new world record .
3 . PDRA SENIORS ‘ GRADUATE ’
With seemingly the whole world going virtual and shying away from large public gatherings , the PDRA Jr . Dragster racers who were graduating from high school in the spring weren ’ t able to celebrate with normal graduation ceremonies . The PDRA held a graduation ceremony of its own during prerace ceremonies at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown , recognizing graduating seniors that included Jordan Dittman , Amber Franklin , Jarrod
Kissinger , Thomas Oates , Nicole Zuccarelli and Evan Salemi .
4 . JIM HALSEY GOES BACK TO BACK IN DRAMATIC FASHION
Jim Halsey admitted his dominant 2019 Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous world championship season spoiled him after experiencing a bit of a rocky start to the 2020 season . He notched a couple runner-up finishes to Tommy Franklin , but his first win didn ’ t come until DragWars , the fifth race on tour . It was a mere 9 points that Halsey earned over Franklin in qualifying that helped him secure the championship in the semifinals of the World Finals . “ I thought I would rather be the guy chasing , but after this past year , I ’ d much
5 7 8
18 PDRA660 . com