Special Section

BY NATE VAN WAGNEN | PHOTOGRAPH BY TARA BOWKER

and sportsman classes will get the chance to square off in a brand-new event , the Summit Racing Equipment ProStars , series officials announced in early February . The specialty race will take place during Virginia Motorsports Park ’ s Night of Fire on July 31 .

The top 8 racers in ProStars points will qualify to compete in the event , which requires no entry fee and will pay out over $ 55,000 in prize money , with a winner-take-all format in all classes . ProStars points will be determined using the final three races of the 2020 season and the first five events of 2021 . Racers must attend a minimum of five PDRA national events to be eligible .

“ This is a unique way for us to reward the racers who support the PDRA throughout the season ,” says Tyler Crossnoe , series director , PDRA . “ We have so many racers who make a point to attend every race , and now those drivers and teams will earn the opportunity to race for a nice chunk of bonus money in front of a big crowd at one of VMP ’ s marquee events , the Night of Fire .”

Ten of PDRA ’ s professional and sportsman classes will have the chance to race in the Summit Racing Equipment ProStars . The top 8 racers in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous will square off with the top 8 in Penske / PRS Pro Boost presented by WS Construction for $ 20,000 . Liberty ’ s Gears Extreme Pro Stock will race for $ 10,000 , while $ hameless Racing Pro Outlaw 632 will chase $ 7,500 .

The top 8 in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by Tejas Borja will take on Lucas Oil Elite Top Dragster ’ s best 8 for $ 7,500 . The same goes for the top 8 in the regular Top Sportsman and Top Dragster fields . The leading 8 in Coolshirt Pro Jr . Dragster and Gilbert Motorsports Top Jr . Dragster will each race for $ 2,000 .

The ProStars points standings will be calculated using a unique points breakdown . PDRA will award

40 points for completing a qualifying run , 10 points for each round win , and a 2-point bonus for an event win . Pro racers will earn a 1-point bonus for each holeshot round win , while sportsman racers will get a 1-point bonus for dead-on round wins .

“ This outside-the-box format is going to result in some never-before-seen matchups and some incredible racing ,” Crossnoe believes . “ You ’ re going to see Pro Nitrous stars facing off against Pro Boost hitters and PDRA sportsman racing ’ s best racing each other for the first time . It ’ s going to be a cool deal for the racers and fans alike .”

Summit Racing Equipment , a leading automotive parts company , signed on to support the ProStars event as the title sponsor . It ’ s the company ’ s first foray into the PDRA brand of eighthmile drag racing .

“ The PDRA has some incredible cars and supercompetitive racers ,” says Jim Greenleaf , Motorsports & Event Manager , Summit Racing Equipment .

“ It ’ s something that ’ s been on our radar for a few years now , since Tommy [ Franklin ] took over . The timing was right for us to get involved with this exciting new event . We ’ ve seen the series continue to grow and we ’ re just excited to get involved and look forward to being a part of it as it continues to grow and evolve .”

In addition to sponsoring the ProStars event , Summit Racing Equipment has joined the PDRA ’ s growing list of contingency sponsors . Racers in every PDRA category , from Pro Nitrous to Top Jr . Dragster , will be eligible to earn contingency money from Summit .

“ Contingency is just a great way to give back to the racers ,” Greenleaf says . “ It ’ s supporting the racers who are supporting us , plain and simple . We ’ re involved in a lot of different contingency programs , and we ’ re excited to add PDRA to that list . You can ’ t sponsor every racer . This is our chance to give every racer the opportunity to get a little something from us .”

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