Special Section
THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST IS AN EVER-CHANGING LIST OF THE BIGGEST NEWSMAKERS AND POWER PLAYERS IN THE PDRA ’ S PROFESSIONAL CLASSES . THIS EDITION , REPRESENTING PERFORMANCES FROM THE SEASON-OPENING EAST COAST NATIONALS PRESENTED BY FUELTECH , APRIL 7-9 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 . PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRO NITROUS |
PRO BOOST |
EXTREME PRO STOCK |
PRO OUTLAW 632 |
PRO NITROUS MOTORCYCLE |
MIKE ACHENBACH JAY COX JIM HALSEY |
TODD TUTTEROW STAN SHELTON MELANIE SALEMI |
CHRIS POWERS JUSTIN KIRK TOMMY LEE |
ALAN DRINKWATER WALT LANNIGAN JR . AMBER FRANKLIN |
CHRIS GARNER-JONES JEFF HOUSE TRAVIS DAVIS |
Defending Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous world champion Jim Halsey suffered an uncharacteristic first-round loss after qualifying No . 1 in his Fulton-powered “ Daddy Shark ” ’ 68 Camaro , but tuner Brandon Switzer was able to get redemption when he tuned “ Mountain Man ” Mike Achenbach to his second win in the class . Achenbach in his Buck-powered “ Deep Purple ” ’ 69 Camaro threw down a 3.668-second pass in the final to defeat Jay Cox , who lifted to a 4.366 . Cox , from nearby Smithfield , was the No . 3 qualifier in the Musi-powered Butner Construction “ Pumpkin ” ’ 69 Camaro and ran a pair of 3.69s before the final .
WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive veteran Todd “ King Tut ” Tutterow started 2022 on a mission in his screw-blown P2 Contracting ’ 20 Camaro . He qualified No . 2 and charged through the field , running a 3.588 to beat Stan Shelton in the final . Shelton ’ s screw-blown Culp Lumber ’ 67 Mustang qualified ninth but came alive in eliminations , helping Shelton beat Stevie “ Fast ” Jackson and No . 1 qualifier Melanie Salemi on holeshots . Salemi ran the five quickest passes in class history , but her 3.57 in the semis wasn ’ t enough to drive around Shelton ’ s . 010 light .
PRO STREET
Chris Powers , the defending world champion in Liberty ’ s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition , came into the season with a chip on his shoulder , and it showed . His new Chuck Samuel-tuned Sonny ’ s Racing Engines ’ 21 Camaro set low E . T . of all but one round , including a 4.014 over Justin Kirk in the final . Kirk in his family ’ s Sonny ’ s- powered ’ 12 Mustang won the second and third rounds on a holeshot , beating a 4.01 with his 4.06 both rounds . Driving a brand-new car , veteran tuner and driver Tommy Lee was the second quickest on race day , but fell to Kirk in the semis .
While new to the PDRA scene , Alan Drinkwater started the $ hameless Racing Pro 632 season with a familiar combination : Johnny Pluchino as his tuner and the same Kaasebuilt engine that carried Pluchino to two world championships . Drinkwater picked up where Pluchino left off winning the final three of four rounds on a holeshot . Walt Lannigan Jr ., driving Wes Distefano ’ s Musi-powered $ hameless Racing ’ 68 Camaro , qualified No . 1 before slowing to a 4.208 in the final to Drinkwater ’ s 4.213 . Amber Franklin , who went to back-to-back finals in her 2021 debut , fell victim to Drinkwater ’ s quick lights in the semis despite a 4.12 .
TIM ESSICK | NICK AGOSTINO | TOMMY YOUMANS
Second-generation Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle standout Chris Garner-Jones backed up his 2021 world championship with a season-opening win on his T . T . Jones Racing Hayabusa , posting a 4.08 to Jeff House ’ s 4.086 in a side-byside final round . House and his Texas-based Fast by Gast Hayabusa raced past multitime world champions Eric McKinney and Travis Davis on his way to the final . Davis qualified No . 1 aboard his Timblin-built Davis Transport Hayabusa and set low E . T . of race day in the opening round , but he missed the tree against House in the semis .
The second Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by AFCO championship season saw new competitors join the fold , but defending world champion Tim Essick maintained his consistently quick performance . Essick in his ProChargerboosted “ Brown Sugar ” ’ 18 Mustang was the second quickest in qualifying , but was the quickest of every round on Saturday . He used a 3.966 in the final to beat No . 1 qualifier Nick Agostino , who lifted to a 4.849 . Agostino ’ s turbocharged ’ 69 Camaro was just a couple numbers behind Essick in the opening round . Tommy Youmans was another promising newcomer , qualifying No . 2 and running low 4.00s in his turbo ’ 70 GTO .
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