Drag Illustrated Issue 184, September / October 2023 | Page 66

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 NORTHERN NATIONALS PRE- SENTED BY TALBERT MANUFACTURING , AUGUST 3-5 , AT U . S . 131 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 . DRIVERS EARN THEIR WAY ONTO THE LIST THROUGH WINS , STRONG QUALIFYING EFFORTS , AND OTHERWISE STANDOUT PERFORMANCES . EDITOR ’ S NOTE : DRAG 965 PRO NITROUS MOTORCYCLE DID NOT COMPETE AT THIS EVENT .
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRO NITROUS PRO BOOST EXTREME PRO STOCK PRO OUTLAW 632 PRO STREET
TOMMY FRANKLIN JIM HALSEY JIM WIDENER
JASON HARRIS KURT STEDING SCOTT LANG
JOHNNY PLUCHINO ALAN DRINKWATER TONY GILLIG
JEFF MELNICK JASON VENTURA AMBER FRANKLIN
BILL LUTZ CHRIS CADOTTO TIM ESSICK
Two-time Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin bounced back from a second-round exit at Maryland by racing to his second victory of the season . His Musi-powered “ Jungle Rat ” ’ 69 Camaro ran a 3.70 , two 3.66s , and finally a 3.639 in the final round to beat Jim Halsey ’ s 3.635 on a holeshot . Halsey ’ s Fulton-powered “ Daddy Shark ” ’ 68 Camaro was locked in the 3.60s , setting low E . T . of every round and maintaining the points lead . Indiana ’ s Jim Widener doesn ’ t run every race , but he makes a statement when he does . His BES-powered ’ 17 Corvette was consistent and quick , running 3.663 in a semifinal exit to Halsey .
Jason Harris and tuner Brandon Stroud have quickly become a proven duo in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive , as Harris drove his ProCharged “ Party Time ” ’ 69 Camaro to victory for the second time this season . He steadily improved through eliminations before cutting a perfect . 000 reaction time and setting low E . T . of the event , 3.605 , to beat Kurt Steding in the final round . Steding was . 022 off the line and slowed to a 3.789 in his screw-blown P2 Contracting ’ 20 Camaro after running 3.65 and a pair of 3.62s in prior rounds . Newcomer Scott Lang advanced to his first semifinal running mid-3.60s .
Consistency was the name of the game for reigning Liberty ’ s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition world champion Johnny Pluchino . He ran a trio of 4.10s , including one to beat No . 1 qualifier Elijah Morton on a holeshot in E2 , to reach his first final of the season . In an all- Kaase-powered Mustang final , he stepped up to a 4.08 to beat teammate Alan Drinkwater , who went red on a 4.096 . Drinkwater got a holeshot win of his own over Chris Powers in the semis . Tony Gillig set low E . T . and top speed of the event in his Kaase-powered Dayco ’ 10 GXP , but his 4.06 in the semis was negated by a . 006 red light .
Jeff Melnick has had a dominant first season in M & M Transmission Pro 632 , but surprisingly Martin marked his first time qualifying No . 1 in Alan O ’ Brien ’ s nitrous-fed , AMC smallblock-powered ’ 20 Camaro . He went on to win for the third time , running a 4.159 over Jason Ventura in the final round . Ventura opened eyes with his 4.164 and 4.153 in the first two rounds , but his Brand X Marine ’ 70 Camaro slowed to a 4.435 in the final . Reigning world champion Amber Franklin qualified No . 2 in her Musipowered “ OG Jungle Rat ” ’ 69 Camaro and ran a 4.182 in the semis , but went red by . 004 .
While Bill Lutz didn ’ t leave Martin with the trophy , his team had a major victory of their own . After a dramatic on-track incident in Q3 , his team worked through the night to make extensive repairs to the screw-blown engine and the “ Big Boost ” ’ 68 Camaro . He laid down another 3.97 in the semis and slowed to a 4.72 in the final , but merely making the E1 call was a feat . Chris Cadotto ’ s screw-blown “ The Brick ” ’ 97 Dodge Ram was a rocket ship , firing off a 3.962 in the final to win for the first time in Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by Afco . World champ Tim Essick qualified No . 2 in his ProCharged “ Brown Sugar ” ’ 18 Mustang and reached the semis .
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