LAKE DENTON is one of numerous drivers in the PDRA ’ s “ adult ” classes that successfully made the jump up from the two Jr . Dragster classes , Pro Jr . Dragster and Top Jr . Dragster . Denton started racing Jr . Dragsters when he was seven years old and competed in the half-scale cars until he was 16 or 17 . Now several years later , Denton is the first-ever PDRA Super Street world champion .

After Jr . Dragsters , Denton moved up to Footbrake , where he raced a Nova for about a year and a half . Denton and his father , Wesley , started putting together a dragster , but future father-inlaw Tommy Franklin offered to put him in his nitrous-fed Top Dragster instead . Denton had considerable success in the car , but when PDRA launched the new Super Street class in 2022 , he started to think about a future in the fledgling small-tire class .

“ Tommy and I were just talking about it one day like , ‘ Man , that would be really fun to do ,’” Denton remembers . “ I was like , ‘ I ’ ll drive it !’ We found a car and it has been flawless ever since we got it . We did what we wanted to do to it . It ’ s been really fun .”

A show-quality ’ 76 Camaro powered by a nitrous-huffing Pat Musi engine , Denton ’ s Super Street entry started out running in the 5.00s last season . He dipped into the 4.80s at the PDRA World Finals , and knowing that wouldn ’ t be enough to win races during Super Street ’ s inaugural championship season , Franklin and tuner Jeff Pierce went to work over the winter .

Denton saw results immediately in 2023 , as he qualified No . 1 at the first three races of the six-race Super Street season . He also had a dominant weekend at the Shakedown Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park , starting a winning streak that continued at the PDRA Norwalk and Maryland races . Despite a late-season charge from season opener winner Derek Mota , who missed the Maryland race but won out the rest of the season , Denton held on to claim the first Super Street world championship .

Denton ’ s biggest moment of the season came just one race before the World Finals , though , when he proposed to longtime girlfriend Amber Franklin in the DragWars winner ’ s circle . The 2022 Pro 632 world champion , she just earned her second Franklin family double-up with her father , Tommy , winning in Pro Nitrous . Denton also reached the final round in Super Street .

“ That couldn ’ t have been better ,” Denton says of the proposal . “ I was trying to pull off a threepeat , but to get in the finals was still good for points . For them to win it together was good . I love her to death and we ’ ve been doing this together for going on five years now . To do it that way was the best way to do it .”

Though Denton now primarily competes in a heads-up class , he isn ’ t done bracket racing . He ’ ll still occasionally jump in one of the Franklin family ’ s bracket cars whenever there ’ s an opening in the schedule .

“ I ran a hundred-grander the other weekend and got down to four cars in it ,” says Denton , who thanks parents Wesley and Wendy , fiancée Amber , Tommy and Judy Franklin , the TFM crew , and partners like Pat Musi Racing Engines and M & M Transmission . “ I came right back next week and got back in the Super Street car . The next weekend , got back in the dragster , and got my tail kicked . It ’ s just up and down . But I try to fluctuate . I like driving whatever ’ s got wheels .” – NATE VAN WAGNEN DI

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