The Oral History of the PDRA The Oral History of the PDRA
and competition at those races – that ’ s something else that PDRA can always be proud of in 10 years .
TF : We didn ’ t create cars . What we did was give them a great place to race . We treated them equally . We gave them the exposure they deserve . We didn ’ t invent Top Sportsman or Top Dragster . That was a class that already existed . It was just a class that there was a lot of participation in . There ’ s always somebody that feels neglected at some level , but our goal is to try to give everybody the same thing and the same respect . They answer it back by showing up at the entry gate on Wednesday to come in and race . We love that .
The interesting piece that we ’ ve created here at the PDRA is hands down the best competition in I feel like every single class . Sometimes winners breed winners . I think that ’ s what happens here . People come in and they want to be as good as that next guy , and everybody keeps stepping up their game . It ’ s unreal . It really is . I can sit back and proudly say no matter where I go , no matter what I do , that we have the best racers in the country . But they prove that . All we did was give them a platform to do it .
We definitely knew that there was a need for a great place for everybody
who compete in the series .
TC : It ’ s really easy to get lost in trying to build a show and making something a circus , but when you can put on an awesome event for racers that want to continue to come at each and every event , you end up with a great show . The next step is finding more fans to put that show in front of . We ’ ve been putting more emphasis on the social media side , the advertising side , the fan engagement side , and at some point the home run ball is going to drop . You can go out and hit the singles and the doubles so many times . At some point , the big swing is going to happen . As long as we stick with the program and continue to get better each and every event , it ’ ll happen . We look forward to that day , that ’ s for sure .
The more that fans come out and see it and spread the word of what PDRA is and how the series does , I think the sky ’ s the limit for what the series can do going forward into not only the 11th season , but every year past that , as far as we want to go .
The PDRA started as a stable and trustworthy place for racers to compete . Through highs and lows , the series has continued to live up to that original mission . The Franklin family and the team they built
The first-ever PDRA Pro Nitrous champion , Jason Harris is now a Pro Boost champion too .
Fan engagement remains a priority for the PDRA going into year 11 . to race . Can I say that we wrote the script ? No , absolutely not . We knew what we wanted . We wanted everybody to want to come race with this organization . We just tried to lay out the things that we knew would do that . Is it the cheapest place to race ? No . Is it the easiest place to race ? No . That wasn ’ t ever really what our mindset was . We wanted somebody that was willing to come in , spend the money to have good racetracks , consistency , organization , and respect . And that ’ s what we ask for back . Most of our racers do exactly that . Could I see it in the place that it is now ? I mean , I dream big . I know that ’ s what we wanted , just didn ’ t know what it was going to take to get there . Are we where we want to be ? No . Do I still have bigger dreams ? Yeah .
JF : I love the PDRA . I love our PDRA family . We enjoy spending time with our PDRA family as much as we do most anyone . The winter months are hard when we ’ re not around our PDRA family . That ’ s why a few years ago we started doing the PDRA trips just so we could get together with our PDRA family on the offseason to enjoy time together . The same as Tommy , I would love to see it grow . I would love to see us put a packed house every time the PDRA rolls into town . I would love to see us completely pack the house with racers and spectators and everybody know that the PDRA is the baddest place to race .
As 2023 winds down , the PDRA is forging ahead into the next 10 years . With a strong racer base established , the series plans to focus on building its spectator base while continuing to sweeten the pot for racers remain committed to offering that for 2024 and beyond . As always , Tommy Franklin is quick to share the credit with the people who ’ ve made the first 10 years of the PDRA possible .
TF : Just a personal thank you from Judy and I to everyone who ’ s ever been involved in working with the PDRA , past and present . We talk about us and we talk about the main people that contribute , but the truth is it takes them all . It doesn ’ t matter if it ’ s from the registration process or coming through the burnout box to the starting line to the safety guys and the media – everybody that puts it on . We purposely stay out of the event as it goes on , but it takes all of those people .
A personal thank you to every racer that competes with us , because again , without them , we would not be the series that we are .
Thank you to everyone on the media side of it because they ’ re our exposure . I feel like our media family is different than other organizations as well . We have a really big , tight media group that seems to work together to put us on display out there . We really appreciate all of that .
Lastly , obviously , the sponsors that make contributions to PDRA . That ’ s what really sets the purses and sets everything in place for us to put this on .
I ’ ve said it for numerous years : all we do here is provide a platform for companies to strive , for racers to strive , and to try to entertain a family that wants to come out and watch racing . It takes everybody to make it happen . DI
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