Drag Illustrated Issue 190, September / October 2024 | Page 61

Special Section

THIS EDITION OF THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST REPRESENTS PERFORMANCES FROM THE NORTHERN NATIONALS , AUGUST 1-3 , AT U . S . 131 MOTORSPORTS PARK . EDITOR ’ S NOTE : DRAG 965 PRO EXTREME MOTORCYCLE DID NOT COMPETE AT THIS EVENT . PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER

Four-time Pro Nitrous world champion Jim Halsey may take the top spot on the list for his runner-up finish , but it was first-time winner Jackie Slone who stole the show at Martin . Driving his Musi-powered Slone Boys Racing ’ 69 Camaro , the Michigan native used holeshot wins in the first three rounds to reach his first final , where he cut a . 003 light and ran a 3.742 to beat Halsey , who slowed to a 5.266 . Halsey was off his usual pace in qualifying , putting his Fulton-powered “ Daddy Shark ” ’ 68 Camaro in the No . 6 spot , but he set low E . T . of every round ( and the event with a 3.641 ). Tommy Franklin ended Halsey ’ s No . 1 qualifying streak , then fell to Halsey in the second round .

With No . 1 qualifier Todd Tutterow out in the first round and points leader Kurt Steding out in the second round , Pro Boost was anything but predictable at Martin . But no one was surprised when Johnny Camp and Jason Harris raced to the final round . Camp cut a . 010 light and ran a 3.641 to score his first win in over two years , while Harris lifted to a 6.011 after setting low E . T . of the event in the semis in his Pro- Charged “ Party Time ” ’ 69 Camaro . Derek Ward ’ s screw-blown ’ 68 Firebird looked like it was going to carry him to his first Pro Boost win , but his 3.612 in the semis wasn ’ t enough to get around Harris ’ s unbeatable . 002 light and 3.599 .

The Extreme Pro Stock final round was a battle between past world champions Chris Powers ( 2021 ) and Steven Boone ( 2018 ), and it sure lived up to the championship status . The two drivers left the line together with sub- . 020 lights , but Powers in his No . 2-qualified , Sonny ’ s Racing Engines ’ 21 Camaro was slightly quicker with a 4.121 to Boone ’ s 4.136 in his Allen-powered Boone Motorsports ’ 07 Cobalt . It was the second final-round appearance of the season for both drivers . Elijah Morton , the most recent winner on tour , qualified No . 1 for the first time this season to keep his hot streak going , but he slowed against Boone in the second round .

This has been a rebuilding year for defending Pro 632 world champion Jeff Melnick , who had to switch from a small-block AMC powerplant to a big-block Chevy this season . The Alan O ’ Brienowned team ’ s efforts paid off with Melnick ’ s second consecutive Northern Nationals win . He cut a . 006 light and ran a 4.184 in the Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’ 20 Camaro to beat Jason Ventura ’ s 4.235 . Ventura picked up holeshot wins in the first two rounds driving his HRE-powered ’ 70 Camaro to set up a rematch of last year ’ s Martin final . One of those holeshots was over 2022 world champion Amber Franklin , who qualified No . 1 but lost to Ventura by just . 0007 in the semifinals .

Pro Street got a major shakeup at Martin , as the top two drivers in the points standings , Ethan Steding and Dan Norris , lost in the first round , while No . 3 driver Tim Essick sat out the event altogether . Rookie Brian Weddle , with two runner-up finishes in his three appearances , capitalized the most by winning in his screw-blown ’ 68 Camaro . Weddle and final-round opponent Scott Kincaid both left with . 003 reaction times , then Weddle pulled ahead to win with a 3.797 to Kincaid ’ s 4.076 . Weddle was . 001 and . 009 in the prior two rounds . It was Kincaid ’ s second final of the year in his screwblown ’ 69 Camaro . Defending world champ Bill Riddle reached the semis for the second consecutive race .

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