Drag Illustrated Issue 197, November / December 2025 | Page 58

NOW IN ITS EIGHTH SEASON, THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST DIVES INTO SOME OF THE BIGGEST PERFORMANCES IN THE PROFESSIONAL CLASSES FROM EACH OF THE EIGHT RACES ON THE 2025 RED LINE OIL PDRA DRAG RACING SERIES. THIS EDITION, REPRESENTING PERFORMANCES FROM THE THUNDER VALLEY THROWDOWN PRESENTED BY LARRY JEFFERS RACE CARS, AUGUST 21-23, AT BRISTOL DRAGWAY, 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: THIS RACE WAS RAINED OUT AND COMPLETED AT DRAGWARS AT GALOT. PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRO NITROUS
TOMMY FRANKLIN TIM MOLNAR MARCUS BUTNER
PRO BOOST
TY TUTTEROW JASON HARRIS MELANIE SALEMI
PRO STREET
ETHAN STEDING FLETCHER COX RICHARD REAGAN
EXTREME PRO STOCK
ALAN DRINKWATER JORDAN ENSSLIN ELIJAH MORTON
PRO OUTLAW 632
JEFF MELNICK CARSON HOYLE JEFF PITTMAN
Qualifying was a struggle for Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous at Bristol, but Tommy Franklin navigated the surface well enough to put his Musi-powered“ Jungle Rat 3.0”’ 69 Camaro in the No. 1 spot. His edge continued when the race picked back up at GALOT, using a pair of 3.62s to beat Marcus Butner and Tim Molnar in the semis and finals, respectively. Molnar posted a 3.681 in his first career final in his Rickie Smith-tuned, Albert-powered’ 23 Camaro. Butner’ s Musi-powered“ Heartbreaker”’ 69 Camaro qualified No. 10, but it came alive at GALOT, as he also ran a pair of 3.62s in eliminations. He lost by thousandths to Franklin in the semis.
WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive got a glimpse of what Ty Tutterow and his father and tuner, Todd Tutterow, had coming down the line. Driving Justin Smith’ s screw-blown Quik Fuel’ 69 Camaro, Ty made it out of the first round then went on a tear at GALOT, running a trio of high 3.50s. He ran a 3.580 to beat Melanie Salemi’ s 3.588 in a side-by-side final. He dodged a bullet in the semis, though, as Jason Harris went. 004 red on a 3.562 pass in his ProCharged“ Party Time”’ 69 Camaro. Salemi cut killer lights in Eddie Whelan’ s screwblown“ Purple Reign”’ 68 Firebird, winning her semifinal match on a holeshot.
Defending Liberty’ s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports world champ Ethan Steding went into Bristol in a serious points deficit behind Blake Denton, but when Denton couldn’ t fire up for their E1 match, Steding capitalized. He went on to reach the final round in his rootsblown P2 Contracting’ 24 Camaro. He lost to Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox, who uncorked a 3.898 in his nitrous-fed“ Training Day”’ 69 Camaro to hoist his first PDRA 660 Man. Tennessee’ s own Richard Reagan flexed some serious muscle in his screw-blown’ 91 Mustang, running in the low 3.90s on his way to a semifinal exit to Cox, with his 3.937 losing to Cox’ s 3.908.
Bristol won’ t go down as the best race of the season for 2023 AED Competition Extreme Pro Stock world champion Alan Drinkwater, but his consistent performance keeps him at the top of the list. He qualified No. 2 and reached the semis in his Kaase-powered Flatout Gaskets’ 08 Mustang. Bristol will be a memorable event for Jordan Ensslin, who defeated Drinkwater before getting the final-round win over a red-lighting Elijah Morton to get his first win in the class. His 4.060 in his Allen-powered“ Seabiscuit”’ 09 Mustang set low E. T. of the event. Morton qualified No. 1 in his Allen-powered Morton Brothers Motorsports’ 19 Mustang before racing to the final.
Jeff Melnick continued to prove why he and Alan O’ Brien’ s Barry Allen-powered Greenbrier Excavating & Paving’ 20 Camaro won the 2023 world championship in PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters. Melnick qualified second and used a combo of horsepower and reaction times to get the win, posting a 4.205 to defeat teammate Jeff Pittman’ s quicker 4.163 in the final. Carson Hoyle showed promise in his Musi-powered ATI Performance’ 69 Camaro, running low E. T. of the event in the semis, a 4.133, though Pittman took him out on a holeshot with a 4.175. It was the best event of Pittman’ s rookie season in his No. 3-qualified Hickory Enclosed Trailers’ 68 Chevelle.
SUPER STREET
CONNOR MCGEE | AUSTIN VINCENT | CARSON PERRY
Defending event winner Connor McGee successfully backed up his win in PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’ s Heating & Cooling LLC. He qualified No. 1 by. 003 in his Fulton-powered’ 90 Mustang and set low E. T. of all three rounds, including his 4.556 to beat Austin Vincent in the final. Vincent in his Vincent Performance’ 88 Mustang qualified second and wasn’ t far off throughout eliminations, ending with a 4.583 next to McGee preceded by a 4.581 in the semis. Carson Perry put his Barry Allen-powered Greenbrier Excavating & Paving’ 00 Camaro in the No. 3 spot and was third-quickest of the first round, but bowed out in the semis.
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