NOW IN ITS NINTH SEASON, THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST IS A QUICK LOOK AT SOME OF THE TOP PERFORMERS IN THE RED LINE OIL PDRA DRAG RACING SERIES’ PROFES- SIONAL CLASSES. EACH EDITION WILL FOCUS ON ONE OF THE SEVEN RACES ON THE 2026 SCHEDULE. THIS EDITION, REFLECTING PERFORMANCES FROM THE SEASON- OPENING KTR DRAG RACING CAROLINA NATIONALS PRESENTED BY PEE DEE FLEET, MARCH 25-28, AT DARLINGTON 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, TOP QUALIFYING EFFORTS, AND OTHERWISE STANDOUT PERFORMANCES. EDITOR’ S NOTE: THE DARLINGTON RACE WAS POSTPONED AFTER THE SECOND ROUND OF ELIMINATIONS AND WAS COMPLETED AT THE NEXT EVENT. PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRO NITROUS |
PRO BOOST |
PRO STREET |
PRO 632 |
SUPER STREET |
MIKE ACHENBACH FREDY SCRIBA TOMMY FRANKLIN |
JOHNNY CAMP TY TUTTEROW LYLE BARNETT |
FLETCHER COX JERRY MORGANO JOEL WENSLEY JR. |
J. C. BEATTIE JR. JEFF PITTMAN JEFF MELNICK |
CONNOR MCGEE DAN WHETSTINE MATT SCHALOW |
“ Mountain Man” Mike Achenbach returned from a brief hiatus in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by Jerry Bickel Race Cars in triumphant fashion as he qualified No. 2 and scored his third career win and the first for his new Fulton-powered’ 20 Camaro dubbed“ Hot Sister.” Facing 2024 world champion Fredy Scriba in the final, Achenbach left first by. 002 seconds and won with a 3.706-second pass to Scriba’ s 3.741. Scriba qualified in the lucky No. 13 spot in his Musi-powered“ Sorcerer”’ 69 Camaro and took out hitters Amber Denton, Rickie Smith, and Tommy Franklin on race day. Franklin earned the first low qualifier award of the season in his Musipowered“ Jungle Rat 3.0”’ 69 Camaro.
The three weeks and drastic changes in location and weather conditions didn’ t seem to bother Johnny Camp and tuner Brandon Stroud, who took the Pro- Charged“ Hells Bells”’ 69 Camaro to the WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting & Ty-Drive win. Camp ran a 3.613 in the final to beat defending world champion Ty Tutterow and his 3.624. Driving Justin Smith’ s brand-new, screw-blown Quik Fuel’ 68 Camaro, Tutterow qualified seventh and beat Jay Cox and two-time world champ Jason Harris before getting a single to the final. He was set to face Lyle Barnett in Tommy Youmans’ Harts Chargerboosted’ 18 Camaro, but Barnett and Youmans had a schedule conflict. Barnett qualified third
Like his first career win in Liberty’ s Gears Pro Street presented by KTR Drag Racing last fall, Super Bowl champion Fletcher Cox’ s second career win came at a weather-delayed race completed at Darana. In the final round, Cox left on Jerry Morgano and ran a 3.967 in his nitrous-fed“ Training Day”’ 69 Camaro to beat Morgano’ s 3.955 on a holeshot. Morgano qualified No. 1 in his turbocharged, small-block“ Copperhead”’ 02 Mustang, ran 3.926 on a first-round bye, and beat E. T. record holder Richard Reagan and Blake Denton to reach the final. Joel Wensley Jr. qualified second behind his future father-in-law and raced to the semifinals in his ProCharged’ 14 Camaro.
J. C. Beattie Jr. kicked off the new season with a careerbest outing in Pro 632 presented by Mark Williams Enterprises, as he picked up his first career low qualifier award and event win behind the wheel of his Reher-Morrison-powered ATI Performance Products’ 18 Camaro. In the final round, Jeff Pittman left first, but Beattie fired off a 4.117 get past Pittman’ s 4.136. Pittman, back for a second season partnered with Alan O’ Brien, qualified second in his Barry Allen-powered Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales’ 68 Chevelle and dropped a stunning 4.096 in E1. Two-time world champion Jeff Melnick qualified fourth in O’ Brien’ s Allen-powered Greenbrier Excavating & Paving Camaro and reached the semis.
Reigning 1320 Fabrication Super Street presented by Brian’ s Heating & Cooling world champion Connor McGee showed why his team won last year’ s season title. McGee threw down a 4.626 in the semis to take out championship runner-up Austin Vincent, then unloaded a 4.516 in the final. McGee didn’ t need the near-record performance in his Fultonpowered’ 90 Mustang to get the win, though, as his opponent, 2024 world champion Dan Whetstine, went red by. 018. Whetstine qualified fourth in his ProCharged“ Red Velvet”’ 91 Mustang and was solid through eliminations. Matt Schalow earned his first career No. 1 qualifier award in his Knieriem-powered’ 69 Camaro and made it to the semis.
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