Photos by Steve Embling, Tara Bowker
QUALIFYING NOTEBOOK – FRANKLIN RIGHTS THE SHIP, NFL TO PRO STREET? NO PROBLEM FOR COX
1 – NOT HOW YOU START – Three-time Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin overcame early testing issues to claim the No. 1 qualifying position Friday at the PDRA North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway.
Franklin’s 3.675-second pass at 206.73 mph in the final session secured the top spot in his Musi-powered “Jungle Rat 3.0” ’69 Camaro, leading all three qualifying rounds.
“We were trying some stuff and had a couple little issues that cost us a couple laps in testing, but we rebounded,” said Franklin, who is also the defending event winner. “The car came out and ran good – real good in Q1, just barely missed it in Q2, and Q3 we were able to put it on the pole.”
Franklin credited tuner Jeff Pierce and his team for the turnaround heading into eliminations on Saturday. “We have a hard-working team over here. All the cars in our camp get a lot of attention and we have a great group of guys that keep them up top,” he said.
“Thanks to Jeff Pierce, Pat Musi power, and everybody that helps me. We’re in really good shape, but there’s a lot of stiff competition.”
2 – KING IS THE KING AGAIN – Steve King, the reigning World Series of Pro Mod champion, secured the No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Boost for the second consecutive year at the PDRA North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway.
King posted a 3.662-second pass at 206.54 mph in Gene Pilot’s screw-blown “Savage” ’19 Corvette to top a 22-car field, locking in one of 16 spots for Saturday eliminations.
“It’s huge to be No. 1 in this field of cars. That’s really, really important to Gene Pilot,” said King, a Strasburg, Virginia native who considers Maryland a home track. “It’s a testament to [tuner] Jon Salemi. We tested a couple weeks ago, made 13 runs in two days. We showed what we learned here.”
King, who is now eyeing a Pro Boost world title, enters eliminations with momentum but remained focused on execution. “We’re ready for race day. A Pro Boost win right here would be huge, but you’ve gotta start with round one and go from there. No. 1 is good tonight, but it doesn’t mean a thing come race day.”
3 – THE KING’S COURT – Johnny Camp and Jason Harris, both tuned by Brandon Stroud, rounded out the top three qualifiers with consistent 3.66-second runs. Camp clocked a 3.663 at 205.91 mph in his ProCharged “Hells Bells” ’69 Camaro to earn the No. 2 spot.
Harris, driving the Southern Diamond Company “Party Time” ’69 Camaro, ran a 3.666 at 205.54 mph to qualify third. Both drivers are in championship contention and showed strong pace heading into eliminations.
The 2025 edition of the North vs. South Shootout continues to draw one of the deepest Pro Boost fields in the PDRA season, with top teams chasing points early in the campaign. King’s back-to-back No. 1 qualifiers at Maryland reflect his growing presence as a title threat in the class.
All three top qualifiers—King, Camp, and Harris—landed within .004 seconds of each other, setting up what is expected to be a tightly contested ladder on Saturday. The Pro Boost field includes several past winners, championship contenders, and new challengers.
4 – DOWN, SET, HIKE! – Former NFL standout Fletcher Cox continued his rapid ascent in PDRA Pro Street competition, qualifying No. 1 at the North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway.
In only his second event as a Pro Street driver, Cox posted a 4.027-second pass at 192.03 mph during the heat of the day in his Phil Shuler-tuned, nitrous-assisted “Training Day” ’69 Camaro.
“This means a lot,” said Cox, a Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles. “We went out there and tested good. We ran good in qualifying. Ran good during the day, made some really good laps.”
“The team did a really good job of turning the car around and making sure that I had a fast and safe car down the racetrack,” Cox added. “But to come out my second race and qualify No. 1, what more can I ask for? Especially when it’s [girlfriend] Kaycee’s birthday tomorrow.”
Cox reached the semifinals in his debut at the previous PDRA event, where he lost in an all-nitrous matchup to Blake Denton. Denton, the current points leader, secured the No. 2 qualifying spot at Maryland with a 4.082 at 199.43 in the Musi-powered “Bonnie” ’69 Camaro formerly driven by the late Lizzy Musi.
5 – RIDDLE IS BACK – Defending world champion Bill Riddle returned to form after a crash in Virginia, placing third on the qualifying sheet with a 4.11 at 186.20 in his roots-blown Corrigan Race Fuels ’89 Camaro. Riddle’s performance helps reset his title defense campaign following the Virginia setback.
6 – HE’S GOT THE POWER, AGAIN – Two-time and reigning Extreme Pro Stock world champion Chris Powers secured his third consecutive No. 1 qualifier Friday at the PDRA North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway.
Powers ran a 4.122-second pass at 175.34 mph in his Sonny’s Racing Engines/ATI Performance ’21 Camaro, narrowly edging 2023 champion Alan Drinkwater by .003 of a second for the top spot.
“We were down a little bit having some issues in the tranny area, but we got it resolved and got back where we wanted to be,” said Powers, who also won the 2021 edition of the event. “We thought we’d make a little better of a hit, but we’ll take it. It was fast enough to get us on the pole.”
Powers enters Saturday eliminations in position to chase a $10,000 winner’s prize presented by C.R. Powers HVAC. “We’re going to give it everything we’ve got tomorrow and show how good of a team we really are,” he said. “We’ve got Chuck Samuel tuning and my son on the clutch. I’m really pleased with everybody and all the work we’ve done. It’s shown this year how much work we’ve done over the winter.”
Drinkwater, who lost to Powers in the season-opening final round, posted a 4.125 at 175.37 mph in his Kaase-powered ’08 Mustang to qualify second. The margin between the top two drivers reflects the ongoing rivalry at the top of the class.
Points leader Jeremy Huffman slotted in third with a 4.13 at 176.70 in his 3V Performance-powered ’10 Cobalt. Huffman picked up his first career Extreme Pro Stock win at the last stop on tour and remains in strong contention heading into eliminations.
7 – MELNICK RETURNS TO FORM – Former Pro 632 world champion Jeff Melnick continued his resurgence by qualifying No. 1 for the second consecutive event at the PDRA North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway.
Driving Alan O’Brien’s Patrick Barnhill-tuned Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’20 Camaro, Melnick clocked a 4.168-second pass at 170.64 mph in the final qualifying session to secure the top spot in all three rounds.
“I feel like the guys have a great handle on the combo,” said Melnick, who sits one round out of the points lead after a runner-up finish at the previous race. “Two years ago, we really had the car set up great with the small block. Last year, we switched to the big-block Chevy and it took a few races to make the adjustments – and having to add 300 pounds to the car.”
“We got a good handle on it by mid-season, but then we hurt the engine at the end of the season,” Melnick added. “This year, we have another new motor with a big-block Ford in the car now and these guys have used the things we learned last year to make the car better this year. Three different motors in three years. I don’t think anyone has done anything like that.”
Melnick’s qualifying effort came with horsepower from Barry Allen, who also powers his new teammate, Jeff Pittman. Pittman ran a 4.207 at 178.54 in his Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales ’68 Chevelle to qualify third in his Pro 632 debut.
Lexi Tanner, who claimed her first career No. 1 qualifier at the season opener, posted a 4.197 at 170.06 in her Musi-powered “Thunder” ’16 Camaro to qualify second. The trio of Melnick, Tanner, and Pittman leads a competitive field heading into Saturday eliminations.
8 – MCGEE THE STREAK KILLER – Connor McGee ended Austin Vincent’s streak of No. 1 qualifiers in Super Street Friday night, taking the top position during qualifying at the PDRA North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway.
McGee posted a 4.656-second run at 154.26 mph in his nitrous-fed, Fulton-powered Brian’s Heating & Cooling ’90 Mustang to lead the field through two of three scheduled qualifying sessions.
“This feels pretty good, especially for points since we’re four points behind [Vincent],” said McGee, who won the season opener in April. “He’s fourth [in qualifying], so now we’re actually tied for first, which is something you need to put out of your mind on race day.”
“You don’t want to think about that stuff to stress you out, but it’s always there,” he added. “This is definitely a race where we think we can put some points ahead of everyone else and just have a good, strong weekend, but everybody else is running pretty strong, so we’ll have to see.”
9 – LOADED SUPER STREET FIELD – Matt Schalow returned to competition after a crash at the previous PDRA event, qualifying second with a 4.711 at 155.74 mph in a new-to-him ’69 Camaro. The Virginia Beach driver rebounded quickly following the incident that sidelined his ’00 Camaro.
Rookie Carson Perry continued his steady debut season, qualifying third with a 4.739 at 156.37 in his nitrous-assisted Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’00 Camaro. Perry joins a crowded field of young drivers making their mark in the Super Street category.
The top four qualifiers—McGee, Schalow, Perry, and Vincent—set up a competitive ladder as eliminations begin. With a tight points battle and multiple race winners in the mix, Saturday’s rounds are expected to have major implications in the championship chase.
10 – THE TOP SPORTSMEN – Glenn Butcher and Jody Stroud continued their dominant form in the PDRA’s Elite Top Sportsman and Elite Top Dragster classes Friday at the North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway.
Reigning Elite Top Sportsman world champion Butcher secured his third consecutive No. 1 qualifier of the season with a 3.777-second pass at 199.37 mph in his nitrous-assisted Butcher & Son Demolition ’69 Camaro.
Bryan LaFlam followed in the No. 2 spot with a 3.792 at 193.29 in his supercharged BigStuff TPM ’67 Mustang. Brian Tiffe rounded out the top three, driving the Schween Motorsports nitrous-fed ’21 Corvette to a 3.861 at 194.32.
Corey Evans narrowly missed the Elite Top Sportsman field but was the quickest in the 52-car overflow group, earning the No. 1 spot in Top Sportsman 48 with a 4.193 at 178.78 in his ’18 Camaro out of Middletown, Virginia.
In Elite Top Dragster, South Carolina-based driver Jody Stroud led the field by a wide margin, clocking a 3.68 at 200.77 in his supercharged “Zombie” ’07 Spitzer. Stroud was the only driver to break into the 3.60s under hot track conditions.
Alan O’Brien qualified second with a 3.751 at 198.17 in his turbocharged Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’23 Race Tech dragster. Two-time world champion Steve Furr secured the third spot at 3.791 and 195.48 mph in his ProCharged ’13 American dragster.
Tisha Wilson, a past Top Dragster world champion, narrowly missed the 16-car Elite field by just six thousandths of a second. Her 4.117 at 170.34 in her ’25 Race Tech dragster earned her the No. 1 qualifying position in Top Dragster 48.
10B – REVISED SATURDAY SCHEDULE – The revised schedule moves Jr. Dragster eliminations to 8:30 a.m., followed by Edelbrock Bracket Bash time trials and the continuation of Top Sportsman and Top Dragster rounds.
In response to potential weather concerns, pre-race ceremonies and pro class eliminations have been moved up to 11 a.m. to ensure racing remains on schedule.
