Photos by Robert Richard, Steve Embling, Tara Bowker
THURSDAY – PAAP, SALEMI, POWERS, LEAD PDRA EAST COAST NATIONALS QUALIFYING
You only have one time to make a good first impression and on the opening day of the 2025 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series a pair of rookies took this to the next level.
Rookies Tim Paap (Pro Nitrous) and Tim Dutton (Pro Street) took the provisional No. 1 positions in their respective divisions at the PDRA East Coast Nationals hosted by Galot Motorsports Park.
Seasoned veterans Melanie Salemi (Pro Boost) and Chris Powers (Pro Stock) are at the top of the leaderboard with the rookies.
Paap, who most recently competed in Top Sportsman, recorded a 3.696-second pass to set the pace with two sessions to go on Friday. Three-time world champion Tommy Franklin was second with a 3.702 at 205.16. Engine builder Billy Albert was third with a 3.707 at 204.70.
Of 21 entries, Dutton shined the brightest in the Pro Street division, a 3.979 at 187.13 to take the provisional No. 1 position. He was the only driver in the crowded field to dip into the 3-second range.
Salemi, a two-time Pro Boost winner at the East Coast Nationals, set the pace with a 3.637 at 205.47 and was tops amongst the 27 entries. Kurt Steding qualified No. 2 with a 3.652 at 205.69, while Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey laid down a 3.654 at 205.72 and was third.
Powers, the defending series Pro Stock champion, went to the top with a 4.101 at 176.35 in his Sonny’s Racing Engines ’21 Camaro.
Dwayne Rice, who won the East Coast Nationals in 2023, started off on the right foot with a 4.127 at 174.48 while past world champion Steven Boone qualified third in his Allen-powered Boone Motorsports ’07 Cobalt with a 4.142 at 175.25.
Other leaders in the heads-up categories included Lexi Tanner (Pro 632), and Austin Vincent (Super Street).
In the sportsman classes, Glenn Butcher (MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines), Jody Stroud (Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving), Steve Furr (MagnaFuel Top Sportsman), and John Platt Jr. (Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Derrick Wolfe Trucking) claimed the provisional top positions.
Qualifying for the Jr. Dragster classes, including PDRA Pro Jr. Dragster and Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster, will commence Friday morning.
