Photos by Robert Richard, Tara Bowker
THURSDAY NOTEBOOK – SCRIBA, SALEMI WIN BIG AT PDRA PROSTARS
1 – SCRIBA GRABS ANOTHER – One year after clinching his first career Pro Nitrous world championship, Fredy Scriba captured his second straight ProStars victory Friday at Virginia Motorsports Park. Driving his Musi-powered “Sorcerer” ’69 Camaro, Scriba defeated reigning Pro 632 champion Amber Denton in the final round.
Denton left first but shut off early, while Scriba powered to his quickest run of the season at 3.622 seconds and 207.24 mph. Denton slowed to a 4.283 at 130.89 mph.
“Sometimes it’s the car, sometimes it’s the driver,” Scriba said. “I was a little tardy on the tree, but we made up for it down track. I’m just happy the car is making consistent runs right now. It’s a good start for the weekend. We’ll see how the rest of it goes. It’s pretty neat – two events in one weekend. It’s good to get a lot of laps the first day. It’s really helpful.”
Scriba advanced through eliminations with consistent performances. He used a holeshot to knock out recent DragWars winner and title contender Marcus Butner, who ran quicker at 3.629 but lost to Scriba’s 3.645 at 206.83 mph.
In the semifinals, Scriba was quicker than John Vergotz at both ends of the track. He recorded a 3.630 at 207.34 to beat Vergotz’s 3.712 at 200.41.
Denton, who led the standings earlier in her rookie Pro Nitrous campaign, reached the final with a string of steady passes in her Musi-powered “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro. She opened eliminations with a 3.648 at 206.73 over Brian Shrader’s 3.870 at 156.64.
She then faced her father, points leader and three-time world champion Tommy Franklin, in the semifinals. Denton left first and held on with a 3.635 at 206.86, defeating Franklin’s quicker 3.615 at 208.59.
The matchup marked a milestone for Denton’s debut season as she transitioned from Pro 632 into the higher-horsepower Pro Nitrous category. Scriba’s win added another highlight to his back-to-back championship runs.
2 – SALEMI’S MOMENTUM BUILDER – Pro Boost championship contender Melanie Salemi delivered a string of record-quick runs to claim the ProStars title in Eddie Whelan’s screw-blown Al-Lee Installations “Purple Reign” ’68 Firebird. All three of her passes in eliminations were faster than the current class E.T. national record of 3.555 seconds.
Salemi closed with a 3.547 at 210.87 mph in the final round to defeat Jason Lee, who left early on a red-light but still posted a 3.566 at 211.20. The victory served as a boost for Salemi as she chases the season points lead heading into the World Finals.
“Evan and Jon [Salemi] have been working tirelessly to get our program to be where it is right now,” Salemi said. “We’ve had a lot of struggles, but then we’ve also had a lot of great times at the racetrack this year. I’m going to probably say it’s been my best season so far, but like I said, there’s been trials and tribulations along the way.”
“To get this win tonight, obviously it’s not a full four-round race, but there were tough competitors and I don’t think anybody was ready for us to come out this evening and lay down the 3.54,” Salemi added. “I actually wasn’t even ready for it because I just focus on driving. It’s just really awesome being able to race with our family and our best friends and know that everybody has the same goal in mind and everybody puts in 100% of their effort into everything that they do.”
Salemi, who sits second in the standings just under three rounds behind Ty Tutterow, opened eliminations with a 3.543 at 211.73 to defeat Kurt Steding’s 3.583 at 210.24. She backed it up in the semifinals with a 3.550 at 212.39 against Joel Wensley Sr., who slowed to a 4.217.
Lee reached the final as an alternate entry. He advanced past two-time and reigning world champion Jason Harris in the opening round when Harris went red on a 3.604 at 209.56, while Lee posted a 3.597 at 209.07 in Eric Gustafson’s screw-blown Coast Packing Co. ’20 Camaro.
In the semifinals, Lee faced Steve King, who rolled the beams at the start. That gave Lee a free pass to the final, where his red-light ended his run against Salemi.
3 – ENSSLIN AIN’T FINISHED YET – Less than a month after collecting his first Extreme Pro Stock victory, Jordan Ensslin added another trophy by defeating 2023 world champion and current points leader Alan Drinkwater in the ProStars final. Driving his Allen-powered “Seabiscuit” ’09 Mustang, Ensslin posted a career-best 4.014 at 179.40 mph to Drinkwater’s 4.024 at 179.78.
“Winning ProStars is pretty special and important,” Ensslin said. “It’s a specialty race. The money is good, of course, but just being able to go rounds with our family and friends helping us, it means a lot because we put a lot of heart and soul and dedication into this whole program and to see it come to fruition is pretty astounding.”
Ensslin produced his best numbers of the season in each round leading up to the final. He opened with a 4.030 at 178.33 to eliminate two-time and reigning world champion Chris Powers, who shut off to a 9.924.
The Florida driver then used a semifinal bye run to reset his personal best again, recording a 4.017 at 179.02 to advance to the final. The momentum carried through to his quickest and fastest pass against Drinkwater.
Drinkwater, racing his Kaase-powered Flatout Gaskets ’08 Mustang, opened with a 4.046 at 179.02 to defeat Elijah Morton’s 4.076 at 175.68. The defending world champion moved past Jeremy Huffman in the semifinals with a 4.042 at 179.56 to Huffman’s troubled 4.082 at 164.65.
The win marked another step forward for Ensslin, who just weeks earlier captured his first career Extreme Pro Stock win at the Thunder Valley Throwdown. His back-to-back performances placed him firmly among the class contenders as the season heads toward its conclusion.
4 – TWO IN A ROW FOR GREEN – For the second straight year, Ron Green claimed the ProStars Pro Street victory, this time driving his screw-blown “Gamechanger” ’00 Firebird. Entering the race-your-way-in event as an alternate, Green left first in the final and held on with a 3.872 at 202.58 mph over Richard Reagan’s 3.852 at 199.67.
Reagan’s pass would have set a new class E.T. record if the ProStars were record-eligible. Green, from Chesterfield, Virginia, made the most of his alternate spot to secure back-to-back wins.
Green opened eliminations with a 3.896 at 203.92 to defeat Reagan’s teammate, Scott Kincaid, who posted a 3.925. In the semifinals, Green beat championship contender Blake Denton, running 3.879 at 203.22 to Denton’s 3.914 at 188.33.
Reagan reached the final with a strong effort in his screw-blown ’91 Mustang. He took out Joel Wensley Jr. in the first round with a 3.902 at 186.95, then advanced past points leader and reigning champion Ethan Steding with a 3.875 at 199.17 when Steding slowed to a 4.389.
5 – LANNIGAN IN SEVENTH HEAVEN – Walter Lannigan extended his round-win streak to seven by adding a ProStars victory in David Cook’s Nelson-powered Copy&PrintWarehouse.com ’10 GTO. In the final, Lannigan ran a 4.172 at 169.25 after opponent Kyle Salminen fouled with a .009 red light on a quicker 4.158 at 176.70.
Lannigan started with a come-from-behind win over Gary Hood, using a 4.129 at 170.67 to drive around Hood’s early advantage and 4.412 at 160.40. He then knocked out two-time world champion Jeff Melnick in the semifinals with a 4.131 at 170.17 while Melnick slowed to an 8.797.
Salminen opened eliminations with a 4.166 at 166.58 when opponent Nicole Liberty was unable to run. In the semifinals, he advanced past Jason Ventura, who left first but lost despite a 4.198 as Salminen drove around with a 4.15 at 164.99 in his Musi-powered ’03 Cavalier.
6 – PERRY GETS HIS FIRST – Carson Perry earned his first Super Street victory by defeating Matt Schalow in a final that guaranteed a first-time winner. Schalow was quicker off the line, but Perry powered to a career-best 4.503 at 157.58 mph in his Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’00 Camaro as Schalow slowed to a 5.078 at 104.58.
Perry began his run to the trophy with a first-round win over defending event winner and reigning world champion Dan Whetstine. Both drivers left together, but Perry pulled ahead with a 4.507 at 157.69 to Whetstine’s 4.576 at 160.08.
In the semifinals, Perry advanced with a bye run. He clicked off early, coasting to a 4.911 at 113.38 to set up his final-round appearance.
Schalow reached the final in his Knieriem-powered ’69 Camaro after taking a free pass in the first round. He rolled to a 9.230 at 67.89 to move on.
In the semifinals, Schalow matched points leader Connor McGee’s .048 reaction time. He held on for the win with a 4.622 at 155.76, while McGee followed closely with a 4.631 at 150.95.
Perry’s victory capped off a career night that saw him post his quickest numbers of the season. The rookie joined the list of new winners in the Super Street category.
📷📷📷 Headed to the Stampede of Speed & #FallNats? 📷📷
— Competition Plus (@competitionplus) October 3, 2025
Don’t miss your chance to SAVE 10% with code 📷 COMPETITIONPLUS10 📷
📷 Grab your tickets here 📷 https://t.co/3S7MSFCe60#DragRacingNews #PEAKSquad 📷 pic.twitter.com/oH6sMKHzvA
7 – SHAZAAM! IT’S LAFLAM- Elite Top Sportsman points leader Bryan LaFlam opened his World Finals weekend with a ProStars victory in a non-points race. Driving his supercharged BigStuff TPM ’67 Mustang, LaFlam defeated fellow title contender Tim Lawrence in the final round.
LaFlam left the line first and won with a 3.734 on a 3.71 dial-in. Lawrence, in his nitrous-fed Bell Trucking ’13 Camaro, followed with a 3.91 on a 3.89 dial-in.
The win added to LaFlam’s season résumé, which already includes one national event victory. His performance also gave him a boost of momentum entering the championship-deciding World Finals.
In the Top Sportsman 32final, Dinwiddie native Mark Reese claimed the trophy in a double-red-light outcome. His opponent, Ronnie Proctor, rolled through the beams and coasted to the finish.
Reese left .006 seconds too soon but still advanced with a 4.212 on a 4.18 dial-in in his ’08 Mustang. The result kept the Top Sportsman ProStars hardware in town.
DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY 🎉
— Competition Plus (@competitionplus) October 3, 2025
Billy Meyer’s iconic ’85 Mustang meets 40 years of the Texas Motorplex 🏁
Limited-edition shirt — ships Oct. 10 👕🔥
👉 At the CompetitionPlusStore - https://t.co/p0gtLDRXwZ pic.twitter.com/9zNUTEPK8L
9 – NEXT-GEN REPRESENTED – The Jr. Dragster ranks were on full display at ProStars as Sofie Cooper and Knox Schween claimed class victories. Cooper won in Paragon Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products, while Schween took the Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products final.
Cooper, who closed the 2024 season with a World Finals win, added another Virginia accolade to her resume. She left first in the final and posted a 7.902 on the 7.90 index to defeat points leader Alyssa Rabon, who broke out with a 7.899.
The victory gave Cooper another milestone as she continued to establish herself in the Jr. Dragster ranks. Rabon, despite the loss, maintained her position as the class points leader entering the final stretch of the season.
In Top Jr. Dragster, Schween reinforced his hold on the standings with a sharp reaction time and consistent pass. He cut a .001 light and ran 8.916 on his 8.90 dial-in to edge Braydon Crayton’s 8.951 on an 8.95 dial-in.
Schween enters the World Finals as the points leader with three wins already in hand. His performance at ProStars showed he remains the driver to beat in the category.
10 – THE REST OF THE PLAN – The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will roll into Brian Olson Memorial World Finals qualifying on Friday morning starting with Jr. Dragster and sportsman classes at 8:30 a.m. Pro sessions are set for noon and 5:45 p.m.
BOBBY BENNETT: WHY THE “GOOD OLD DAYS” AREN’T BETTER THAN TODAY