Photos by Robert Richard
QUALIFYING NOTEBOOK – ROYALTY LEADS THE WAY WHILE A NEW FACE LEADS PRO NITROUS
1 – THE PRINCE BECOMES THE KING – Todd Tutterow might own the “King Tut” nickname, but Friday night at Darana Motorsports Park belonged to his son.
Defending Pro Boost world champion Ty Tutterow saved his best shot for the final qualifying session, ripping off a 3.556-second pass at 209.79 mph to claim the No. 1 position in a loaded 28-car field.
For Tutterow, who also won Drag Wars last season, the timing looks familiar. His late-season surge a year ago carried him to the championship, and he is showing signs of another one with two races remaining.
“We always plan to go up there and better our last run, and there were a couple people that went up there and ran pretty close to the same run that we did earlier, or maybe a little better,” Tutterow said. “But the weather got a lot better. We were able to really stand on it and give it everything we had for that last run, and it worked out. I really figured it would run a low .56. I didn’t think it was going to dip quite into a .55, but that was great.”
Tutterow entered Drag Wars third in the standings behind points leader Jason Harris and Johnny Camp. The No. 1 qualifier points helped chip away at that deficit before eliminations even began.
“We got the pole again and all these points help,” Tutterow said. “It’s still an uphill climb to try to win the championship, but that’s our end goal…and try to win two races along the way. The car’s there. The team’s there. I gotta be there and we just gotta have some luck on our side.”
Camp made sure Tutterow didn’t gain much ground on him. The second-place points contender qualified No. 2 with a 3.576 at 210.80 mph in his ProCharger-equipped “Hells Bells” ’69 Camaro.
Carson Perry continued making an impression in only his second PDRA Pro Boost appearance. The North Carolina driver qualified third with a 3.578 at 210.34 in the Harts Charger-boosted Redd Topp Motorsports C7 Corvette.
2 – FIRST TIME IS THE CHARM – Ryan Bush didn’t need much time to figure out PDRA Pro Nitrous.
Making his first start in the category, Bush jumped over a collection of championship contenders Friday night with a 3.629-second pass at 209.56 mph to qualify No. 1 in his Pat Musi-powered “El Chapo” ’69 Camaro.
Bush typically races in the Mid-West Drag Racing Series, but he and tuner Jeff Pierce arrived at Benson knowing they had a combination capable of running with the PDRA regulars.
“It feels good,” Bush said. “It was a long trip out here, but we’ve been running all year in the Midwest, so we knew the car would be competitive. Obviously I’ve got a great tuner in Jeff, so we felt pretty good coming in. The air’s not great, but we knew if the track got good, it’d be fast.”
Bush also landed directly in the middle of a championship fight that doesn’t involve him.
Defending world champion Marcus Butner entered the weekend chasing three-time champion Tommy Franklin and picked up valuable qualifying points by taking the No. 2 position. Butner’s Jay Cox-tuned “Heartbreaker” ’69 Camaro recorded a 3.631 at 207.69 mph, just two-thousandths behind Bush.
Fredy Scriba provided another reminder of how quickly things can turn around in drag racing.
The 2024 world champion crashed at the top end during testing at the previous event in Bristol. Back in his Robert Hayes-built “Sorcerer” ’69 Camaro at Benson, Scriba qualified third with a 3.640 at 207.94.
That gave Pat Musi-powered ’69 Camaros all three of the leading positions, although it was the PDRA newcomer sitting above the two world champions.
3 – NOTHING LIKE BROWN SUGAR – Tim Essick doesn’t race the PDRA tour as often as he once did, but apparently he hasn’t forgotten how to get to the top of a Pro Street qualifying sheet.
The two-time class champion was the only driver to break into the 3.80s Friday night, putting his ProCharger-equipped “Brown Sugar” ’18 Mustang No. 1 with a 3.893 at 195.65 mph.
Getting there required considerably more than making a clean run.
Essick broke the rear end during the second qualifying session, sending his team into a thrash just to get the Mustang back together before the final session. They made the staging lanes with little time to spare.
“It feels terrific, especially, like the round before we blew up a center section, so it was a thrash,” Essick said. “Ron Green came over and gave us a hand to try to make it. We made it just in the nick of time. We figured the conditions are right, let’s throw a big one at it, so that’s what we did. It makes all that pain worth it. It was well worth trying to get.”
The racer who helped Essick make the call was also one of the drivers trying to knock him off the pole.
Green was the quickest of the screw-blown combinations, taking the No. 2 position with a 3.914 at 198.00 mph in his silver ’00 Firebird.
Mikey Sasina put another power-adder combination into the top three. The Golden, Colorado, driver ran a 3.917 at 199.79 mph in his Harts Charger-boosted ’03 Mustang to qualify third.
4 – TITLES HEAT UP – With two races remaining in the PDRA season, there isn’t much room left for a bad round.
Championship battles across several categories have tightened considerably entering DragWars at Darana Motorsports Park, with some of the closest fights separated by less than a round of racing.
Three-time Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin leads defending champion Marcus Butner by less than two rounds. Franklin won the spring race at Benson and was runner-up at the most recent event in Bristol, where Butner scored the victory to close the gap.
Fredy Scriba, the 2024 champion, remains in contention after winning at Maryland.
Jason Harris has a little more breathing room in Pro Boost, but not much. Harris leads Johnny Camp by just under three rounds, while defending world champion Ty Tutterow sits only qualifying points behind Camp in third.
Harris is chasing some history along the way. Already a two-time Pro Nitrous and two-time Pro Boost champion, another title would make him the first five-time world champion in PDRA history.
The closest professional battle belongs to Pro Street.
Blake Denton enters DragWars with a one-point advantage over Richard Reagan. Denton won at Benson in the spring, while Reagan answered with a victory at Bristol to turn the championship into what amounts to a dead heat with two races remaining.
Scott Kincaid is still within striking distance, sitting just over two rounds behind Denton.
Pro 632 has tightened considerably since the series’ previous visit to Benson. J.C. Beattie Jr. left the East Coast Nationals with a sizable advantage, but his lead over Jeff Pittman has been reduced to less than one round.
Pittman took advantage of Beattie’s first-round loss at Maryland by winning the event. Rookie David Cook Jr. sits third.
Super Street also changed hands at Bristol.
Defending champion Connor McGee entered the event as the points leader but lost in the second round after a wheelstand forced him to lift. Austin Vincent qualified No. 1, won the race and left Bristol with the championship lead by less than one round.
Sportsman leaders entering DragWars are Zach Houser in Elite Top Sportsman, Josh Duggins in Elite Top Dragster, Joe Roubicek in Top Sportsman and Joe Gary in Top Dragster.
5 – A DEAL OF A TICKET – PDRA is taking a different approach to getting fans through the gates for next month’s World Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park.
The series will offer a $30 Fast Pass covering spectator admission from Friday morning through Sunday evening for the Sept. 17-20 event. Fans can leave and return throughout the weekend without purchasing another ticket.
Junior Fast Passes are $15, while kids passes are $10.
“Flexibility was the first thing that came to mind when we started talking about a ticketing special,” said Mark Beatty. “There’s so much going on in everyone’s lives but there’s also a big weekend of PDRA Drag Racing going on, we want everyone to have a chance to enjoy what is going on.”
PDRA will take the offer a step further Thursday when admission and parking will be free for the ProStars all-star event.
ProStars brings together the top eight drivers in each eligible category for a free-entry, big-money shootout. Thursday’s program will include two testing sessions, driver introductions and the Quick 8-style ProStars competition.
“With the support of Summit Racing Equipment, Laris Motorsports Insurance, Red Line Oil and other partners, it truly made sense to open the doors at no charge on Thursday evening for motorsports fans to come in and enjoy a night on us,” PDRA series director Tyler Crossnoe said.
PDRA has also expanded its partnership with VetTix, a nonprofit organization that provides event tickets to verified military members, veterans and first responders.
The program debuted with PDRA at the Thunder Valley Throwdown in Bristol, where all available donated tickets were claimed.
“All of the tickets that were donated were claimed and the early numbers for Drag Wars appear to be even larger,” PDRA business and ticketing manager Crystal Corbin said.
The World Finals weekend will also include Saturday’s Night of Fire with jet dragsters, a wheelstander and nostalgia Funny Cars. A Friday evening concert featuring Ladysmyth and a live DJ throughout the weekend are also scheduled.
6 – BEATTIE MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW – J.C. Beattie Jr. picked a good time of the season to make qualifying points count.
For the second consecutive race, the Pro 632 points leader put his nitrous-assisted ATI Performance Products ’18 Camaro atop the qualifying sheet. Beattie ran a 4.130 at 172.89 mph to earn the No. 1 position with only two races remaining in the championship.
Beattie entered Drag Wars with less than a round separating him from Jeff Pittman, and appropriately enough, Pittman ended qualifying directly behind him.
Pittman recorded a 4.137 at 171.05 mph in his Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales ’68 Chevelle to qualify No. 2 and minimize the qualifying points surrendered to Beattie.
Ryan Altman, the most recent winner on the Pro 632 tour, qualified third. Altman drove the Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’18 Camaro to a 4.155 at 170.47 mph.
Beattie has two victories already this season, but with Pittman staying close, every qualifying point could become important before the championship is settled.
7 – THE BATTLE RAGES ON – Connor McGee and Austin Vincent have traded blows throughout the Super Street season, and McGee landed the first one at Benson.
McGee ripped off a 4.484-second pass at 164.43 mph in the second qualifying session, the quickest run in Super Street history. The defending world champion put his Fulton-powered Brian’s Heating & Cooling ’90 Mustang No. 1 in the process.
There was one problem. McGee didn’t get the opportunity to back it up.
Friday’s curfew prevented Super Street from getting its scheduled third qualifying session, leaving the record unofficial. As the No. 1 qualifier, McGee will have a first-round bye Saturday and another opportunity to back up the performance if conditions cooperate.
“We missed it on the first qualifier. We made a decent lap and were solidly in the field, but it wasn’t exactly what we were looking for,” McGee said. “We went back to the drawing board and studied over everything, and I knew we had to go for it because it’s getting more and more competitive. It’s just one of those things where you throw the kitchen sink at it, and hope it sticks – and it stuck.”
Vincent, the points leader and defending Drag Wars winner, stayed close with a 4.520 at 154.09 mph in his Vincent Performance ’88 Mustang.
Matt Schalow qualified third with a 4.584 at 160.21 mph in his ’69 Camaro.
The championship battle entered Benson separated by less than one round. McGee’s opening salvo made sure nothing got any more comfortable.
8 – THE SPORTSMAN REPORT – Jamie Fowler needed every bit of his 199.14 mph speed to earn his third Elite Top Sportsman No. 1 qualifier of the season.
Fowler and defending world champion Bryan LaFlam both stopped the Compulink timing system at 3.788 seconds, leaving speed to break the tie. Fowler’s nitrous-assisted, Fulton-powered ’69 Camaro got the nod at 199.14 mph compared with LaFlam’s 193.05 in his supercharged BigStuff TPM ’67 Mustang.
Bruce Thrift, who qualified No. 1 at Bristol, was third with a 3.797 at 195.31 mph in his nitrous-assisted, PAR-powered ’06 Pontiac GTO.
Top Sportsman 48 moved into eliminations Friday evening, completing its opening round before the remainder of competition was pushed to Saturday.
Defending world champion Alan O’Brien led Elite Top Dragster with a 3.678 at 205.22 mph in his distinctive quad-turbo, AMC-powered ’23 Racetech dragster.
Will Creasman missed the pole by one-thousandth of a second. The Leicester, North Carolina, driver qualified second with a 3.679 at 198.96 mph in his ProCharger-equipped ’22 Racetech dragster.
Gray Kimble completed the top three with a 3.697 at 198.44 mph in his ProCharger-powered ’18 Miller entry.
Top Dragster 48 also completed its opening round of eliminations Friday, with the remaining rounds scheduled for Saturday.
9 – JUNIOR DRAGSTERS SHINE – Ashton Halas couldn’t have done much more with his first two qualifying opportunities at Drag Wars.
The Williamsville, New York, driver combined a perfect .000 reaction time with a dead-on 7.900-second elapsed time to provisionally lead Pro Jr. Dragster entering Saturday morning’s final qualifying session.
Pro Jr. Dragster qualifies against a 7.90 index, making Halas’ combination as good as it gets.
Carter Hayes wasn’t far from perfection himself in Top Jr. Dragster.
With qualifying order determined by reaction time, Hayes posted a .007 light in his Max Meadows, Virginia-based ’99 Spitzer entry to take the provisional No. 1 position.
Both classes will get one final qualifying opportunity Saturday morning before their fields are set for eliminations.
10 – ON TAP TODAY – Saturday at Drag Wars begins with one last opportunity for the Jr. Dragster racers to settle their qualifying order before the focus turns entirely to eliminations.
Final Jr. Dragster qualifying is scheduled for 8:45 a.m., followed by a time trial for the Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by Philadelphia Racing Products.
Professional eliminations are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., with the championship contenders entering a race day that could substantially reshape the standings with only the World Finals remaining afterward.
Saturday general admission is $30, with discounted tickets available for juniors and kids. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.
Tickets are available through PDRA660.com or at the gate.
