Photos by: Robert Richard
THURSDAY NOTEBOOK – IT’S A DENTON DAY AT THE PDRA
1 – HOLESHOT WORKS FOR DENTON – Amber Denton and her team spent the middle of the season making changes. Thursday night at Virginia Motorsports Park offered a pretty good indication they made the right ones.
Denton drove her Pat Musi-assisted “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro to the $15,000 Pro Nitrous ProStars victory, using a massive starting-line advantage and a 3.645 at 208.52 mph to beat Billy Albert’s quicker-off-the-line challenge and 3.706 at 206.04 in the final.
“It means the world to me,” said Denton, who won ProStars in Pro 632 in 2024. “I grew up watching my dad in this class, so I watched most of the people competing in it. These are the baddest nitrous racers in the world, and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to even be in this field. So to get a win, especially with how we had a slow start to the season, just random round losses, we’re hoping to keep this momentum going until the end of the year.”
Denton opened eliminations by knocking off two-time defending ProStars winner Freddy Scriba, running a 3.732 at 179.06 mph while Scriba shook the tires. She then survived a much tighter semifinal against Tim Paap, winning with a 3.652 at 208.14 to Paap’s 3.665 at 201.91.
Albert reached the final by defeating Hopewell, Virginia’s Buddy Perkinson in the opening round before taking out Tommy Franklin and his “Jungle Rat 3.0” in the semifinals. That victory also eliminated the possibility of a father-daughter final between Franklin and Denton.
For Denton, the victory offered more evidence that the changes made during the summer break are paying off.
“We made quite a bit of adjustments on my personal cockpit area to kind of get me more comfortable in the car,” Denton said. “I’ve been in the car for quite a few years, but obviously things change, and we made quite a few adjustments. We just really needed a fresh start, and regrouped at the summer break. Going into Bristol, I felt like we had a really good hot rod, and then at Galot, we picked right back up and went to the finals. Like I said, every person out here racing in this class is tough. Every round-win you get is a feat in itself, and I’m definitely grateful to win tonight.”
Then came the part Denton couldn’t control.
Her husband Blake was two pairs behind her in the Pro Street final, and Amber was still at the top end when he finished off a Denton family double.
“We’ve raced together for almost 10 years now, and had yet to pull off a double up, so we were both really pumped,” Denton said. “As soon as I got out of the car, I was more worried about his round than our team winning. It just means the world to be able to do it with my family. That’s why we do it. We love doing it together, and I’m super excited for his team as well to be able to pull it off together. It means a lot to both of us.”
2 – TUTTEROW STORMS BACK – Ty Tutterow didn’t leave the last PDRA race with much to smile about. He left ProStars with $15,000 and some badly needed momentum.
The reigning Pro Boost world champion defeated four-time world champion Jason Harris in a final that looked every bit like something an all-star race ought to produce. It matched Tutterow’s screw-blown combination against the centrifugal-supercharged “Party Time” ’69 Camaro of Harris.
Tutterow pedaled Justin Smith’s Larry Jeffers-built Quik Fuel ’68 Camaro to a 3.654 at 206.45 mph after running into tire shake. Harris had much bigger problems, violently shaking the tires and coasting through at 5.734 and 80.84.
“Last year, we were one and two in points,” Tutterow said of Harris. “This year, he was leading the points for most of the year. We had some bugs at the last race, and it looks like we finally, hopefully got them behind us. The car’s performing well…just tried too hard right there in the last run, shook the tires, but got it recovered and got it to the other end. Just hats off my crew. I couldn’t do it without them. They never get their head down. We had a mechanical failure at the last race, went home, got it all worked out, come back out here and got the car back where it was.”
Tutterow’s night could have ended almost as soon as it started. He shook the tires in the opening round and slowed to a 5.524 at 85.26, but teammate Kurt Steding went red in his screw-blown P2 Contracting ’26 Corvette.
Given another chance, Tutterow made it count.
He unloaded a 3.568 at 209.10 in the semifinals, the quickest pass of eliminations, to beat Melanie Salemi’s 3.625 at 208.52. Salemi’s team had thrashed to swap engines before the round.
There were no championship points attached to the ProStars trophy, but there was something Tutterow could use heading into the World Finals. He is chasing Harris and current points leader Johnny Camp in his bid for a second consecutive championship.
“It definitely helps confidence and morale,” Tutterow said. “All the stars have to align. We’re just here to run our race and try to get to the finals, be the No. 1 qualifier, and get all the points we can. If it happens to work out that way, so be it.”
Harris reached the final by defeating a pair of Virginia racers, Randy Weatherford and Don Tolley.
3 – DENTON, PART 2 – Amber Denton wasn’t finished celebrating when husband Blake gave the family another reason to stay in the winner’s circle.
Blake Denton, the Pro Street points leader, followed his wife’s Pro Nitrous victory with the $7,500 Pro Street crown. Driving the Pat Musi-powered, nitrous-assisted “Bonnie” ’69 Camaro made famous by Musi’s late daughter, Lizzy, Denton saved his best run of eliminations for the final against Mikey Sasina.
Denton went 3.927 at 195.11 mph for the victory, while Sasina spun the tires in his Harts Charger-powered ’03 Mustang and slowed to a 5.603 at 100.79.
“We looked at the day as just a confidence booster for us, and I think winning tonight really just gave me that extra edge,” Denton said. “After not being in a final from the first race until now, it’s good to be back in a final. It gives me that confidence that I know I can do it and I’d love to carry that momentum through this weekend.
“That’s what we dream of,” Denton added concerning winning together with his wife. “Any husband and wife that does this wants to win together. We’ve been in a couple finals, but tonight’s the first time we’ve ever actually both won together. It’s a huge deal for us and we’ll cherish it for a long time.”
Denton had already done some driving to reach the final. His .022 reaction time against Jerry Morgano in the opening round allowed his 3.960 at 193.57 to hold off Morgano’s quicker 3.959 at 201.70.
Ron Green couldn’t make the call against Denton in the semifinals because of mechanical issues.
Sasina eliminated championship contender Richard Reagan in the opening round, using a sizable holeshot and a 4.391 at 176.17 to beat Reagan’s 5.008 at 133.65. He then advanced when J.R. Webb went -.024 red in the semifinals despite running a quicker 4.083 at 187.03 to Sasina’s 4.521 at 123.89.
4 – ALTMAN CONTINUES HIS MAGIC – Whatever Ryan Altman found during the second half of his rookie Pro 632 season, he hasn’t misplaced it.
After reaching two consecutive finals and winning at Bristol, Altman added a ProStars trophy and $7,500 payday Thursday night. His final against Jeff Pittman was essentially over before it started.
Pittman’s Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales ’68 Chevelle launched as soon as the stage bulbs came on, handing Altman the victory before the tree was activated. Altman still made the trip, running a 4.191 at 179.09 mph in the Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’18 Camaro.
Ironically, it was his slowest run of eliminations.
Altman had to overcome David Cook Jr.’s .036-to-.055 starting-line advantage in the opening round, using a 4.154 at 171.27 to chase down Cook’s 4.186 at 169.21. The South Carolina driver followed with a 4.142 at 179.44 to beat Cameron Gibson’s 4.215 at 169.19 in the semifinals.
Pittman opened with a 4.147 at 171.36 to defeat Carson Hoyle, then recorded low elapsed time of eliminations with a 4.133 at 171.55 against Gary Hood. Hood went -.081 red in his ’63 Corvette.
5 – NO UNDERDOG HERE – Matt Schalow might have looked like the underdog on paper when he rolled up against reigning Super Street world champion Connor McGee. The piece of paper didn’t make the run.
Schalow, from nearby Virginia Beach, delivered a 4.574 at 158.99 mph in his nitrous-assisted “War Pig” ’69 Camaro to claim the $7,500 ProStars victory. McGee spun the tires in his Fulton-powered Brian’s Heating & Cooling ’90 Mustang and slowed to a 6.087 at 81.70.
It also erased some unfinished business from a year ago, when Schalow finished runner-up in the ProStars specialty race.
Schalow’s path wasn’t easy. He started against 2024 world champion and ProStars winner Dan Whetstine, who drilled the tree with a .002 reaction time but couldn’t make a 4.786 hold up against Schalow’s 4.620 at 158.82.
Schalow then ran 4.604 at 159.01 to beat Kenny Fox’s 4.679 at 155.87 in the semifinals.
McGee had been flying before the final. He beat points leader Austin Vincent with a 4.538 at 159.08 to Vincent’s 4.551 at 160.63, then uncorked the quickest and fastest run of eliminations, a 4.514 at 163.31, against Troy Hill.
6 – LAFLAM STAYS ON TOP – Bryan LaFlam already had one ProStars trophy. Now the Elite Top Sportsman points leader has another one to put beside it.
LaFlam won the specialty event for the second consecutive year in his supercharged BigStuff TPM ’67 Mustang, beating Jamie Fowler in a final where both racers carried identical 3.79-second dial-ins.
The race didn’t make it past the starting line.
Fowler went -.017 red in his nitrous-assisted, Fulton-powered ’69 Camaro, handing LaFlam the victory. LaFlam made a clean run anyway, posting a 3.810 at 193.29 mph.
The ProStars trophy could be the first half of an even bigger weekend for LaFlam. He will attempt to secure his second consecutive Elite Top Sportsman world championship during the World Finals.
Seth Garrison added the Top Sportsman ProStars victory in his ’06 Dodge Stratus. Garrison used a .002 reaction time and a 4.311 on his 4.29 dial-in to defeat Virginia’s Mark Payne, whose 4.205 on a 4.20 dial-in wasn’t enough to overcome a .038 light.
7 – CREASMAN PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF – Will Creasman won the 2025 PDRA World Finals in Top Dragster. His return to Virginia Motorsports Park started with another trip to the winner’s circle.
The North Carolina racer claimed the Elite Top Dragster ProStars title over current points leader and two-time ProStars champion Steve Furr.
There wasn’t much separating them when they left the starting line. Creasman posted a .013 reaction time to Furr’s .014, but Creasman’s 3.705 on a 3.70 dial-in left Furr needing more than his 3.822 on a 3.80 dial could provide.
James Albertson claimed the Top Dragster trophy with a .006 reaction time and a 4.439 on his 4.43 dial-in in his ’04 Racetech dragster.
T.J. Harper couldn’t have missed by much more.
Harper broke out by one-thousandth of a second, running a 4.399 on his 4.40 dial-in.
8 – THE FUTURE PROSTARS – The biggest names weren’t the only ones racing for ProStars trophies Thursday night. The PDRA’s Jr. Dragster racers had their turn, too.
Chloe Geryes, from nearby Prince George, Virginia, claimed the Pro Jr. Dragster victory with a 7.905 on the 7.90 index. Defending ProStars winner Sofie Cooper broke out with a 7.873 in her ’08 Halfscale dragster.
Top Jr. Dragster points leader Mason Dudley did his work at the starting line.
Dudley left with a .051 reaction time against Korbin Helms’ .075, and with both racers dialed at 8.90, that advantage was enough. Dudley’s slower 8.930 stayed ahead of Helms’ 8.912 to give Dudley the ProStars trophy heading into the World Finals.
9 – THE SCHEDULE – ProStars is finished. Now the championship business begins.
The Brian Olson Memorial World Finals moves into qualifying Friday at Virginia Motorsports Park, beginning with Jr. Dragster and sportsman classes at 9 a.m. Two professional qualifying sessions are scheduled later Friday.
10 – THE FAST PASS DEBUTS – The World Finals also marks the debut of the PDRA Fast Pass, covering admission for Friday, Saturday and Sunday for $30. Discounted Junior and Kids Fast Passes are available, while children 5 and younger are admitted free.
Saturday and Sunday public suite tickets are also available.
Saturday’s program includes Virginia Motorsports Park’s Night of Fire before the PDRA closes its 2026 season and crowns its world champions Sunday.
