Someone had to break the stronghold, and nitrous doorslammer racer Fredy Scriba is glad it was him.
Fredy Scriba became the 2024 world champion in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, marking the first new champion since 2019 in the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series. His strong finish, highlighted by back-to-back wins, propelled him to the points lead in the penultimate race of the season.
“I don’t really know what to say. It’s been a ride,” Scriba said. “We worked hard all year and things just came together at the end.”
Scriba debuted a new “Sorcerer” ’69 Camaro at the PDRA’s East Coast Nationals, reaching the final round but finishing second to Brian Shrader. He later earned another runner-up finish at the American Doorslammer Challenge against four-time champion Jim Halsey.
Despite not earning points, Scriba secured his first win in Pro Nitrous at the PDRA ProStars all-star race in July. His season took a pivotal turn at DragWars when Halsey crashed and Franklin lost in the opening round, allowing Scriba to gain the points lead with his first points-earning victory.
Heading into the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals, Scriba, Halsey, and Franklin were closely matched. Halsey lost in the first round, and Scriba went on to defeat first-time finalist Dane Wood.
“I tried not to think about it too much, but we knew with the path we were on that it was probably going to come down to me and Tommy in the final,” Scriba said. “It was hard to celebrate because after the semis, we had some broken parts we had to go back and fix.”
Scriba is now the fifth Pro Nitrous champion in PDRA history, joining notable names such as Jason Harris, Rickie Smith, Tommy Franklin, and Jim Halsey.
“I grew up racing against most of them,” Scriba said. “It’s really tough competition out here. There are no gimme rounds in this class.”
He expressed gratitude to his family-based team and several manufacturers for their support.
“I’ve got a ton of people to thank,” Scriba said. “First off, my mom and dad…[and] my crew: Steve, Doug, Bailey, as well as my wife, who supports me a lot with this racing.”
Franklin finished second in points with two wins, while Halsey took third, also securing two wins and setting a new class E.T. national record.
The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will honor its 2024 world champions at the annual Awards Banquet on Dec. 13 in Indianapolis.
