A weather delay at Bristol Dragway in late August has set the stage for a doubleheader this week as the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series heads to GALOT Motorsports Park. The ProFabrication DragWars presented by PST Driveshafts will feature the completion of Thunder Valley Throwdown eliminations on Thursday before rolling directly into DragWars competition on Friday.
The unusual schedule means championship contenders will have more at stake as the season nears its end. Series director Tyler Crossnoe said the condensed format could significantly impact the points battles across multiple classes.
“This race is typically a tense one as we get closer to deciding world champions, but the ‘double header’ aspect just ramps up that intensity,” Crossnoe said. “We saw some wild first-round matchups at Bristol that could have serious championship implications, so it will be interesting to see how those story lines develop as we continue Thunder Valley Throwdown eliminations on Thursday. Then, it’s time to reset and go into qualifying for DragWars, which is always an exciting race.”
In Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, rookie points leader Amber Denton went out in the first round at Bristol. That stumble opened the door for her father, three-time world champion Tommy Franklin, who qualified No. 1 and advanced past the opening round. Billy Albert, third in points entering Bristol, was also eliminated early, while Marcus Butner advanced to tighten the championship chase.
The Pro Boost championship picture remains just as close. Points leader Ty Tutterow and defending champion Jason Harris both advanced in the first round at Bristol, keeping their duel within one round of separation. Harris, the defending event winner, will look to repeat while Tutterow continues his push in Justin Smith’s screw-blown ’69 Camaro. Behind them, Melanie Salemi has a chance to climb in the standings after Johnny Camp’s first-round loss.
Pro Street delivered the biggest shakeup of Bristol. Points leader Blake Denton fell in the first round to defending champion Ethan Steding, cutting into Denton’s advantage. With only a handful of rounds remaining, the championship appears likely to come down to Denton and Steding, while Bill Riddle and rookie Fletcher Cox remain in mathematical contention.
In Extreme Pro Stock, defending champion Alan Drinkwater padded his points lead by winning his first-round matchup. Closest challengers Jeremy Huffman and Chris Powers were both eliminated in the opening round, giving Drinkwater more breathing room as the season winds down. The class will also see 3V Performance return as presenting sponsor for the weekend.
Pro 632 saw both title contenders survive the opening round. Points leader Jeff Melnick and challenger Lexi Tanner remain separated by three rounds, with the potential to meet in the Bristol final. Both drivers kept their title hopes alive heading into DragWars.
Super Street also returned to the spotlight at Bristol after a summer break. Points leader Connor McGee qualified No. 1 and advanced out of the first round, while Austin Vincent took down No. 2 Matt Schalow to move into second place in the standings.
The sportsman categories carried their own championship drama. Elite Top Sportsman points leader Bryan LaFlam remains in contention after advancing at Bristol, while Kyle Harris, who led Elite Top Dragster, was eliminated in the first round. Jeff Talvacchio in Top Sportsman and Nick Meloni in Top Dragster also survived to continue their points campaigns.
