The tense championship battles in the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) will tighten up this weekend as the all-eighth-mile series heads to Darlington Dragway for the penultimate race on the 2019 Road to the Finals, the Fall Nationals presented by $hameless Racing, Oct. 3-5.
The PDRA had to cancel their most recent event, PDRA Drag Wars presented by Pro Line Racing at GALOT Motorsports Park, because of Hurricane Dorian. Racers with a solid points lead breathed a sigh of relief, while competitors trying to move up in pursuit of the 2019 PDRA world championships will be feeling the pressure as they have just two races left to gain ground on the points leaders.
“Those round wins went from important to very important real quick with losing Drag Wars,” said Tyler Crossnoe, race director, PDRA. “We hated to lose that event – Drag Wars has always been a staple on the PDRA calendar – but Darlington is up next and the Fall Nationals will be solid as well. The points championships are going to be as dramatic as they’ve ever been now that four rounds are off the table.”
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The tightest battle in the pro classes can be found in Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle, where defending world champion Ronnie “Pro Mod” Smith leads 2017 world champion Travis Davis by 55 points. Smith hasn’t lost first round all season, grabbing a decisive win at Maryland. Davis lost first round at Maryland, but won the Mid-Atlantic Showdown and was the runner-up at South Georgia. Perennial championship contender Chris Garner-Jones is third with just under two rounds behind Davis.
In addition to the professional classes, the Fall Nationals will include sportsman racing in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman, Lucas Oil Top Dragster, Coolshirt Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Knoxtown Products, Gilbert Motorsports Top Jr. Dragster and Edelbrock Bracket Bash.
Racers will start the weekend with a full day of open testing on Thursday from 12-8 p.m. Friday qualifying begins at 10 a.m., followed by Friday Night Fire with two back-to-back pro qualifying sessions starting at 6 p.m. Sportsman racers will run final qualifying Saturday at 10 a.m. and eliminations beginning at noon. Professional class eliminations will begin at 4 p.m.
Tickets to the PDRA Fall Nationals presented by $hameless Racing are available for $15 for Thursday testing, $20 for Friday qualifying and $25 for Saturday eliminations. Children 10 and under get in free. Tickets are available at the gate or online at www.pdra660.com.
ABOUT THE PDRA
Based in Fredericksburg, Va., the Professional Drag Racers Association is the top sanctioning body in the United States for the sport of eighth-mile drag racing. The PDRA’s professional categories include Pro Boost, Pro Nitrous, Extreme Pro Stock, Pro Nitrous Motorcycle and Pro Outlaw 632. The series also features sportsman racing in Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Pro Jr. Dragster and Top Jr. Dragster. The 2019 PDRA schedule consists of eight national events. For more information on the PDRA, visit www.PDRA660.com.
