(Photo: Tara Bowker)
By Nate Van Wagnen | Drag Illustrated | June 16,2024
Racing on Father’s Day weekend at the presented by Performance Polish, father-daughter duo Tommy and Amber Franklin and father-son duo Kurt and Ethan Steding earned double-up victories in their respective professional categories Saturday night at Maryland International Raceway. The family-focused wins capped off an unpredictable day of racing at the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series’ fourth of eight races on the 2024 schedule.
Tommy Franklin won in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, Amber Franklin won in PDRA Pro 632, Kurt Steding won in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, and Ethan Steding was victorious in Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by Afco Racing.
Memorable victories in the pro classes also went to Elijah Morton in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition, Brayden Davis in Drag 965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle, and Dan Whetstine in Afco Racing Super Street presented by Menscer Motorsports.
Event winners in the sportsman classes were Randy Perkinson in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines, Steve Furr in Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, Scott Wasko in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman 48 presented by Corbin’s RV, and Dickie Smith in Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster 48 presented by Younce RV. In Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams, a starting line advantage helped Mike Reavis in his ’19 Race Tech dragster get the final-round win over Kyle Hustwayte, with Reavis’s 4.773 on a 4.75 dial-in beating Hustwayte’s 4.721 on a 4.72 dial-in.
Second-generation PDRA racers in the Jr. Dragster categories also earned Father’s Day weekend wins, with Ryan Harris winning in Coolshirt Systems Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products and James Beattie III taking Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products. Harris cut a .019 reaction time and ran a perfect 7.90 in his Burford, Ontario, Canada-based ’08 Halfscale dragster in the final round to defeat Alyssa Tilghman, who broke out with a 7.887 in her Henrico, Virginia-based ’21 Mike Bos dragster. In a double breakout final round, Beattie ran an 8.948 on an 8.96 dial-in in his ATI Performance ’22 Mike Bos to beat points leader Victoria Beaner and her 8.824 on an 8.90 dial-in in her VRB Motorsports ’22 Mike Bos dragster.
PRO NITROUS
An unpredictable day of Pro Nitrous eliminations ended with a final-round bye run for three-time and reigning world champion Tommy Franklin. He was set to face Billy Albert in the final round, but Albert couldn’t get his car started for his semifinal bye run. Franklin staged his Musi-powered “Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro and recorded a 3.645-second pass at 207.66 MPH to secure the first end of a Franklin family double-up. His daughter, past Pro 632 world champion Amber Franklin, later won her final round to lock up the father-daughter duo’s third double-up since she made her Pro 632 debut in late 2021. This most recent edition meant a little more since it fell on Father’s Day weekend.
“First and foremost, I dedicate this to my dad,” said Franklin, referencing his late father, Roger, who passed in 2022. “He’s the one that got me into this [drag racing] mess. I don’t regret one bit of it and I’m passing it right down to my daughters. Both of them are out here racing really good and I’m just proud of them.
“My team is working hard,” added Franklin, who credited engine builder Pat Musi, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Mark Menscer of Menscer Motorsports, and Red Line Oil. “It’s just a great program. Our car’s great. Jeff Pierce is awesome on the keyboard. It’s my whole crew, every single one of them. I don’t want to miss one of them, but they’re all awesome. They worked a lot on Friday. We changed some stuff around, trying to make strides, and that’s what we did. This is what we needed.”
Franklin faced fellow Virginian Dane Wood in the first round, where the two drivers left the starting line together, but Wood slowed to a 5.548 while Franklin set low E.T. of the round with his 3.685 at 207.08. It was an all-Virginia matchup in the next round, as Franklin paired up with past Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson. Franklin used a 3.679 at 207.62 to drive around Perkinson, who was quicker off the starting line and raced to a 3.732. The Fredericksburg-based driver then fired off low E.T. of the event, a 3.632 at 208.49, to eliminate defending event winner Marcus Butner and his 3.679 in the semifinals.
Albert qualified No. 6 in Stan Nance’s Albert-powered Structural Mechanical ’69 Camaro before using a .002 reaction time and a 3.753 at 203.74 to beat Chris Rini and his matching 3.753 in the opening round. Albert won on the starting line in the second round as well, as opponent Derrick Ford went .132 red on a 3.722 pass after upsetting No. 1 qualifier Jim Halsey in the first round. Albert slowed to a 3.93 at 157.14 to get the win. He got a bye run in the semifinals, but since he couldn’t get his car fired at the ready line, he couldn’t advance to the final.
PRO BOOST
Pro Boost standout Kurt Steding has had some memorable weekends at Maryland International Raceway, but the 2024 North vs. South Shootout topped them all. He scored his second North vs. South Shootout title in his third consecutive final round at Maryland, and it was the first win for his new Todd Tutterow-tuned, screw-blown P2 Contracting ’69 Camaro. But most importantly, he shared the winner’s circle with his 17-year-old son, Ethan, who clinched his second consecutive Pro Street win. In the final round, Steding left first over No. 2 qualifier Melanie Salemi and charged to a 3.601 at 209.72, while Salemi lifted to a 4.419 at 127.87.
“I always do pretty good here in Maryland and Ethan did in his Jr. Dragster too,” said Steding, who thanked Tutterow, wife Wendi, and his P2 Racing team. “I just had a feeling we were both going to do it. This is the best Father’s Day gift you can have. I’m super proud of Ethan. He’s out of school now and he’s working hard on the job sites. He’s a hard-working kid, he saves his money, and he’s a hell of a driver. I’m very proud of him.”
Steding’s first-round opponent was his longtime teammate and tuner, Todd “King Tut” Tutterow, who came into the weekend with the points lead after winning two of the first three races. They left the line with identical .019 reaction times, then Steding pulled ahead to win with a 3.657 at 205.98 over Tutterow’s 3.679 at 209.36. Steding was strong on both ends of the track again in his second-round match with No. 1 qualifier Steve King. His 3.649 at 208.42 beat King’s 3.652 at 204.60. Another quick light and a stepped-up 3.617 at 208.88 took care of Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey and his 3.665 in the semifinals.
Driving Eddie Whelan’s screw-blown Al-Lee Installations “Purple Reign” ’68 Firebird, Salemi won a tense first-round pedalfest over Scott Lang, with her 4.305 at 157.74 finishing ahead of Lang and his 4.316 at 139.36. Salemi set low E.T. of the second round with her 3.648 at 209.01 to knock out Marcus “The Axeman” Birt and his 3.706 at 206.45. Semifinal opponent Johnny Camp went red on a 3.645 pass, allowing Salemi to lift to a 3.808 at 159.27 to advance to the final round.
EXTREME PRO STOCK
Mountain Motor Pro Stock veteran Elijah Morton raced to his first Extreme Pro Stock victory since 2021 when he lit up the final-round win light in his Allen-powered Cashion Fishing Rods ’19 Mustang. The mechanical gremlins that plagued numerous racers on Saturday bit final-round opponent Jeremy Huffman, who broke after the burnout. Still, Morton staged his hot rod and laid down low E.T. of the event, a 4.06 at 177.77, to put an exclamation mark on the win.
“We’ve got a lot of runner-ups, but just hadn’t quite got the win,” Morton said. “But you’ve got to be in the finals to get the win and today was our day. We done what it took to get it done. We kept picking up every race and we were there, so that’s what mattered. This car is really working good. We’ve got some good people working with us – [Mark] Menscer and AED Competition and Allen’s Competition with a Richard Boling race car. My brother [Glen] is here with me, of course. He always is. We just had a good weekend. We drove pretty good and the car was doing good. Happy Father’s Day to us.”
Morton set low E.T. of every round, starting with a 4.118 at 175.96. He was unopposed in the first round, as past world champion Steven Boone couldn’t make the call. Morton then used a 4.09 at 177.70 to drive around another past world champ, Chris Powers, and his 4.204 at 173.23. On a semifinal bye run, Morton ran a 4.072 at 177.86 to earn lane choice for the final round.
Huffman in his 3V Performance-powered ’10 Cobalt left the line second in the opening round against Dillon Voss, but Voss ran into problems after launching and didn’t cross the finish line, while Huffman ran a 4.195 at 172.89. He slowed to a 6.993 at 65.87 on a second-round bye run. The North Carolina native caught a break in the semifinals when young gun Jordan Ensslin went .033 red on a 4.151 at 175.11. Huffman posted a 4.274 at 166.29 to move on to the final.
PRO 632
Past Pro 632 world champion Amber Franklin couldn’t have picked a better time and place to earn her first race of the season. She had to strap into her Musi-powered “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro just a few pairs of cars after watching her father, Tommy, solidify his first Pro Nitrous win of the season. The past Pro Jr. Dragster world champion stayed cool under pressure, leaving first by .002 seconds in her third final round of the season and running a 4.128 at 171.69 to beat Walter Lannigan Jr. and his 4.141 at 171.01. The performance stood for low E.T. of the event.
“We say it all the time, but doing this as a family is what we do,” Franklin said. “It’s what we go for, but it’s a lot harder than it looks to park more than one car in the winner’s circle. It means a lot, especially on Father’s Day, to do this with my dad. Thank you to Red Line Oil, Pat Musi Racing Engines, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Menscer Motorsports, Jeff Pierce, my family, Blake [Denton, fiancé], and all of our crew. There’s not enough thank-yous to the people that put into this program.”
As the No. 1 qualifier, Franklin earned a first-round bye run, which she used to record a 4.201 at 170.23. In the second round, she drove around Andy House’s .001 reaction time with a 4.178 at 170.26 to House’s 4.221. Franklin repeated with a 4.178 at 170.41 in the semifinals to eliminate Jayme Thompson and his 4.262.
Lannigan in Chris Holdorf’s Nelson-powered Dewitt Custom Concrete ’10 GTO set low E.T. of the opening round, a 4.198 at 169.40, to get the win over Gary Hood and his 4.522. A consistent 4.194 at 169.83 followed in the second round, beating Jason Ventura’s 4.352. Lannigan improved slightly to a 4.174 at 170.43 in the semifinals to beat reigning world champion Jeff Melnick and his 4.221 while also earning lane choice for the final by four thousandths of a second. It was Lannigan’s second consecutive final after winning at Norwalk.
PRO EXTREME MOTORCYCLE
For the second year in a row, third-generation Pro Extreme Motorcycle rider Brayden Davis delivered a Father’s Day weekend victory for his father and crew chief, multi-time world champion Travis Davis. The younger Davis lined up with two-time and reigning world champion Chris Garner-Jones in the final round, where Davis cut a .016 reaction time and charged to a 3.975 at 177.02 to take out Garner-Jones and his 3.959 at 179.14 on a holeshot.
“To win on Father’s Day weekend last year and do it again this weekend is special,” said Davis, who thanked Timblin Chassis, Maxx ECU, DTM Performance, Worldwide Bearings, Monster Race Products, Stuart Crane with Warpspeed Racing, Davis Transport, and McCarty Auto Parts. “I like showing just how hard my dad works. He’s the tuner. He builds the motors. He gets me to the races. All I do is ride. Dad’s really the mastermind of this team.
“We struggled through the hottest part of the day,” Davis added. “The track was real greasy and really challenged my riding skills earlier. I knew when the sun went down, we could lay a number down. Going .97 in the final was pretty good. There’s a lot left in it. We just misjudged the tune-up, but I did my job on the starting line and that got us the win.”
The No. 2 qualified Davis kicked off eliminations with a huge holeshot advantage over Jean Gosselin, and it paid off as they both recorded 4.108-second passes. Davis crossed the finish line at 175.64 MPH on his nitrous-fed bike, while Gosselin was going 184.02 on his turbocharged bike when he crossed behind Davis. Davis was away first again in the semifinals against veteran rider and tuner Ashley Owens. Davis and his 4.031 at 176.74 got the win over Owens and his 4.054 at 177.91.
Garner-Jones qualified fourth on his nitrous-assisted T.T. Jones Racing Hayabusa to set up a marquee matchup with fellow multi-time world champion Eric McKinney in the first round. The two left the line with nearly identical reaction times, but it was Garner-Jones ahead at the finish line with his 4.079 at 177.02 to McKinney’s 4.086 at 177.14. It was a side-by-side race off the starting line in the semis as well when Garner-Jones and No. 1 qualifier Brunson Grothus both cut .044 reaction times. Garner-Jones stepped up when he needed to, laying down a 4.043 at 175.91 to beat Grothus and his 4.045 by two thousandths of a second.
PRO STREET
Just moments after watching his father win in the Pro Boost final round, Ethan Steding had to focus on securing a second consecutive Pro Street win in his roots-blown P2 Contracting ’24 Camaro. Like his first win, Steding staged without an opponent in the other lane, as fellow rookie Dan Norris couldn’t fire his car for the final round. Steding took the tree and raced to a 4.329 at 189.73 to join his dad, Kurt, in the winner’s circle for their first double-up. It was just the fourth race in the class for Steding after moving up from Pro Jr. Dragster, where he was the 2021 world champion.
“I definitely wouldn’t think that in my first season in this car I would be here,” said Steding, who thanked parents Kurt and Wendi, Larry Jeffers Race Cars, Noonan Race Engineering, and Ty, Todd, Brad, and KB at WYO Motorsports. “Definitely not the way we wanted to win the last two races, but it’s racing. For me to be out here winning with my dad, racing this weekend on Father’s Day, means a lot. We take so much time off from the business back at home to be able to come out and enjoy this time with our friends and family, so this is special.”
Steding made the second-quickest pass of the opening round, a 4.074 at 193.24, to get the win over Richard Reagan and his 6.90. In a second-round battle with fellow young gun Scott Kincaid, Steding left first and repeated with a 4.076 at 193.38, while Kincaid lifted to a 4.315 at 141.46. He slowed a bit to a 4.188 at 197.97 in the semifinals, but opponent Bill Riddle had mechanical issues and didn’t leave the starting line.
Norris qualified No. 8 in his roots-blown ’22 Mustang and met up with No. 9 qualifier Mauro Caringi in the first round. Caringi rolled the beams to get disqualified, while Norris lifted to a 7.576 at 94.01. He was then unopposed in the second round when No. 1 qualifier Ty Kasper couldn’t make the call. Norris drove to a 4.20 at 184.09, then stepped up in a big way with his 4.036 at 187.70 in the semifinals to defeat Joel Wensley Jr. and his close 4.039 at 191.13.
SUPER STREET
The home team kept the Super Street trophy in Maryland, as LaPlata’s Dan Whetstine dominated the small-tire class all weekend. Tuned by two-time Pro Street world champion Tim Essick, Whetstine qualified No. 1 in his ProCharged “Red Velvet” ’90 Mustang, then improved through the first three rounds to reach his second consecutive final round. Opponent Matt Schalow went red by .215 seconds in the final, but Whetstine was ready with a 4.558 at 163.16, which is quicker than the national E.T. record.
“It’s been an amazing weekend,” said Whetstine, who thanked his team and partners like ATI Performance, Billet Atomizer, Menscer Motorsports, Maxima Racing Oils, and Visner Engine Development. “To do it at home, and for as hard as we have worked the last two months, it feels good. I feel guilty for how much time Tim puts in my program. I feel like I take away from his, but I know he enjoys more tuning than driving. To have a friend and a brother like that is special. I can’t even tell you how special that is. Then all my friends came out to help. Sometimes we’re pretty short-staffed, but we still get it done.”
Eliminations started with a nailbiter for Whetstine as he came out on top of a pedalfest with Brad McBride. Whetstine’s quicker reaction time and 5.812 at 136.40 gave him the win over McBride’s 5.915. Whetstine and Essick stepped up for the second round against Gage Llamas, with Whetstine firing off a 4.647 at 158.43 to Llamas’s 4.778. The No. 1 qualifier then used his semifinal bye run to launch a 4.627 at 147.15, earning lane choice for the final round.
Virginia Beach’s Schalow qualified No. 8 in his nitrous-fed ‘00 Camaro and made one of the best passes of a challenging first round, a 4.821 at 154.97, to defeat David Knight and his 5.456. He improved to a 4.80 at 155.13 to finish ahead of Brian Hunt’s 4.842. Schalow then pulled out his best reaction time and best elapsed time, a 4.691 at 156.50, to knock out recent first-time winner Connor McGee and his 4.651 on a holeshot in the semifinals.
TOP SPORTSMAN
Randy Perkinson, who won the Elite Top Sportsman season opener in the debut of his new ProCharged ’67 Mustang, had to sit out the last race on tour, but he bounced back with another win at Maryland. The South Chesterfield, Virginia-based driver ran a 3.821 on a 3.80 dial-in to get around the holeshot advantage of Tim Lawrence to get the final-round win. Lawrence posted a 3.996 on a 3.97 dial-in in his Princeton, West Virginia-based, nitrous-fed ’13 Camaro for the runner-up honors.
Competing in his second PDRA appearance of the season, Ohio’s Scott Wasko collected the Top Sportsman 48 event win in his ’11 GXP. He was quicker off the starting line and ran a 4.142 on a 4.11 dial-in to defeat Ed Foley in the final round. Foley recorded a 4.266 on a 4.26 dial-in in his ’05 Cobalt, but he was behind from the starting line on.
TOP DRAGSTER
After a runner-up and a semifinal finish in the first two races of the season, two-time and reigning Elite Top Dragster world champion Steve Furr picked up his first win of the year by knocking out Alan O’Brien in the final round. Furr cut a solid light in his ProCharged Right Trailers ’13 American dragster and ran a 3.81 on a 3.80 dial-in, while O’Brien slowed to a 3.983 on a 3.82 dial-in driving his quad-turbocharged Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’23 Race Tech dragster.
Nearby Waldorf, Maryland’s Dickie Smith claimed another home-track win in Top Dragster 48 when he defeated young gun Maximus Butcher in the final round. Smith in his ’18 Race Tech won on the starting line, using a 4.358 on a 4.35 dial-in to hold off Butcher’s 4.395 on a 4.39 dial-in in his ’23 American dragster.
The next points-earning PDRA national event is the Northern Nationals presented by Talbert Manufacturing, August 1-3, at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. Before that, select PDRA stars will take part in the fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars race on July 13 during Virginia Motorsports Park’s Night of Fire.
Nate Van Wagnen | Drag Illustrated | Photo: Tara Bowker
