(Tara Bowker Photo)
By Nate Van Wagnen | Drag Illustrated | October 20, 2024
Reigning Pro Boost world champion Jason Harris raced to victory Sunday afternoon at the PDRA Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia Motorsport Park. The win put an exclamation mark on the end of his second consecutive world championship season in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, as he secured the title earlier in the day. In the final round, Harris recorded a 3.595-second pass at 209.20 MPH to defeat Jason Lee and his 3.629 at 209.33.
Along with Harris, the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series professional class world champions are Fredy Scriba in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, Ethan Steding in Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by Afco Racing, Chris Powers in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition, Amber Franklin Denton in PDRA Pro 632, Brunson Grothus in Drag 965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle, and Dan Whetstine in Afco Racing Super Street presented by Menscer Motorsports.
Sportsman championships went to Glenn Butcher in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines, Kyle Harris in Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, Mark Reese in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman presented by Corbin’s RV, and Nick Meloni in Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Younce RV.
The PDRA also crowned champions in the Jr. Dragster ranks, with titles going to Ashley Franklin in Coolshirt Systems Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products and James Beattie III in Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products.
Like Jason Harris, Scriba and Grothus also won the World Finals to bookend their championship seasons. The additional event winners in the pro classes are Richard Reagan in Pro Street, Johnny Pluchino in Extreme Pro Stock, Lexi Tanner in Pro 632, and Brad McBride in Super Street.
Kyle Harris and Meloni also won the event along with their championships, while Vonnie Mills in Elite Top Sportsman and Travis Butler in Top Sportsman collected event wins in the sportsman classes.
In the Jr. Dragster classes, Sofie Cooper (Pro Jr. Dragster) and Griffin Davis (Top Jr. Dragster) claimed World Finals victories. Cooper cut a perfect .000 reaction time and ran a 7.902 in the final round to defeat Austin Abel, who broke out with a 7.876, both on a 7.90 index. Davis was quicker off the starting line in the final against Acelynn Christian and ran an 8.947 on an 8.90 dial-in to beat Christian’s 12.047 on an 11.90 dial-in.
Keith Dunkum Jr. collected the event win in Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams when final-round opponent Al Moore went red by .006 seconds. Dunkum in his ’91 Mustang ran a 5.933 on a 5.91 dial-in.
PRO BOOST
For the second consecutive season, Jason Harris wrapped up his 2024 PDRA Pro Boost season with a world championship and an event win at the World Finals. Harris was declared the champion in the second round of eliminations when the only other contender, Kurt Steding, lost his match with eventual race runner-up Jason Lee. Harris kept moving on in his ProCharged Southern Diamond Company “Party Time” ’69 Camaro to reach the final round with Lee, who left the starting line first. Harris took over the lead by the time they reached the finish line, though, winning with a 3.595 at 209.20 to get his third consecutive event win. Lee wasn’t far behind with his 3.629 at 209.33.
“This has been a very stressful weekend,” said Harris, who thanked father Bob Harris, his family, and partners like Southern Diamond Company, CB Towers, Hoosier Race Tires, SP Tools, Pro Line, and ProCharger. “Coming in only two rounds up, everything had to go our way. Steding and Todd [Tutterow], they’re such a tough team, and [Johnny] Camp and those guys. We qualified good. Right now, you can’t ask for anything better. Three-in-a-row race wins. I’ve got one bad tuner, Brandon Stroud. A great car with ProCharged Pro Line power. Everything just worked out great for us. We struggled a little bit the last couple of rounds, then we got it figured out. The car pulled me out when it needed to and I pulled the car out when I needed to. That’s how you win races.”
Harris is now a four-time PDRA world champion, as he also won Pro Nitrous titles in 2014 and 2018. He qualified No. 2 and ripped off a 3.573 at 209.82 to defeat past event winner Randy Weatherford and his 3.598. He used a holeshot advantage to beat Cameron Hensley’s 3.655 with a 3.677 at 201.43 in the second round. He stopped another fellow ProCharger-powered racer, Jeff Rudolf, in the semifinals with a 3.597 at 209.10 to Rudolf’s 3.635.
Lee, driving Eric Gustafson’s screw-blown Coast Packing Company ’20 Camaro, qualified No. 9 before cutting a .005 light and running a 3.614 at 209.01 to take out Mike DiDomenico and his 3.606 on a holeshot. He powered past Steding in the second round with a 3.657 at 207.05, while Steding had to lift to a 4.292 to finish second in the championship standings. Lee then advanced to the final round when his 3.64 at 208.88 beat spring Virginia winner Spencer Hyde and his 3.658 in the semis.
PRO NITROUS
Fredy Scriba, who earned his first career Pro Nitrous national event win at the most recent event to take over the points lead going into the World Finals, knew he had to outlast four-time world champion Jim Halsey and three-time and defending world champion Tommy Franklin to secure his first Pro Nitrous world championship. He saw Halsey fall in the opening round of eliminations, then Franklin lost in the semifinals, making Scriba the 2024 Pro Nitrous world champion. He went on to the final round to defeat first-time finalist Dane Wood, with Scriba running a 3.669 at 208.65 over Wood, who coasted to a 5.298 at 93.48. Scriba is the first driver other than Halsey or Franklin to win the title since 2018 when Jason Harris won his second title in the class.
“I tried not to think about [the championship] too much, but we knew what path we were on that it was probably going to be Tommy and I in the final,” said Scriba, who thanked parents Fred and Anne, his crew, his wife and kids, as well as chassis builder Robert Hayes, engine builder Pat Musi, and manufacturers like Neal Chance Converters, Ty-Drive, Liberty’s Gears, EFI Tech, and PRS Shocks. “We made it that far, but it didn’t work out that way [with Franklin in the final]. I can’t say I’m sad about that. It was hard to celebrate because after the semis, we had some broken parts we had to go back and fix, so we couldn’t really celebrate too much. We had to focus on getting the car ready. Tommy is a great competitor, and so is Jimmy and the rest of the guys. There are no gimme rounds in this class. It’s just awesome to race against these guys.”
Scriba qualified No. 2 and set low E.T. of the opening round with his 3.628 at 209.23 to beat John Vergotz and his 3.727. He faced past Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson in the second round, laying down a 3.67 at 208.26 to get past Perkinson’s 3.715. Scriba won on the starting line in the semis when Chris Rini went red, but he charged through the finish line with a 3.718 at 201.88 to get lane choice for the final. He was declared the world champion one pair later.
Wood, who’s based in nearby Chesapeake, qualified No. 12 in his Musi-powered Purvis Ford ’12 Mustang and made it through the first round with a 3.709 at 200.92 over Tony Wilson, who slowed to a 4.163. A .006 reaction time and a 3.717 at 201.16 was more than enough to take out Matt Deitsch and his 4.916 in the second round. Wood spoiled Tommy Franklin’s championship chase in the semifinals when he ran a 3.725 at 202.06 to beat Franklin and his 3.694 on a holeshot by just one thousandth of a second.
PRO STREET
Pro Street crowned its third first-time winner of the season when former radial racer Richard “Bubba” Reagan defeated teammate Scott Kincaid in the final round. Reagan recorded multiple career-best numbers in his screw-blown ’90 Mustang on his way to his second consecutive final round. Kincaid was out of the gate first in the final, but Reagan made up the difference by the time he reached the finish line. He posted a winning 3.945 at 196.79 to Kincaid’s wheelstanding 3.976 at 197.45.
“This is probably one of the best races I’ve ever had,” said Reagan, who thanked Kincaid and his father, Tim Kincaid, for tuning, crew members Travis and Billy, wife Lisa, daughters Abby and Riley, and mother Rhonda. “To get to run [Kincaid] in the finals…and I really thought that he’d outrun me. I didn’t think I could beat him, but we pulled it off. I’m really happy. It’s just over the top, man. Over the top. I wouldn’t trade the crew that I’ve got for nothing in the world. We just all get along, and if we’re racing [Kincaid], it doesn’t matter who wins. It’s just so great. We all love one another and it’s family.”
Reagan qualified No. 7 before upsetting newly crowned world champion Ethan Steding in the first round thanks to a career-best 3.909 at 197.02 to Steding’s 3.946. He stayed in the low 3.90s with a 3.931 at 196.64 to beat Joel Wensley Jr.’s 3.96 in the second round. Reagan’s worst pass of eliminations, a 3.964 at 197.10, was still quick enough to get past “Quick” Nick Schroeder’s 3.985 in the semifinals.
Kincaid qualified fifth in his screw-blown Clinch Mountain Transport ’69 Camaro, then he won an opening-round race against fellow young gun Ty Kasper. Kincaid ran a 3.942 at 196.93, while Kasper had to lift to a 5.016. He improved to a 3.934 at 198.12 in the second round to defeat 2023 world champion Bill Riddle, who had trouble on the starting line and coasted to an 8.705. Kincaid caught a break in the semis when No. 1 qualifier and record setter Brian Weddle went red on a 4.018 pass, allowing Kincaid to lift to a 4.588 at 139.21.
Steding, 17, added a Pro Street world championship to go with his 2021 Pro Jr. Dragster world championship. He clinched it when he qualified for the World Finals, which came down to a last-ditch effort to bump into the record field in the final qualifying session. Driving his roots-blown P2 Contracting “College Fund” ’24 Camaro, he won all three final rounds he reached in his rookie season. He also earned one No. 1 qualifier award.
EXTREME PRO STOCK
Two-time Extreme Pro Stock world champion Johnny Pluchino’s hopes for a third title came to an early end this weekend since he missed one race late in the season, but he made the most of the weekend by getting the event win. His path to the final round included wins over two world champions, then he met Matt Giangrande for a final-round showdown. Pluchino left second, but his Kaase-powered Feather-Lite Batteries/Kelling Equipment ’13 Mustang was quicker than Giangrande, winning with a 4.047 at 179.42 to Giangrande’s 4.075 at 176.65.
“There’s a lot of really good cars here, so it’s extra special to win when there’s really good competition,” said Pluchino, crediting his father and past world champion, John Pluchino, his team, and partners like Feather-Lite Batteries, Kelling Equipment Repair, Jon Kaase Racing Engines, Ram Clutches, and Maxima Racing Oil. “Any time you can hold a trophy with your team, who put so much hard work into everything, it’s just very special for everybody. Winning at the beginning of the year, middle of the year, end of the year, at the end of the day, they’re all wins and they’re all extra special in their own way.”
Pluchino, who earned back-to-back wins to start the season, qualified No. 3 in a field topped by Randi Lyn Butner’s barrier-breaking 3.997-second pass. He was the second-quickest driver in Saturday night’s first round of eliminations with a 4.014 at 180.86 to beat Kurt Neighbor’s 5.189. He lined up for a second-round match against rival and newly crowned 2024 world champion Chris Powers. Pluchino grabbed a sizeable holeshot advantage and followed through with a 4.054 at 180.38 to finish ahead of Powers and his 4.035. He picked up another holeshot win in the semifinals when he posted a 4.044 at 179.66 to defeat 2019 world champion John Montecalvo, who ran a 4.037.
Giangrande, driving for past event-winning car owner Enoch Love, qualified No. 8 in the Kaase-powered Enoch Love Motorsports ’19 Camaro, then won the first round over 2018 world champion Steven Boone with a 4.103 at 176.35. He got his lucky round of the race in the second round, as No. 1 qualifier Randi Lyn Butner went red on a 4.062 pass next to Giangrande’s 4.075 at 177.07. Giangrande used a quicker reaction time and a 4.083 at 175.94 to knock out 2017 NHRA Pro Stock world champion Bo Butner, who ran a 4.073 in the semifinal exit in his PDRA debut.
PRO 632
In 2022, best friends Lexi Tanner and Amber Franklin Denton faced each other in the Pro 632 final round at multiple races, fulfilling a childhood dream for the pair of past Jr. Dragster world champions. They met again in the final round Sunday night, with Tanner taking the win this time. It marked the end of a career-best weekend for Tanner, who qualified No. 2 and set new career-best numbers on her way to the final round. Franklin Denton, the newly crowned world champion, went red on 4.127 at 173.41 pass, while Tanner got the win with her 4.149 at 178.80 in her Musi-powered “Thunder” ’18 Camaro.
“This is so incredibly rewarding,” said Tanner, who thanked parents Andy and Missy, brother Preston and his girlfriend, Maci, crew member Chad Crawford, tuner Jeff Pierce and his wife, Sam, as well as Pat and Liz Musi for their help. “I didn’t know if this was possible until the start of this race. I was really proud of my crew for all the work they put in before this race and getting our personal best and qualifying No 2. Amber and I have always said we’re going to get one and two [in qualifying] and we did it this weekend. We said we’re going to make it to the finals and we did it this weekend. I’m so incredibly proud of her too for her world championship and No. 1 qualifier. I’m so thankful for my team supporting me through it all.”
Tanner fired off a 4.112 at 174.10 in the first round to knock out Jason Ventura and his 4.199. She had a bye run in the second round, using it to set low E.T. of the round with her 4.147 at 179.04. She left just three thousandths ahead of semifinal opponent Chris Holdorf and extended the lead by two thousandths at the finish line, winning with a 4.163 at 178.66 to Holdorf’s 4.165.
Franklin Denton, the 2022 world champion, secured the 2024 title during the most recent race on tour, DragWars at GALOT Motorsports Park. She qualified No. 1 in her Musi-powered “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro before becoming the first driver in Pro 632 history to dip into the 4.00s with a record-setting 4.086 at 176.07 on a first-round bye run. She ran a 4.175 at 176.77 on a second-round single when Bobby Bladen couldn’t make the call, then posted a 4.189 at 173.49 in the semifinals to defeat rookie Chevy Floyd, who slowed to a 5.088.
PRO EXTREME MOTORCYCLE
After several seasons of chasing a Pro Extreme Motorcycle world championship on a nitrous-assisted entry, Brunson Grothus wasn’t sure he’d ever win a title in the class. But everything came together for the Iowa native this season, and more specifically, on Sunday. Riding Robert Varela’s turbocharged Dallas Flat Glass Distributors Hayabusa, Grothus qualified No. 1, set a new E.T. national record, clinched the world championship, and won the race as a bonus. Final-round opponent Meshal Al-Saber went red by .005 seconds on a 4.017-second, 177.54 MPH pass, giving Grothus the win. Grothus eased off the throttle to post a 4.169 at 142.82.
“This is the absolute highlight of my career,” said Grothus of the championship, adding thanks to his team led by father Ed Grothus and brother Bradley Grothus, motorcycle owner Robert Varela, Dan Wagner, Tom Klemme, and his wife and kids. He also dedicated the title to his late mother and late friend Ryan Young of Indocil Art. “I’ve won a few other Pro Mod national championships, which are awesome, and some E.T. bracket stuff, but if we’re being straight-up honest with ourselves, the PDRA Pro Extreme Motorcycle class, it’s like the baddest of the bad. If you want to be a bad dog, then you need to come here on the big stage and battle it out. I’ve been hunting this for almost 15 years now. I’ve been coming for years and years and years and we finally got it done. This is the highlight of my career. It’s the culmination of teamwork. It’s just unbelievable. It’s really hard to describe.”
After qualifying No. 1, Grothus laid down a 3.955 at 183.77 to take out Jeremy Teasley and his 4.03 in the first round. That gave him lane choice over points leader Chris Garner-Jones in the semifinals, with the winner taking the world championship. Garner-Jones grabbed a slight starting line advantage, but Grothus powered to a 3.935 at 184.45 to back up his E.T. record from qualifying, also beating Garner-Jones and his 4.046.
Al-Saber qualified No. 6 on the Brad McCoy-tuned Q80 Racing/McCoy Motorsports Hayabusa and made it through a first-round match with Paul Gast, running an off-pace 4.833 at 164.45 over Gast’s 6.364. He got back on track in the semifinals, posting a 3.984 at 179.18 to defeat Jeff House’s 4.023 for a spot in the final.
SUPER STREET
Brad McBride, who rolled his one-of-a-kind, turbocharged ’63 Volkswagen Fastback in a crash at the sixth of eight races in late August, completed the comeback story of the season in Super Street. He recorded career-best after career-best E.T. to reach his second career final round. Lined up against E.T. national record holder Derek Mota in the final round, McBride laid down one of his quickest passes ever, a 4.652 at 149.63, to hold off Mota and his 4.681 at 162.90 by just .0001 seconds. It was McBride’s first career Super Street win in his Volkswagen-powered entry that sported “NC Strong” decals in support of Hurricane Helene victims.
“I get chills just thinking about it – and it’s hot out here right now,” said the Granite Falls, North Carolina-based driver, who thanked wife Brandy, crew member Adam, and partners like Schaeffer’s Oil, BorgWarner Turbo, Everything Euro, United Engine and Machine, Icon Pistons, and Younce RV. “We went through five cranks and two heads this year, just fighting parts problems. Then to roll the car, it was like, ‘Man, what am I doing?’ But I just couldn’t give up. The Lord gives me the strength just to wake up every day and continue. We won the VW Heritage championship, then on one of those passes, I was like, ‘I’m on to something here.’ We came here and I just wanted to use what I knew in the back of my head I’ve been wanting to do. I’d just try it and every time I did something, it just got better and better. It’s just been an amazing weekend to see the work pay off.”
McBride qualified No. 8 and made his quickest pass of the weekend in Saturday night’s first round of eliminations, where opponent Austin Vincent suffered an engine problem and McBride laid down a career-best 4.651 at 149.17. Second-round opponent and newly crowned world champion Dan Whetstine’s ProCharged ’90 Mustang went silent on the starting line, while McBride recorded a consistent 4.66 at 149.65 to advance to a semifinal bye run. There, he launched and lifted to an 8.393 at 78.81.
Mota, who finished second in the championship standings for the second consecutive season, qualified No. 1 in his turbocharged East Point Recovery Centers ’93 Mustang. He lowered his own E.T. national record to a 4.497 at 167.22 on a first-round bye. The Massachusetts-based driver slowed to a 4.716 at 163.08 in the second round, but it was enough to beat young gun Blake Molnar and his 4.746. He stepped back up to a 4.605 at 164.17 in the semifinals to defeat David Knight’s 4.699.
Whetstine clinched the Super Street world championship when he advanced past the first round of eliminations in his ProCharged “Red Velvet” ’90 Mustang. He won two races in three final-round appearances, also qualifying No. 1 twice.
TOP SPORTSMAN
A pair of Elite Top Sportsman veterans driving big-inch, nitrous-powered hot rods pulled to the starting line for the final round. Vonnie Mills and Bruce Thrift both made picture-perfect passes, but it was Mills’ .003 reaction time and 3.971 on a 3.97 dial-in in her Sonny’s-powered Show-N-Tell ’13 Camaro that turned on the win light. Thrift’s dead-on 3.82 in his “Color Me Gone” GTO was held back by his .052 reaction time.
Virginia’s Travis Butler and Maryland’s Vince Fourcade made it through five rounds of competition to meet in the Top Sportsman 48 final round. It was over on the starting line, though, as Fourcade went red by .003 in his Saffelle Racing ’15 Camaro. Butler in his ’53 Corvette was ready for a race, cutting a .010 light and running a 4.321 on a 4.32 dial-in.
TOP DRAGSTER
Going into the weekend third in Elite Top Dragster points, Canadian Kyle Harris needed numerous things to go his way in order to pass past world champions Steve Furr and Kellan Farmer for the world championship. He held up his end, qualifying No. 1 with career-best numbers and racing to the event win, while Furr lost in the first round and Farmer lost in the second round. In the final round, Harris cut a .009 light and ran a 3.799 on a 3.73 dial-in in his supercharged DFS Projects ’15 Horton dragster to defeat Frank Falter III, who broke out by one thousandth with his 3.729 in his supercharged “Candy Man” ’22 Miller dragster.
Nick Meloni, the 2021 Top Sportsman world champion, didn’t need to win the event to claim the Top Dragster world championship, but he did it anyways. He passed points leader Lucas Salemi with his fourth-round win, got a semifinal bye run, then used a .010 reaction time and a 4.232 on a 4.23 dial-in in his TT Motorsports ’16 Dan Page dragster to get the final-round win. Virginia’s Troy Williams wasn’t far off with his .019 light and 4.442 on a 4.44 dial-in in the runner-up effort.
The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will celebrate its 2024 world champions at the annual PDRA Championship Awards Banquet on Friday, Dec. 13 in downtown Indianapolis during the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show weekend.
Nate Van Wagnen | Drag Illustrated
