Dream Team: Tommy D’Aprile And Al Billes Racing Storm PDRA Pro Boost

You can have all the best parts that money can buy but it takes a team to make them reach their maximum potential in the world of drag racing. Tommy D’Aprile has been a part of many different teams over his Pro Mod racing career and his current squad could be the best one yet. Driving for Al Billes this year, D’Aprile and the team are charging hard toward a PDRA Pro Boost championship on the heels of some early-season momentum.

D’Aprile’s team actually had its foundation laid over five years ago when he was contacted by Billes to drive for him. That two-race deal led to a pair of wins and a lasting bond between the two that grew as time went on. Over the years D’Aprile has driven for others and anytime Billes was brought in as a tuner for that team they would start to rack up wins.

“The friendship and relationship between Al and I has grown over the years, so that led to a high level of respect. With the other guys on the team, everything just works — every one of them plays a pivotal role in our success and without any one of them none of this would happen. I wouldn’t want to be at any race without any of these guys,” D’Aprile explains.

Besides D’Aprile and Billes, the 2018 team consists of Michael Dusinski, Hank Jackson, Lee White, and Rick Giovannelli. This band of Pro Mod brothers has clicked in a way that D’Aprile could never have imagined, and the results speak for themselves.

“I’d say on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this season a 10 because we’ve put something together here that’s near and dear to my heart. I’ve raced for many years with a lot of different teams, but this team is special because we have such a great bond. Our team really works together well … if I had an unlimited budget I couldn’t buy what this team has when it comes to personality and work ethic. We enjoy this time together win or lose … we know there will be adversity but we’re also ready to overcome it,” D’Aprile says.

The Billes camp has their Jerry Bickel Race Cars-built Camaro flying with the help of the new Noonan 4.9-inch bore space engine. With Billes doing the tuning D’Aprile was able to rip off a 3.66 at over 200 mph, becoming the quickest and fastest non-lockup roots blower car in the world. This year the team has already secured several number one qualifying spots and a win at the PDRA North-South Shootout so they are hitting their stride early.

“The consistency is key — we went out on a 125-degree race track and ran a 3.75. As a driver when you do that it builds a lot of confidence in what you can do. When you can do that as a team it changes how others race you and it pushes them to make mistakes as they to try and keep up. We run our race and don’t focus on the person in the other lane. The goal is to race the track and use everything it will give us to go as fast as possible in that round,” D’Aprile says.

You won’t want to miss the PDRA Summer Drags at US 131 Motorsports Park as D’Aprile and his team work to secure more points in their quest for the Pro Boost championship in 2018. You can see all the racing live RIGHT HERE on SpeedVideo.com thanks to presenting sponsor Driven Racing Oil, along with Royal Purple, Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Moser Engineering, Flying A Motorsports, and Neal Chance Racing Converters.

About the author

Brian Wagner

Spending his childhood at different race tracks around Ohio with his family’s 1967 Nova, Brian developed a true love for drag racing. Brian enjoys anything loud, fast, and fun.
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