PDRA racers rolled into Bristol Dragway last month with hopes of making up ground in the championship points chase. The weather forecast for the Thunder Valley Throwdown presented by Larry Jeffers Race Cars was not favorable, but every effort was made to keep the event on schedule. August in Thunder Valley is always hot and humid, and this weekend was no exception. Combined with Bristol’s reputation as a “tricky” track, the conditions kept teams busy as they worked to get a handle on the surface.

After testing and the first round of Top Sportsman and Top Dragster qualifying wrapped up on Thursday evening, officials adjusted the schedule for Friday and Saturday due to worsening weather predictions. On Friday, rain forced fields to be set as they stood for eliminations on Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, showers returned and eventually ended racing for the weekend. The remaining elimination rounds were postponed to GALOT Motorsports Park during PDRA DragWars.

All professional classes completed only the opening round of eliminations at Bristol.

At GALOT, rain again delayed racing. Wednesday testing saw only four pairs before weather shut things down, and Thursday morning brought more delays until the afternoon. Once racing resumed, PDRA officials and teams worked together to complete the Bristol make-up rounds.

Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous

Despite less-than-ideal conditions, a few teams made strong qualifying passes. Defending event champion Tommy Franklin, in his Musi-powered Camaro, took the top spot again, edging out John Vergotz. Vergotz briefly led with a 3.789 at 199.82 mph before Franklin bumped him down with a 3.784 at 202.67 mph.

In eliminations, number three qualifier Fredy Scriba fell to Marcus Butner on a holeshot. Scriba went 3.779 at 201.94 mph, but Butner’s quicker .047 reaction time carried his 3.806 at 203.43 mph to the win. Number two qualifier Vergotz posted the class’s low elapsed time of the weekend, a 3.760 at 201.52 mph, but he also lost on a holeshot to Dane Wood, who was .050 on the tree and ran 3.761 at 199.82 mph.

In the final, multi-time champion Franklin lined up against Tim Molnar. Molnar had the starting-line advantage, but Franklin drove around for the win with a 3.626 at 207.08 mph to Molnar’s 3.681 at 205.98 mph.

Top Qualifiers: Tommy Franklin, 3.784 at 202.67 mph; John Vergotz, 3.789 at 199.82 mph; Fredy Scriba, 3.823 at 201.52 mph.

WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive

Pro Boost teams handled the tricky conditions slightly better than the Pro Nitrous field. After a strong Thursday test session, Preston Tanner went to number one in qualifying with a 3.674 at 203.98 mph. Defending event and class champion Jason Harris followed closely with a 3.679 at 205.98 mph in his ProCharged ’69 Camaro. Randy Weatherford slotted into third with a 3.709.

In round one, Weatherford and John Doc left with identical .028 reaction times, but Weatherford’s 3.714 at 207.56 mph edged Doc’s 3.722 at 201.49 mph. Harris advanced after Dan Tolley turned on the red light, and he laid down low E.T. of the round with a 3.686 at 205.51 mph. Tanner faced Bubba Greene, who left first but ran into trouble, while Tanner’s clean 3.688 at 203.19 mph moved him on.

By the final, it was number five qualifier Melanie Salemi against number six qualifier Ty Tutterow. Both left nearly even, but Tutterow’s WYO Motorsports-powered machine pulled ahead with a 3.580 at 209.52 mph to Salemi’s 3.588 at 206.92 mph. It was Tutterow’s third straight final-round appearance, and another win added to his season tally.

Top Qualifiers: Preston Tanner, 3.674 at 203.98 mph; Jason Harris, 3.679 at 205.98 mph; Randy Weatherford, 3.709 at 208.23 mph.

Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports

Following rule adjustments after the last race in Martin, Michigan, Blake Denton topped qualifying with a 4.036 at 191.73 mph. Chris Tuten, back in action after a crash earlier in the season, took the number two spot with a 4.098 at 196.90 mph in his turbo Mustang.

Eliminations saw the top three qualifiers all bow out in round one. Adrian Herrera fell to Richard Reagan, and Tuten ran low E.T. of the round but lost on a holeshot to Ron Green. In a rematch of the previous event’s final, Ethan Steding again defeated Denton after Denton suffered mechanical issues at the line.

On the other side of the ladder, Fletcher Cox advanced to the final to face Steding. Knowing they needed to step up, Steding’s team pushed hard, but his Camaro lost traction while Cox made the quickest run of eliminations, a 3.898 at 187.50 mph, to earn his first PDRA win.

Top Qualifiers: Blake Denton, 4.036 at 191.73 mph; Chris Tuten, 4.098 at 196.90 mph; Adrian Herrera, 4.151 at 184.65 mph.

AED Competition Extreme Pro Stock presented by Allen Competition Engines

Extreme Pro Stock teams came prepared for Bristol. Elijah Morton took the number one spot with a 4.174 at 173.72 mph. Alan Drinkwater, riding momentum from back-to-back wins, qualified second at 4.179 at 173.41 mph.

Morton received a first-round bye, while Drinkwater posted the weekend’s low E.T., a 4.153 at 173.92 mph against Steven Boone. Number three qualifier Jeremy Huffman faced Jordan Ensslin, making his first appearance of the season, and Ensslin scored the upset with a 4.218 at 172.63 mph over Huffman’s 4.284. Ensslin then ran a string of 4.06s and capped it off by defeating Morton in the final for his first PDRA Extreme Pro Stock win.

Top Qualifiers: Elijah Morton, 4.174 at 173.72 mph; Alan Drinkwater, 4.179 at 173.41 mph; Jeremy Huffman, 4.183 at 172.67 mph.

Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters

The Pro 632 class brought 11 entries to Bristol. Nicole Liberty earned her first number one qualifier with a 4.253 at 166.89 mph, while points leader Jeff Melnick was second at 4.263 at 167.95 mph.

In round one, Liberty made a solo and ran the weekend’s best, a 4.239 at 166.66 mph, to advance to face Carson Hoyle at GALOT. Melnick defeated Gary Hood with a 4.245 at 167.78 mph, and Jeff Pittman advanced over Ed McLemore.

When eliminations resumed, Melnick earned his third straight win, defeating Pittman on a holeshot in the Bristol make-up race.

Top Qualifiers: Nicole Liberty, 4.253 at 166.89 mph; Jeff Melnick, 4.263 at 167.95 mph; Jeff Pittman, 4.275 at 168.68 mph.

Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating and Cooling

The Super Street final featured two Fox body Mustangs, with Connor McGee and Austin Vincent lining up their nitrous-assisted small-block Fords. Vincent grabbed a slight advantage at the hit, but McGee drove around for his third win of the season, 4.556 to 4.583.

Sportsman Results

Elite Top Sportsman
Number one qualifier: Glenn Butcher 3.789 at 199.02 mph.
Winner: Tim Lawrence
Runner-up: Dwayne Gallogly

Elite Top Dragster
Number one qualifier: Jody Stroud 3.687 at 201.70 mph
Winner: Larry Roberts
Runner-up: Josh Duggins

Top Sportsman
Number one qualifier: Ronnie Proctor 4.229 at 168.18 mph
Winner: Nick Meloni
Runner-up: Mike King

Top Dragster
Number one qualifier: Russ Whitlock 3.892 at 186.33 mph.
Winner: Justin Kirk
Runner-up: Tisha Wilson