As the PDRA reaches the halfway point of the 2026 season, teams in every class know that each round win brings them one step closer to a class championship.
At the PDRA North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway, racers battled some of the hottest temperatures of the season. Despite the challenging conditions, fans were treated to outstanding side-by-side racing, holeshot victories, upset wins, and impressive elapsed times throughout the weekend.
From first-time winners to championship contenders strengthening their title hopes, the North vs. South Shootout delivered exactly the kind of racing many teams had been searching for all season.
Pro Nitrous
As race week approached, much of the buzz centered around the debut of Fredy Scriba’s new “Sorcerer” 1969 Camaro. Built by Robert Hayes and powered by a massive 974-cubic-inch Pat Musi engine, the new machine immediately became one of the stars of the weekend.
Tim Paap qualified No. 1 with a 3.653-second pass at 205.41 mph to lead the 12-car field.
When eliminations began, Buddy Perkinson and Scriba steadily worked their way through the ladder, setting up an all-’69 Camaro final round.
Both drivers had been nearly flawless throughout eliminations, making the championship round one of the most anticipated races of the weekend. However, Perkinson left the starting line too soon, turning on the red light and handing Scriba the automatic victory.
Scriba backed it up with a 3.653-second pass at 207.72 mph, while Perkinson ran a losing 3.656 at 206.73 mph.
For the second consecutive time, Scriba drove a debut vehicle straight into the winner’s circle, taking another big step toward a Pro Nitrous championship.
Pro Boost
With 17 entries, Pro Boost featured the largest professional field of the weekend.
Ty Tutterow claimed the No. 1 qualifying position with a 3.593 at 209.20 mph and went on to post low elapsed time of eliminations in both the first and second rounds. His day ended in the second round, however, when Derek Ward scored a holeshot victory.
Ward continued his strong performance by defeating Raymond Matos in the semifinals to advance to the final round.
Meanwhile, Travis Harvey drove with bracket-racing consistency, posting a string of 3.61-second passes while leaving first against every opponent he faced. Harvey added another holeshot victory over points leader Jason Harris in the semifinals before facing Ward in the final.
The championship round followed the same script. Harvey grabbed the starting-line advantage and never looked back, defeating Ward with a 3.595 at 209.36 mph to Ward’s 3.624 at 207.75 mph.
Pro Street
Jerry Morgano earned his second No. 1 qualifying effort of the season with a 3.958 at 201.94 mph.
Morgano advanced to the second round before falling to Joel Wensley Jr. on a holeshot.
Wensley continued his impressive run by defeating points leader Blake Denton in the semifinals to earn a final-round matchup against Scott Kincaid.
In the championship round, Wensley turned in his best performance of the weekend. He left with a sizable reaction-time advantage and drove to his first Pro Street victory with a 3.944 at 197.71 mph. Kincaid finished runner-up with a 3.996 at 193.93 mph.
Pro 632
Jeff Pittman secured the No. 1 qualifying position with a 4.147 at 171.95 mph.
He carried that momentum into eliminations, eventually meeting Hoyle Carson in the final round.
The pair left nearly together, but Pittman held a slight advantage off the line and maintained it to the finish, recording a 4.147 at 171.27 mph to Carson’s 4.183 at 168.58 mph.
The victory moved Pittman into the Pro 632 points lead, just three points ahead of J.C. Beattie Jr.
Super Street
Defending class champion and current points leader Connor McGee once again led qualifying with a 4.549 at 157.48 mph in his nitrous-assisted Mustang.
McGee posted low elapsed time in every elimination round while advancing to another final-round showdown with Austin Vincent, one of the PDRA’s growing Super Street rivalries.
Vincent grabbed the reaction-time advantage at the starting line, but McGee’s Mustang charged past before the finish line to secure another victory.
McGee’s winning pass of 4.525 at 156.95 mph stood as the quickest run of the weekend, while Vincent posted a 4.655 at 158.86 mph.
Sportsman Winners
Elite Top Sportsman
Winner: Mike Keeler
Runner-Up: Brian Tiffe
Top Sportsman
Winner: Stacy Johnson
Runner-Up: Mike Daymude
Elite Top Dragster
Winner: Steve Furr
Runner-Up: Linzie Coleman
Top Dragster
Winner: Chad Traylor
Runner-Up: Brooke Hall Gary
Pro Jr. Dragster
Winner: Emma Crane
Runner-Up: Katelyn Page
Top Jr. Dragster
Winner: Wyatt Piercey
Runner-Up: Acelynn Christian
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