The Road To The Finals: The 2019 PDRA Season Preview

It’s time to start filling nitrous bottles, stock up on blower belts, and check those turbos because the PDRA racing season is almost here. The 2019 PDRA tour will visit both old and new tracks as it makes its way across the eastern part of the United States and the theme for the season is “Road To The Finals”. With big payouts and bigger action, every PDRA event will be worth traveling to so you can get your Pro Modified racing fix.

To go Pro Modified racing at any level takes a good amount of capital and the PDRA is stepping up their commitment to racers in 2019. The Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost classes will once again pay $10,000 to win and $1,000 to qualify for their ultra-tough 16 car fields.

According to the PDRA’s Tyler Crossnoe, racers who don’t make the field in these two classes will have a chance to race for some cash, too. “This year we’re going to have the Classic Graphix Pro Mod Shootout. This will be for the non-qualifiers in Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost where they get to run together in a second-chance type race. This is going to provide them with more track time and the ability to run for a purse of their own.”

Fans come to PDRA events to see some of the wildest doorslammer racing in the world. After looking at how the NHRA runs their program the PDRA is making a big change to their run order for 2019; the idea is to have more of an organized pro show where fans know exactly when the Pro Mods will be on the track.

“This year we want to create more of a Pro theme that fans can relate to. We plan on setting our run order up so they can schedule their day around when the pro classes will be up and start on time. To work with this new theme we will have Friday Night Fire that features back to back pro qualifying sessions. Our pro eliminations will have the Saturday Main Event theme where that racing will start at a specific time, as well,” Crossnoe says.

The PDRA is also looking to expand the level of interaction fans have with all of the pro drivers this season. These activities are geared towards getting more exposure for the drivers and their sponsors at each event. There will be pro autograph sessions, a pre-race show on Facebook live, and much more.

According to Crossnoe, sportsman racers that participate in PDRA races will continue to be treated to great track prep and support from the sanctioning body.

“We will continue to have the Elite 16 for Top Sportsman and Top Dragster this year; the 32-car programs will also be brought back for each. Each of these classes will have an opportunity to race all season long for a championship, as well. The later rounds will be a part of our Saturday Main Event, so these racers will get to run in front of the bigger crowds between the pros.

“We are also looking to implement some bonus programs at select events to highlight our sportsman racers. The Jr Dragster programs will continue with ultra-competitive 16-car fields that makes qualifying more important than ever.”

Make sure you check out the PDRA website to see all of the latest updates about what the new season will bring for the organization.

2019 PDRA Schedule

East Coast Nationals Presented By FuelTech at GALOT Motorsports Park April 4-6
Mid-Atlantic Showdown Presented By Modern Racing at Virginia Motorsports Park May 2-4
North-South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway May 30-June 1
Summer Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park June 27-29
Northern Nationals Presented By Callies at Dragway 42 July 18-20
Drag Wars VI Presented By Proline Racing at GALOT Motorsports Park September 5-7
Fall Nationals at Darlington Dragway October 3-5
World Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park October 17-20