Drag Illustrated Issue 148, September 2019 | Page 44

Special Section
THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST FIRST APPEARED IN DRAG IL-
LUSTRATED IN JULY OF 2018 AS AN EVER-CHANGING
LIST OF THE BIGGEST NEWSMAKERS AND POWER PLAY-
ERS IN THE PDRA’S PROFESSIONAL CLASSES. THIS
MONTH’S EDITION, REPRESENTING PERFORMANCES
FROM THE PDRA NORTHERN NATIONALS PRESENTED
BY CALLIES PERFORMANCE, DOES NOT REFLECT THE CURRENT POINTS STANDINGS, THOUGH MOST OF THE DRIVERS WHO APPEAR
ON THIS LIST CAN ALSO BE FOUND NEAR THE TOP OF THE POINTS STANDINGS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CLASSES. AS DRIVERS BATTLE
BACK AND FORTH FOR NO. 1 QUALIFYING SPOTS, EVENT WINS AND NATIONAL RECORDS OVER THE COURSE OF THE 2019 SEASON,
THIS LIST WILL CHANGE TO REFLECT THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. (NOTE: THE NORTHERN NATIONALS WAS AN OFF-WEEKEND FOR
DRAG 965 PRO NITROUS MOTORCYCLE AND SCHWING AMERICA PRO OUTLAW 632 PRESENTED BY PRECISION CHASSIS AND EAST
SIDE AUTO TRANSPORT. WALTER LANNIGAN JR. DEFEATED TONY GILLIG IN THE FINAL ROUND OF THE PRO OUTLAW 632 SHOOTOUT
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRESENTED BY $HAMELESS RACING, A SPECIAL NON-POINTS RACE.)
PRO NITROUS
PRO BOOST
EXTREME PRO STOCK
1. TOMMY FRANKLIN
2. JIM HALSEY
3. CHRIS RINI 1. KRIS THORNE
2. KEVIN RIVENBARK
3. JOHN STRICKLAND 1. JOHN MONTECALVO
2. ELIJAH MORTON
3. CHRIS POWERS
Two-time Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous world
champion Tommy Franklin needed a big weekend
to improve his chances at a third title, and a big
weekend is exactly what he delivered at Dragway
42. Franklin in his Musi-powered ’69 Camaro
battled with points leader Jim Halsey all weekend,
first edging him out by two ten-thousandths of
a second for the No. 1 spot on Friday night, then
beating him in a 3.69-to-3.739 final-round feud.
Halsey in his Fulton-powered ’68 Camaro started
race day with a 3.77, then matched Franklin’s
3.77 and 3.71 in following rounds before the final.
Chris Rini added his third semifinal finish of the
season in his Buck-powered ’69 Camaro with
three mid-to-high 3.70-range passes. For the second time in his rookie season, Florida’s
Kris Thorne swept the Moroso Pro Boost class,
qualifying No. 1 and racing through four rounds
to reach the winner’s circle in his twin-turbo-
charged ’16 Corvette. Tuned by Mikey Rees,
Thorne recorded low ET of each round, including
a 3.716 to defeat Kevin Rivenbark’s 3.718 in the
final round. Rivenbark was consistently the sec-
ond-quickest driver in his ProCharged ’69
Camaro on the way to his second final-round
appearance of the season. Rivenbark’s GALOT
Motorsports teammate, John Strickland, was
similarly quick in his ’69 Camaro and matched
the car’s performance on the starting line with
reaction times ranging from .009 to .016 through
to the semifinals. After a slow start to the season, John Montecalvo
is well-positioned to chase his first Liberty’s
Gears Extreme Pro Stock world championship,
which would add to his IHRA Pro Stock and ADRL
Extreme Pro Stock titles. He drove his Sonny’s-
powered JM Racing Camaro to a 4.151 to beat
Elijah Morton’s 4.135 in the final round at the
Northern Nationals, winning on a holeshot in
his third consecutive final and fourth consecu-
tive final for the car, as tuner Tommy Lee run-
nered-up in it at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown.
Morton stepped up for the final after running a
4.182 in the first round and a 4.194 to take out
Chris Powers and his 4.198 in the semifinals.
44 PDRA660.com