Special Section
PDRA PRO STREET IS COMING
THE SERIES’ FIRST SMALL-TIRE CLASS IS SET TO HIT THREE RACES IN 2020
BY NATE VAN WAGNEN | PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAMES SISK
A
side from the independent Outlaw 10.5
National Championship Series’ 2-3
appearances per season and the
occasional small-tire exhibition, the PDRA
has been a big-tire racing organization
since its inception in 2014. That’s not changing
anytime soon, but the all-eighth-mile series is
dipping its toes into the small-tire waters this
season with the addition of Drag 965 Pro Street.
“Pro Street will be the PDRA’s first go at an
internally promoted small-tire class,” said Tyler
Crossnoe, race director, PDRA. “We’ve had the
Outlaw 10.5 National Championship Series racing
with us for a few races a year for the last few
seasons as an exhibition. They put on a great
show, but we have decided that we want to bring
some of that internally.”
Crossnoe, PDRA Competition and Technical
Director Lonnie Grim and other members of the
PDRA team developed the Pro Street class and
rulebook as a mash-up of three existing small-tire
classes: Limited Drag Radial, Outlaw 10.5 and Pro
275. The class will accept cars sitting on 275, 295
or 315 drag radials, along with 33x10.5 slick tires.
As far as engine combinations, the rulebook allows
for many possibilities. There’s a weight rule for
42 PDRA660.com
nearly every power adder: nitrous, single turbo,
twin turbos, roots blowers, screw blowers and
centrifugal superchargers.
The Pro Street rulebook includes limitations
regarding the cars’ appearance. Unlike the PDRA’s
other doorslammer classes, aftermarket
composite, Pro Mod- or Pro Stock-style bodies
are prohibited. The car’s factory wheelbase must
be maintained, give or take one inch. Those rules
are in place partially to make the Pro Street class
more relatable for fans.
“When a car goes out and looks like a ‘78 Malibu
or a ‘69 Camaro, it really looks like one,” Crossnoe
said. “PDRA has struggled with that relatability
because it’s all Pro Mods or dragsters. Having a
class like Pro Street adds some relatability. I think
that will gain some fans.”
The class will make its debut at the season-opening
East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech at GALOT
Motorsports Park, April 2-4, where Hoosier Racing
Tires is the class presenting sponsor. The next stop
for Pro Street will be the North-South Shootout
presented by Line-X at Maryland International
Raceway in July. Finally, Atomizer Fuel Systems will
be the class presenting sponsor at the World Finals
at Virginia Motorsports Park in October.
Drivers in Pro Street will race for a season
championship, with the World Finals closing
the season as a double points event for Pro
Street only. Each event winner will pocket
$5,000, while the total purse for the season
stood at $24,000 when the class was formally
announced in February.
This new small-tire class has attracted the
attention of racers across the three classes it will
pull from ever since it was first announced at the
PDRA’s season preview press conference at the
PRI Show in December.
“[Outlaw 10.5 defending champion] Mo Hall was
one of the first to reach out, and we expect to
see Mo make the changes necessary to come race
in Pro Street,” Crossnoe said. “We’ll also see drivers
like Andy Manson, a LDR small-block star, with
his single-ProCharger car. Jim Howe, the 2019
LDR champion, is also planning to come run all
three races, along with a number of other people
who’ve shown interest in it.”
“I really feel like the class has some teeth and
momentum even though we haven’t really
promoted it yet,” Crossnoe added. “We’re
trying to make a big splash in the small-tire
world this year.”