Drag Illustrated Issue 161, October 2020 | Page 16

Special Section
THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST IS AN EVER-CHANGING LIST OF THE BIGGEST NEWSMAKERS AND POWER PLAYERS IN THE PDRA ’ S PROFESSIONAL CLASSES . THIS MONTH ’ S EDITION , REPRESENTING PERFORMANCES FROM DRAG- WARS PRESENTED BY MODERN RACING , OCTOBER 8-10 AT GALOT MOTORSPORTS PARK , 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 DRIV- ERS BATTLE BACK AND FORTH FOR NO . 1 QUALIFYING SPOTS , EVENT WINS AND NATIONAL RECORDS OVER THE COURSE OF THE 2020 SEASON , THIS LIST WILL CHANGE TO REFLECT THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS . PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRO NITROUS
PRO BOOST
EXTREME PRO STOCK
PRO OUTLAW 632
PRO NITROUS MOTORCYCLE
JIM HALSEY TOMMY FRANKLIN CHRIS RINI
JOHNNY CAMP JAMES BEADLING KEVIN RIVENBARK
JOHNNY PLUCHINO ELIJAH MORTON CHRIS POWERS
WES DISTEFANO DILLON VOSS WALTER LANNIGAN JR .
TRAVIS DAVIS ASHLEY OWENS CHRIS GARNER-JONES
For the third time this season , past world champions Jim Halsey and Tommy Franklin squared off in the Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous final round . This time around , it was Halsey all the way . After qualifying No . 1 in his Fulton-powered ’ 68 Camaro , Halsey left first and fired off a 3.632 at 206 mph to beat Franklin ’ s 3.685 at 204 . Franklin ’ s Musipowered “ Jungle Rat ” ’ 69 Camaro qualified No . 2 and stepped up in each of the three prior rounds before falling off slightly in the final . Chris Rini in his Buckpowered ATI Performance ’ 69 Camaro was yet again a power player after qualifying fourth , but he just didn ’ t have enough to get around Franklin in the semis .
Former Pro Nitrous wheelman Johnny Camp rockets to the top of the list this month on the strength of his first-ever PDRA win in Penske / PRS Pro Boost presented by WS Construction . Camp qualified second in his ProCharger-boosted “ Hells Bells ” ’ 69 Camaro and stayed in the high 3.60s on race day . He was set to face first-time finalist James Beadling , but Beadling wasn ’ t able to fire up at the ready line , allowing Camp to cruise to a 3.693- second win . Beadling in his roots-blown ’ 68 Camaro qualified No . 1 and was quickest of the second and third rounds with matching 3.674s . Kevin Rivenbark , the defending world champion , maintains his spot on the list with a semifinal finish .
In just five races , Johnny Pluchino has turned on the final Liberty ’ s Gears Extreme Pro Stock win light of the day four times in his Kaasepowered Strutmasters . com ’ 13 Mustang . He was a killer on the tree in the semis and finals , pairing . 016 and . 015 lights with 4.08s to beat Steven Boone and Elijah Morton , respectively . The second-generation driver clinched the world championship in the process . Morton was quick all day in his Allen-powered ’ 18 Mustang , but his 4.111 in the final wasn ’ t enough . He did beat Chris Powers ’ 4.068 on a holeshot in the semis , though , taking out the low qualifier in his Sonny ’ s- powered ATI Performance ’ 14 Camaro .
“ Finally !” is probably what was going through Wes Distefano ’ s mind when he defeated two-time world champion Dillon Voss in the $ hameless Racing Pro Outlaw 632 final round . It was Distefano ’ s fifth final in as many races this year , and he won it on a holeshot . His 4.211 in his Musi-powered $ hameless Racing ’ 68 Camaro took out Voss and his 4.207 . Though Distefano qualified No . 1 , Voss was the favorite in his Voss-powered ’ 17 Corvette after running a 4.185 in round two and a 4.168 in the semis . Consistent player Walter Lannigan Jr . drove the Nelson-powered Black Flag Motor Sports ’ 53 Corvette in the mid-4.20s all day before falling to Voss .
Somehow , some way , Travis Davis almost always figures out how to get it done in Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle . After fighting a gremlin in qualifying , Davis fired off a 4.069 on his Timblin-built Hayabusa to beat championship challenger Chris Garner Jones ’ 4.084 in E1 . He then ran a 4.068 next to a redlighting Gerald Smith . No . 1 qualifier Ashley Owens red-lit away his 4.051 in the final round , letting Davis win with a 4.082 and lock up his third championship . Owens borrowed a McKinney Motorsports bike for the event , riding it to a 4.052 on a semifinal single . Garner-Jones qualified third and just lined up next to the wrong guy first round , as he would ’ ve won any other pairing .
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