|
rather be the guy out front being chased ,” Halsey laughs .
5 . FIRST-TIME WINNERS BREAK THROUGH
The PDRA ’ s five pro classes crowned four new first-time winners in 2020 . If you include multi-time Pro Outlaw 632 winner Johnny Pluchino ’ s first Extreme Pro Stock victory , there were five first-time winners . But JR Carr , Kurt Steding , Johnny Camp and Jimmy Pelcarsky earned their firstever PDRA “ 660 Man ” trophies . Carr , an Extreme Pro Stock veteran , won his first PDRA event at the Carolina Showdown . Steding ( Pro Boost ) and Pelcarsky ( Pro Outlaw 632 ) both won the Summer Shootout , then Camp notched his first Pro Boost win at DragWars one race later .
|
6 . JOHNNY PLUCHINO JOINS HIS FATHER AS XPS CHAMPION
When Johnny Pluchino was “ handed the keys ” to his father John ’ s ’ 13 Ford Mustang in 2019 , Liberty ’ s Gears Extreme Pro Stock insiders knew it was a matter of time before the second-generation driver found the winner ’ s circle .
|
After winning two consecutive Pro Outlaw 632 world championships , Pluchino focused on winning the 2020 Extreme Pro Stock title . He started off on the right foot , winning the season-opener . He won three consecutive races after a semifinal exit at Darlington , securing the championship with his DragWars victory . John Pluchino won the XPS championship in 2016 .
7 . PRO STREET MAKES ITS DEBUT
The PDRA capitalized on a huge amount of interest in the small-tire racing classes by developing its own class – a mix of the Limited Drag Radial , Pro 275 and Outlaw 10.5 rulebooks – to join the series at three races in 2020 . Drag 965 Pro Street made its debut at the East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech , where transmission guru Mark Micke won in Jason Carter ’ s fan-favorite ’ 78 Malibu . Outlaw 10.5 hitter Tim Essick then took his home-built “ Brown Sugar ” Mustang to victory at the Proline Racing Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Frederick Line-X . Essick was set to face Carlos Gonzalez in the final round at the
|
World Finals before the rain set in . “ The class is set to make even more appearances in 2021 with some wholesale changes to the class to better fit PDRA and bring back a type of racing that racers and fans alike cherished for years ,” says series director Tyler Crossnoe .
8 . BUDDY PERKINSON FIRES OFF 3.67 IN ELITE TOP SPORTSMAN
With a proven pedigree as Randy Weatherford ’ s former Pro Nitrous car , Buddy Perkinson entered the 2020 MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by Tejas Borja season with a real hot rod . He showed that the Musi 959-powered ’ 69 Camaro still had its Pro Nitrous muscles , as he threw down a 3.67-second pass at 204 MPH in qualifying at Drag- Wars . He wasn ’ t able to back it up as a record , though he did claim the record – and the 2020 world championship – at the World Finals , running a pair of 3.73s .
9 . STEVE FURR WINS 3 STRAIGHT RACES IN ELITE TOP DRAGSTER
North Carolina sportsman racing hero Steve Furr came out swinging when
|
the PDRA season kicked off at GALOT , starting a Lucas Oil Elite Top Dragster winning streak that didn ’ t end until the second round of the fourth race of the season , the Summer Shootout at VMP , where 2018 world champion Chaz Silance knocked him out . Silance went on to win the event and came close to passing Furr in points , but Furr held on to add a PDRA world championship to his slew of NHRA and IHRA titles .
10 . PNM CLASS REMEMBERS T . T . JONES
The PDRA ’ s Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle community lost one of its most revered competitors in July , when T . T . Jones passed away at 63 . He was the patriarch of a racing family that includes his wife , Angie , and his son , 2019 and 2020 championship runner-up Chris Garner- Jones . The class collectively chose to sit out the Mid-Atlantic Showdown just a few days after his passing as a sign of respect . The Jones family continued racing in T . T .’ s memory at the following races , with Chris riding his late father ’ s motorcycle .
|