PDRA Expands its Show for Dragstock at Rockingham

PITTSBORO, NC – “The Rock” is ready to roll with the sound of supercharged thunder Sep. 5-7, as the all-eighth-mile Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) returns for Dragstock XI, its second event this year at North Carolina’s historic Rockingham Dragway.

Headlined by the NAS Racing Pro Extreme and Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous classes, the seventh of eight scheduled events in the PDRA’s inaugural season will also feature its all-new Pro Boost division presented by Precision Turbo and Proline Racing Engines, along with Aruba Extreme Pro Stock, Pro Extreme Motorcycle, Top Sportsman, Top Dragster and two Jr. Dragster classes.

Additionally, for the first time the PDRA will stage a 16-car Mac-Fab Pro 275/28 Shootout for so-called “small-tire” racers, as well as host a special appearance by several members of the Southeast Gassers Association featuring period-correct race cars from the 1950s and ‘60s.

“I think this is going to be a very memorable and exciting event for the PDRA, our racers and our fans,” said Bob Harris, the series race director. “This season has already delivered some amazing performances, including the quickest eighth-mile pass ever when we started the season back in April right here at Rockingham.”

Also, with only one more race to go after Dragstock XI, results from the Rockingham event could drastically alter the 2014 PDRA championship point chases. A maximum of 541 points are available for most PDRA classes at each event, with a 50-point bonus also on the table for setting a new elapsed time record.

Coming off his third PDRA win this season at the most recent event in Tulsa, OK, past world champion Bubba Stanton holds a nearly 800-point lead in Pro Extreme over Brandon Snider in second place, followed by Jason Scruggs, Mick Snyder and Tommy D’Aprile in the top five. Meanwhile, Frankie Taylor, who made an unmatched 3.48-seconds pass during the season opener at The Rock, will still be looking for his first win of the year.

After scoring five wins in the first six races, Jason Harris has absolutely dominated Pro Nitrous, with only class rookie Lizzy Musi breaking Harris’ streak when she beat him in the final round two months ago at Richmond, VA. Accordingly, Harris has a practically insurmountable grip on the championship with Musi second and PDRA co-owner Tommy Franklin third.

It’s a two-man race at the head of the list in Pro Boost as Todd Tutterow leads teammate Kevin Rivenbark by just 116 points, with Joe Baker poised to strike from third if either of the leaders falter. Tutterow won the season opener at Rockingham, while Rivenbark has emerged victorious at the two most recent PDRA events in Richmond and Tulsa.

With three wins so far, Cary Goforth appears well on his way to securing a third Extreme Pro Stock championship with a 759-point advantage over John Pluchino, who won earlier this year at Memphis and again at Tulsa. Close behind Pluchino is fellow New Yorker John Montecalvo, who also has an outside chance of overtaking Goforth.

Pro Extreme Motorcycle leader and two-time past champion Eric McKinney has won half of the six races held so far, with teammate Ashley Owens a distant second after winning at Tulsa.

Despite not yet winning a race, class rookie Dan Ferguson remains clinging to the top of the Magnafuel Top Sportsman standings, but two-time winner Dylan Stott is only 120 points back heading into Rockingham, with Bruce Thrift another 70 points behind Stott. The points race is nearly as tight in STT Safety Equipment Top Dragster, where leader Travis Harvey, who won the first Rockingham race this year, holds a 215-point advantage over Danny Payne, with Jeff Mandell only five points short of Payne.

Friday’s action at Rockingham will begin at 10 a.m. with a test session lasting until 4 p.m. for all classes, followed by the opening round of qualifying for all classes at 6 p.m. that evening. Three more complete rounds of qualifying are scheduled for Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. Final eliminations for all classes are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Sunday, making this a rare three-day race schedule for the PDRA.

Complimentary tickets to the PDRA’s Dragstock XI are available at many retailers and commercial outlets in the Rockingham Dragway area, or can be printed for free from the PDRA web site at http://www.pdra660.com/free-tickets/2014/dragstock. Parking is $20 per vehicle daily.