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Kaeser Compressors Named Title Sponsor of PDRA Mid-Atlantic Showdown; Official Air Compressor of PDRA

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Kaeser Compressors, one of the largest providers of compressed air systems and solutions, has signed on as the title sponsor of the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series’ second race of the 2024 season, the Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Classic Graphix, April 18-20, at Virginia Motorsports Park. Kaeser Compressors has also been named the Official Air Compressor of the PDRA.

“The Kaeser Compressors team are no strangers to drag racing, but we’re thrilled to welcome them to the PDRA as an event title sponsor and the Official Air Compressor of the series,” said Will Smith, marketing director, PDRA. “Kaeser Compressors has been on the side of Jeff Brooks’ Henry J Top Sportsman car for many years. We’re proud that Michael Camber [Kaeser Compressors Marketing Services Manager] and the Kaeser Compressors group chose to expand their involvement in drag racing through the PDRA.”

Based in Fredericksburg, Va., Kaeser Compressors goes to market through a nationwide network of exclusive branches and distributors, each with factory-trained sales and service people. Kaeser’s complete line of compressed air system products includes industrial electric screw compressors and portable gasoline and diesel rotary screw compressors with the highly efficient Sigma ProfileTM, rotary lobe and screw blowers, compressed air boosters, and vacuum packages. Kaeser also provides an unrivaled range of air treatment and other system components including tanks, piping, and controls.

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Bracket Racing Veteran Chad Traylor Clinches 2023 PDRA Top Sportsman World Championship

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Chad Traylor went into the 2023 Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) season just hoping to secure a top 10 finish in the MagnaFuel Top Sportsman presented by Corbin’s RV points standings. Despite driving a new-to-him car and having never really competed on a full-time basis in the series, Traylor finished the eight-race season as the 2023 Top Sportsman world champion with two victories.

Over the winter going into the 2023 season, Traylor was approached by longtime friend Keith Cox with a proposal to drive Cox’s recently purchased split-window ’63 Corvette at some PDRA races. Traylor was already planning to run some of the races with his Top Dragster entry, so he added the Top Sportsman car to the lineup and went into the year with modest expectations.

The car gave Traylor and Cox fits early on, but a win at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Classic Graphix at Traylor’s home track, Virginia Motorsports Park, provided the duo with the momentum boost they needed to chase the title.

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Red Line Oil Named PDRA Series Title Sponsor 

INDIANAPOLIS – Red Line Synthetic Oil, a leading manufacturer of engine oils and lubricants, will serve as the series title sponsor of the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) for the 2024 season and beyond, the series announced today during a press conference at the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show. The multi-year partnership makes Red Line Oil the first series title sponsor in the 10-year history of the all-eighth-mile drag racing series. The 2024 PDRA Red Line Oil Drag Racing Series season will feature eight points-earning races, as well as the fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars race.

“This is a huge moment for the PDRA,” said Tommy Franklin, co-owner and co-founder, PDRA. “Since 2014, we’ve been building a reputation as the place to race for Pro Mods, Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Jr. Dragsters, and more. I always say our racers in the PDRA are the best anywhere. It means a lot to all of us at the PDRA that Mark Beatty and Red Line Oil believe in what we’re doing and wanted to get more involved with the series in such a big way. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the next 10 years of the PDRA.”

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TG Paschal Picks Up Second PDRA Top Dragster World Championship

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – As the 2021 Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) Top Dragster world champion, TG Paschal knows what it takes to contend for championships. This season, he backed up his 2021 performance with two wins to claim the 2023 Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster world championship.

“Winning a world championship was something that I’ve wanted to do for years,” said Paschal. “The first one meant a lot being the first one, but I think this year meant more because in ’21 when I won it, really all I had to do was go to Virginia for the World Finals and qualify and it was wrapped up. This year, I had to go and hope to do decent in order to win it. It worked out in the long run.”

When Paschal started the season by making it down to six cars at the season opener, he wasn’t sure that was a strong enough start to warrant a full championship chase. He quickly hit a stride, though, as he won the next two races, the Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Classic Graphix at Virginia Motorsports Park and the DeCerbo Construction American Doorslammer Challenge presented by Callies at Summit Motorsports Park.

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Blake Denton Earns First-Ever PDRA Super Street World Championship

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – When the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) announced the formation of its new Afco Racing Super Street presented by Menscer Motorsports class, Blake Denton knew he had to be a part of it. He couldn’t have predicted then that he would walk away with the inaugural Super Street world championship after a breakout 2023 season. Denton won twice and was runner-up once to claim another PDRA title for Tommy Franklin Motorsports.

Wheeling his nitrous-assisted, Musi-powered ’76 Camaro, Denton qualified No. 1 at the first three races of the six-race Super Street season, beginning at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Classic Graphix at Virginia Motorsports Park. He then won the next two races, the DeCerbo Construction American Doorslammer Challenge presented by Callies at Summit Motorsports Park and the Fulton Competition Engines North vs. South Shootout presented by Penske Racing Shocks at Maryland International Raceway.

In the second half of the season, Denton had to hold off championship runner-up Derek Mota, who won the season opener but had to miss a race due to a broken crankshaft. Mota dominated the final three races, qualifying No. 1, setting the record, and winning at all three events. Denton reached the semifinals at two of those three races, while also reaching the final round at the ProFabrication DragWars at GALOT Motorsports Park. He clinched the title at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia.

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Former Top Sportsman Racer Bill Riddle Becomes 2023 PDRA Pro Street World Champion

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Years of fast bracket racing in Top Sportsman prepared Bill Riddle for a move up to Menscer Motorsports Pro Street presented by Afco Racing, the Professional Drag Racers Association’s (PDRA) version of Outlaw 10.5. In just his second full season in the class, Riddle raced to one win in three consecutive final-round appearances to earn the 2023 Pro Street world championship. He also qualified No. 1 three times in the seven-race Pro Street season.

“We’ve been racing for years and been chasing this type of dream,” Riddle said. “It means a lot to us. I love the heads-up stuff. The last few races we’ve been getting a lot of cars here, which really made it fun. I’m hoping we get a lot more cars next year.”

Riddle qualified No. 1 in his roots-blown Corrigan Race Fuels ’89 Camaro at the season-opening Summit Racing Equipment East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech at GALOT Motorsports Park, where he was runner-up to two-time and outgoing world champion Tim Essick. The two traded places at the next race, the Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Classic Graphix at Virginia Motorsports Park, where Riddle qualified No. 2 and beat Essick in the final. He then qualified No. 1 and lost in the final to rookie and championship runner-up Scott Kincaid at the DeCerbo Construction American Doorslammer Challenge presented by Callies at Summit Motorsports Park.

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Bristol Dragway Joins Five Familiar Tracks for PDRA’s Eight-Race 2024 Schedule

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – On the heels of its 10th anniversary season of all-eighth-mile drag racing action, the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) announced today its eight-race 2024 schedule. The series will head to Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn., for the first time, while also returning to five familiar racetracks throughout the East Coast and Midwest. Along with eight points-earning races, drivers will compete for the opportunity to take part in the fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars.

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Simple, right?” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. “One of the hardest parts of the entire series is finding the right track partners and facilities to host events that can hold 3-second, 200-plus-MPH runs for Pro Mods, park over 300 85-plus-feet-long motorhomes and stackers, and have the right amenities for fans to enjoy a day or weekend at the races. The concept sounds very simple, but it is one of the hardest things we face each season.

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Jeff Melnick Overcomes Adversity to Claim 2023 PDRA Pro 632 World Championship

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Longtime sportsman racer Jeff Melnick experienced a wide range of highs and lows during his rookie season in M&M Transmission Pro 632. From dominant wins to a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis and the resulting chemo treatments, Melnick was put to the test. The Ohio-based driver rose to the challenge, though, and delivered a 2023 Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) world championship for car owner Alan O’Brien. Melnick won three times in four final rounds.

Melnick, who previously raced a ProCharged ’02 Avenger in Top Sportsman, took on a new challenge when he signed on to drive O’Brien’s one-of-a-kind, AMC small-block-powered Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’20 Camaro at the 2022 Brian Olson Memorial World Finals.

“I remember the first pass I made in the car and I thought, ‘Oh boy, what did I get myself into? This is a different animal.’ A Liberty 5-speed, heads-up, a Pro tree, just a bunch of different stuff for me,” Melnick said.

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Alan Drinkwater Wins 2023 PDRA Extreme Pro Stock Title in Rookie Season

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Alan Drinkwater went into his rookie season in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition just hoping to get a feel for the Mountain Motor Pro Stock car and maybe win a round or two. He did all that and more, as he won twice in three final-round appearances throughout the eight-race PDRA season to claim the 2023 world championship.

“I feel like this is the best competition Mountain Motor Pro Stock has had in the past eight or 10 years,” said Drinkwater, driver of the Kaase-powered IronListing.com ’13 Mustang. “So for us to come out, not even go to the first race, make it to three finals, two wins, and couple semifinal finishes, it’s unbelievable. A little bit of luck’s been on our side, but it’s also all the really hard work and commitment we’ve put into our program and all the help we’ve had along the way.”

Drinkwater missed the PDRA season opener in Extreme Pro Stock, though he did compete in M&M Transmission Pro 632 in Kenny Floyd’s Ford Escort, which he campaigned all season in 2022. He reached the semifinals in his debut at the second race of the season, then won the DeCerbo Construction American Doorslammer Challenge presented by Callies at Summit Motorsports Park. He reached the final round again two races later at the Northern Nationals presented by Talbert Manufacturing at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, falling to teammate and reigning world champion Johnny Pluchino. He then won the next race, the Red Line Oil Carolina Nationals at Darlington Dragway, beating 2021 world champion and points leader Chris Powers in the final round.

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Fulton, Pro Line and Allen Win 2023 PDRA Engine Builder Challenge Titles

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – This season, the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) expanded its engine builder challenge programs to include three of its pro classes. After eight races of intense competition, titles went to Fulton Competition Engines in Structural Concrete Nitrous Wars, Pro Line Racing in Boost Wars, and Allen Competition Engines in Horsepower Wars.

Originally featuring just Structural Concrete Nitrous Wars in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, the PDRA engine builder challenges grew to include Boost Wars in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive and Horsepower Wars in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented by AED Competition. At each race on the schedule, the top four qualified drivers and their respective engine builders from the previous event squared off in a two-round shootout in qualifying. The winning driver earned four points for their engine builder, the runner-up earned three points, and so on.

“Nitrous Wars has been one of our longest running programs, and we figured the time was right to get the engine builders and teams in Pro Boost and Extreme Pro Stock in on the fun too,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. “The new engine builder challenge format added even more excitement and intensity in qualifying. Drivers who qualified for the challenges got the chance to turn on a couple win lights before race day, while everyone else had to fight for a spot in the next event’s challenge. We saw some thrilling side-by-side racing in qualifying, which gave fans a great preview of what to expect on race day.”

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