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Scruggs, Franklin, Rivenbark and Grothus Top Friday Qualifying at PDRA Memphis Drags

MILLINGTON, TN – Pro Extreme star Jason Scruggs continued to lead the quickest and fastest eighth-mile Pro Extreme Jason Scruggsdoorslammer class this Friday when he qualified number one at the 3rd annual Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) Memphis Drags. Continual favorites Tommy Franklin and John Strickland led the Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost fields, respectively, while Brunson Grothus rode to the top in Pro Extreme Motorcycle during Friday’s rain-shortened qualifying action.

Past Pro Extreme world champion Mick Snyder qualified number one in Top Sportsman, and Darian Boesch led the Top Dragster field after two qualifying session. Blake Denton and Jordan Eperjesi currently lead the fields in Pro Junior Dragster and Top Junior Dragster, respectively.

Just one thousandth of a second separated the top two qualifiers in NAS Racing Pro Extreme, as points leader Jason Scruggs drove his ScruggsFarm.com 1969 Camaro to a 3.602 at 214.31 to edge out Brandon Snider’s 3.603 at 211.56 in the second qualifying session. Snider was also the second-quickest in the first qualifying session with a 3.645, while Scruggs improved on his previous 3.655 best. Tommy D’Aprile (3.616), Turkey al-Zafari (3.626) and Frankie Taylor (3.641) round out the Pro Extreme top five.

The nitrous oxide-assisted cars of Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by MoTeC made the most out of the hot, humid Memphis air. Virginia’s Tommy Franklin was the quickest driver of both Friday sessions with a best of 3.759 at 202.48 giving him the provisional number one spot on the 20-car qualifying order.

“I let go of the button, the car pulled the front wheels up and I knew it was on a pass,” Franklin said of his run down Memphis International Raceway. “This Jerry Bickel race car is a solid piece. It’s been a solid piece since we rolled it out for the first time. And it has to be to compete with all of these guys who are out here running Pro Nitrous right now. These are the baddest, fastest cars on the planet.”

Second-generation driver Lizzy Musi qualified number two with a 3.77 at 203.86 in her Pat Musi Racing Engines-powered King Kong 6 Dodge Dart, followed by Jay Cox and his 3.821 in third. Tim Savell and Ron Muenks both ran 3.824 to qualify fourth and fifth.

GALOT Motorsports driver John Strickland continued his dominating performance in the GALOT Motorsports Park Pro Boost class as the two-time winner finished the day as the number one qualifier on the strength of his one and only Friday pass, a 3.845 at 193.68. Young gun Tylor Miller was next closest with a 3.856 at 193.71. Strickland’s GALOT teammate, Kevin Rivenbark drove his 2015 Corvette to a third-best 3.874, followed by South Carolina racers Ric Fleck (3.914) and Jeremy Ray (3.934).

In just his first PDRA appearance since 2014, drag bike standout Brunson Grothus laid down a strong 4.069 at 174.48 to lead a field of Drag 965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle regulars. Back-to-back PXM world champion Eric McKinney came close with his 4.087 at 173.09, as was Terry Schweigert’s 4.092. Chris Garner-Jones (4.117) and Chuck Wilburn (4.128) round out the PXM top five going into Saturday’s third and final qualifying session.

Defending race winner Mick Snyder came one step closer to repeating the accomplishment when he came out of Friday qualifying on top in Ronnie Davis Top Sportsman presented by Magnafuel, driving his Powersource Transportation 1963 Corvette to a 3.974. In Lucas Oil Top Dragster, Louisiana racer Darian Boesch claimed the number one spot with his 3.971. Blake Denton ran just three thousandths of a second slower than the perfect 7.90 in Talbert Pro Junior Dragster qualifying, while Jordan Eperjesi’s .006 reaction time was enough to lead the MegaCorp Top Junior Dragster pack.

The 3rd annual PDRA Memphis Drags at Memphis International Raceway will continue with one final qualifying session at 11 am. Eliminations will begin immediately after qualifying is complete.

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