FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Jerry Bickel Race Cars, an industry-leading builder of Pro Modified-style race cars, will now serve as the presenting sponsor of the Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous division within the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series in 2026, series officials announced today. Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by Jerry Bickel Race Cars will compete at all seven national events on the 2026 PDRA schedule.

“We’re proud to welcome Jerry Bickel Race Cars as the new presenting sponsor for Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous,” said Will Smith, marketing director, PDRA. “JBRC has built some of the most competitive cars in the class going back to the beginning of the series, and under the new ownership of Rick Hord, I’m sure many more championship-winning, record-setting cars will come out of the JBRC shop. Like Switzer Dynamics, JBRC is committed to providing a top-notch product and service for our racers, making them a perfect partner for the class and the series.” Continue reading →

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – When Jeff Melnick returned to the Red Line Oil PDRA Championship Awards Banquet Stage to accept his 2025 Pro 632 presented by PTC Converters world championship trophy, he quoted the Meat Loaf song “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.” Teamed up with Alan O’Brien and the Greenbrier Excavating & Paving team, Melnick secured his second Pro 632 world title in the last three seasons on the strength of three wins in five final-round appearances across the seven-race season.

Melnick’s second championship season was much different than his first, but that had nothing to do with his on-track competition. Early in the 2023 season, Melnick was diagnosed with a form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He underwent aggressive chemotherapy between races, and while the side effects presented challenges in racing’s extreme conditions, Melnick powered through and won the title. During his championship speech, he broke the news that he was cancer-free and in remission. Without those challenges this season, Melnick could focus completely on the task at hand.

“Just getting to the racetrack was a major hurdle to overcome. It took every ounce, everything I had, to do that,” Melnick said, “and now it’s like, ‘Oh, this is kind of boring.’ I don’t have cancer and nothing’s really going on like that and it’s just a normal year. When you’re used to that kind of chaos, then you go to a normal year, it’s like, ‘Well, this is no big deal.’” Continue reading →

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – The Red Line Synthetic Oil Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) announced today its seven-race 2026 schedule, coming off another successful campaign through the 2025 calendar year. The series will return to four familiar racetracks from last season along with a return to Darlington Dragway in South Carolina, which serves as the season opener for the first time.

“Coming out of the World Finals, we knew some changes were imminent,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director. “Change is inevitable in life – whether it is in personal, business, or your hobbies – in time, change occurs. We have decided to make a few shifts in our schedule for 2026 to adapt to the ever-changing motorsports scope in hopes to see more teams be able to compete for a full season championship.

“In 2026, our goal is to put racers in a better position to chase a full season championship with the PDRA,” Crossnoe continued. “We understand the costs of the sport are not cheap and after weeks of back-and-forth discussions internally, we settled on only doing seven races this season to allow for better spacing in between events and for the hopes of an extremely competitive season.”

The 2026 Red Line Oil PDRA season will kick off at Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, South Carolina, on March 25-28 – a return to a facility that has seen numerous PDRA races throughout the years will now serve as the kickoff event on tour next season. Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC will serve as the second stop on schedule on April 16-18 – a popular and familiar stop for the PDRA faithful will see their first of two stops in mid-April. Virginia Motorsports Park will play host to the third race on tour on Memorial Day weekend, May 21-23. Maryland International Raceway will serve as the fourth race on tour as in years past on June 25-27. Continue reading →

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Ethan Steding had his work cut out for him as he rolled into the 2025 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series season looking to defend his 2024 Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports world championship. Competing against an increasingly competitive field that included 2023 Super Street world champion Blake Denton and Super Bowl champion turned Pro Street rookie Fletcher Cox, Steding raced to a nearly perfect second half of the season – three wins in four final rounds – to claim his second straight championship.

Steding’s sophomore season behind the wheel of his roots-blown P2 Contracting “College Fund” ’24 Camaro began with a first-round exit at the season-opening East Coast Nationals at GALOT Motorsports Park. He rebounded with a final-round win over season opener winner Blake Denton at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown at Virginia Motorsports Park. Steding bowed out in the semifinals at the North vs. South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway, while Denton picked up his second win in three final rounds to extend his points lead.

The turning point in Steding’s season came at the Northern Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park, where he defeated Denton in the final round. He never let up after that. At the Thunder Valley Throwdown at Bristol Dragway, Steding paired up with Denton in the opening round, but mechanical issues prevented Denton from making the run. Continue reading →

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Following in the footsteps of his father, Todd “King” Tut” Tutterow, Ty Tutterow raced his way to a 2025 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series world championship in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive. He reached the final round at the last five races of the season and won three of them to add another PDRA Pro Boost world championship to the family trophy case, which includes Todd’s Pro Boost titles in 2014 and 2022.

Tutterow started the season taking over the driver’s seat in Justin Smith’s screw-blown Quik Fuel ’69 Camaro, which Todd drove to a third-place finish in the 2024 season. Ty reached the semifinals at the season opener, then failed to qualify at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown at Virginia Motorsports Park, continuing a streak that saw Todd DNQ at both Virginia events in 2024.

The Quik Fuel team bounced back in a big way, as Tutterow picked up his first PDRA 660 Man trophy in several seasons when he won the North vs. South Shootout at Maryland. He then went red in a side-by-side 3.57-second final around at the Northern Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Michigan. The next race, the Thunder Valley Throwdown at Bristol Dragway, was completed at GALOT Motorsports Park leading into DragWars. Tutterow won both events, defeating Melanie Salemi in the final round of the Bristol and GALOT events. That gave Tutterow a substantial lead over Salemi going into the season finale. Continue reading →

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – For the second consecutive year, the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series crowned a brand-new world champion in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, as young gun Marcus Butner passed three-time world champion Tommy Franklin in a late-season push to earn the title. Butner and tuner Jay Cox won three events during the eight-race season, including the final two races. Butner also walked away with the class speed record.

In just the second race of the season, the Mid-Atlantic Showdown at Virginia Motorsports Park, Butner drove his Musi-powered Butner Motorsports “Heartbreaker” ’69 Camaro to his second career win. He lost in the opening round at the next race in Maryland and went out in the second round at the Northern Nationals in Michigan.

Butner’s season turned around at the Thunder Valley Throwdown at Bristol Dragway, where he notched a semifinal finish when the race was completed during DragWars at GALOT Motorsports Park. Butner parlayed that into a season-defining home-track win at DragWars. That put him within striking distance of Franklin going into the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals at VMP. There, Butner took out Franklin in the second round and secured the championship with his final-round win over past Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson. Continue reading →

DINWIDDIE, VA – With a Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series world championship on the line, Marcus Butner won a side-by-side Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous final round at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger at Virginia Motorsports Park to claim his third win of the season and his first career world championship. Butner and final-round opponent Buddy Perkinson both cut .009-second reaction times before Butner pulled ahead to win with a 3.647-second pass at 207.53 mph over Perkinson’s 3.660 at 205.91.

Past world champions Ethan Steding (Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports) and Alan Drinkwater (AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Sonny’s Racing Engines) also claimed event wins to cap off their 2025 world championship seasons.

Additional pro winners at the World Finals were Jason Harris in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, Carson Hoyle in PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters, and Carson Perry in PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling. Continue reading →

DINWIDDIE, VA – Saturday’s final qualifying session and opening round of eliminations at the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series’ Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger included national record backups and intensifying championship battles at Virginia Motorsports Park. Richard Reagan backed up his 3.854-second pass from Friday night to claim a new Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports E.T. record while also locking in his first career No. 1 qualifier award. Defending Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous world champion Fredy Scriba won his first-round matchup with a 3.633 to back up his 3.600 record from Friday night.

The world championship battles in the headlining Pro Nitrous and WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive will continue on Sunday. Tommy Franklin and Marcus Butner (Pro Nitrous) and Ty Tutterow and Melanie Salemi (Pro Boost) won their first-round matchups and will meet in the second round on Sunday. Ethan Steding and Blake Denton will also continue their title fight in Pro Street.

Jeff Melnick went into the World Finals as the 2025 world champion in PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters, while Alan Drinkwater (AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Sonny’s Racing Engines) and Connor McGee (PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling) also clinched championships by qualifying at the World Finals. Continue reading →

DINWIDDIE, VA – Virginia’s own Randy Weatherford ran within one thousandth of the national E.T. record to take the provisional No. 1 spot in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive Friday night at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger. Weatherford covered the Virginia Motorsports Park eighth mile in 3.556 seconds at 212.13 mph to lead a long list of Pro Boost drivers in the 3.50-second range at the 2025 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series season finale.

The provisional No. 1 qualifiers in the other pro classes going into Saturday’s final qualifying session are Fredy Scriba in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, Richard Reagan in Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports, Jordan Ensslin in AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Sonny’s Racing Engines, Jeff Melnick in PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters, and Carson Perry in PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling

Bryan LaFlam (MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines), Alan O’Brien (Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving), Dan Hill (MagnaFuel Top Sportsman), and Angie Travis (Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Derrick Wolfe Trucking) are the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in the sportsman classes. Continue reading →