PDRA
Little Wins Big in Talbert Pro Junior Dragster
PITTSBORO, NC – In 2015, Kendal Little earned top honors in the junior dragster category at his home track, Little 
River Dragway in Holland, Texas. After winning that track championship, Little and his father decided to begin the 2016 season competing at the PDRA season opener in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the second closest stop to them on the tour. When that event was postponed until the Spring Drags in Rockingham, N.C. the Littles decided to make the trip east. It turned out to be a good decision.
Little not only won the postponed season opener, he won the Rockingham Spring Drags, as well. “Winning Tulsa and Rockingham in the same weekend got us off to a great start,” told Little. “So me and my dad decided to chase the series and see what we could do.”
Big Changes Led to Championship for Kirk
PITTSBORO, NC – “Everything was still going wrong” is how Justin Kirk described the start of his 2016 season. Early 
exits marked the first half of the year for the third generation racer. He and car owners Randy and Cathy Kelly fought their dragster all season until the Kellys made a daring decision to switch cars and motors mid-season. After that Kirk began to dominate the competition, winning his first ever national event, following that up with another win and a semi-final finish all en route to being crowned the PDRA 2016 Lucas Oil Top Dragster World Champion.
“It’s really just now setting in,” told the 23 year old West Virginia native. “People start calling ya the Champ and you start to realize, ‘Hey I kinda did do something.’ It feels good to follow in the footsteps. Papaw’s done it; my dad’s done it; now I’ve done it. It’s a surreal feeling. We’ve accomplished a lot as a family. That means a lot.”
Dan Ferguson is Back on Top
PITTSBORO, NC – Dan Ferguson never quite imagined that in three years of running the quickest and fastest 
sportsman doorslammer category, he’d rack up two championships and a second place finish in points. He took a leap of faith into the world of PDRA’s Ronnie Davis Top Sportsman presented by MagnaFuel and it turns out he was pretty good at it. Going to the semi-finals at the 2014 season opener in Rockingham, NC led to traveling to more, which led to a runner up, more traveling and many more round wins, which eventually earned Ferguson the 2014 Top Sportsman World Championship. To prove it wasn’t beginners luck, Ferguson came out and won the 2015 season opener in Dallas, TX continued to lead the points for much of the 2015 season, although he was edged out for the championship by Ronnie Davis.
Now in 2016, Ferguson has continued to do much of the same, taking over the points lead with a win at the second stop on the 2016 tour and never relinquishing it. With only two races left in the season, Ferguson had pulled away from the rest of the field and only needed one round win to clinch his second championship in three years, a feat Ferguson calls “unbelievable.”
John Pluchino Becomes Underdog Champ in PDRA Pro Stock
PITTSBORO, NC – After a one year hiatus, the PDRA welcomed back Extreme Pro Stock with a five race schedule. 
The racers and organization greeted each other with open arms, welcoming the reunion. With a small schedule, XPS racers knew each run could play a major role in the 2016 PDRA Pro Stock World Championship decision.
With wins early in the season New Yorker John Pluchino and North Carolinian Richard Penland set themselves apart as championship contenders. They each continued a strong push, with Penland going to two additional finals to take the points lead over Pluchino, who had scored a runner up finish himself. By the time the season approached the last event of the year, Pluchino and Penland had pulled away from former champions, Brian Gahm, Doug Kirk and John Montecalvo.
Eric McKinney Continues Reign in Drag965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle
PITTSBORO, NC – Looking at the last three championships in PDRA’s Drag965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle, one would 
assume that Eric McKinney has had complete and total domination. But that is only part of the story. While he walked away with the championships in ‘14 and ‘15, this year almost didn’t happen.
McKinney’s season started off well, with two final round appearances early in the year. But then, McKinney says, “We got a little sidetracked.” Chris Garner-Jones took over McKinney’s familiar number one place in points and stayed there for much of the year. “We’re always trying to be faster and progress the class,” McKinney explained. “We got behind and it was a struggle. It was quite challenging.”
Going into the final race, McKinney was still over two rounds behind Garner-Jones. “We drew it out on a piece of paper before the last race and said, ‘We have to do this to win the championship’,” McKinney added. “After the makeup race in Bradenton we were 206 points behind Chris. He had to go out first round and I had to win the race.”
Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by MoTeC was the Class to Watch this Season
Tommy Franklin Silenced Naysayers and Won it All
PITTSBORO, NC – The Nitrous Wars, both the unofficial smack talk between drivers/engine builders and the official 
Flatout Gaskets Nitrous Wars, were clearly beloved by fans this season. Pro Nitrous was the class to watch. It provided one of the tightest points races and competition levels of the season. There was no determining winners before the final round was run. Even the Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by MoTeC World Championship title came down to the final two runs of the season. It’s the stuff dreams are made of and, for Tommy Franklin, those dreams came true.
After finishing second the first two seasons of the PDRA, Franklin nearly resorted himself to forever holding that number two badge. Jay Cox led the points for much of the year and Franklin sat in his familiar number two spot. But when do-or-die time came, Franklin turned up the heat.
Franklin and Cox were neck-and-neck in points going into the final race of the year. Both qualified well at the PDRA World Finals and worked their way through the rounds. As fate would have it, the two met in the semi-finals. With just a handful of points separating Cox and Franklin, whoever won that round would be the World Champion.
GALOT Motorsports Claims Its Second PDRA Pro Boost Title
Kevin Rivenbark Won Six Events en route to Championship
PITTSBORO, NC – It was a once-in-a-career type of season for GALOT Motorsports’ Pro Boost teams. Between 
drivers Kevin Rivenbark and John Strickland each of the nine national event titles to be had this season went home to GALOT Motorsports. The drivers traded trips to the winner’s circle with Kevin taking the first and last three, while Strickland’s car mastered the hot weather tune ups, taking home wins during the summer months. Domination to that extent by a single team is almost unheard of in drag racing. Rivenbark, who was runner up in points the first two season of Pro Boost, credits the team’s incredible success to R&D on their lockup transmissions. The hard work was not wasted and produced nine wins and the top two finishers in points.
“It feels wonderful,” Rivenbark said of clinching the championship. “After the last two years of being number two, finally being number one kind of feels unreal. It slipped through my fingers last year. To do it this way this year, winning six of them, really is just unbelievable. I can’t fathom it sometimes.”
Snider Crowned Champion of PDRA’s Quickest and Fastest Category
PITTSBORO, NC – It’s never an easy thing to jump behind the wheel of a machine that can power from 0 to over 230 
miles per hour in just 660 feet. To perfect this feat, both in tuning and driving, going to six final rounds and winning three in just nine events in a single year is, quite simply, remarkable. Brandon Snider has done just that to be crowned the 2016 NAS Racing Pro Extreme World Champion.
Snider’s always had a love of fast cars and his passion quickly led him to the local track where, in the mid ‘90s, he began honing his skills. He raced local quick 8 events until he decided to step it up. He went straight to the top, competing in professional eighth-mile drag racing’s quickest and fastest category, Pro Extreme. Throughout the PDRA’s tenure, Snider has made a serious run at the championship, finishing second in 2014 and fourth in 2015. After those two narrow misses, Snider told his crew that this would be their year. Those prophetic words started taking hold at the very first race, where Snider not only won the season opener at Osage Casino Tulsa Raceway Park, but reset the Pro Extreme National ET Record with a 3.486 – a number that still stands. He continued pounding all season, going to the semi-finals or finals at nearly every event, also scoring six number one qualifier awards along the way. Although defending champion Jason Scruggs put in a strong bid, Snider was not to be outdone. A first round win at the PDRA World Finals solidified his first ever championship.
The PDRA Applauds Its 2016 Champions
PITTSBORO, NC – As the sun sets on the Professional Drag Racers Association’s third season, the growing series 
applauds its next regime of World Champions. Many faces are new to wearing the laudable #1, while a few returners welcome the badge of honor with familiarity. Battles were hard fought over the nine race series between hundreds of worthy competitors, but only eight gentlemen and one lady would rise to the top.
The 2016 PDRA World Champions are: Brandon Snider (NAS Racing Pro Extreme), Tommy Franklin (Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by MoTeC), Kevin Rivenbark (GALOT Motorsports Pro Boost), Eric McKinney (Drag965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle), John Pluchino (PDRA Extreme Pro Stock), Dan Ferguson (Ronnie Davis Top Sportsman presented by MagnaFuel), Justin Kirk (Lucas Oil Top Dragster), Kendal Little (Talbert Pro Junior Dragster), and Mia Schultz (MegaCorp Top Junior Dragster).
Rini/Buck Sneak in a Flatout Gaskets Nitrous Wars Title Amidst Franklin/Musi Domination
PITTSBORO, NC – Take 16 of the quickest and fastest nitrous oxide-assisted doorslammers on the planet, pair them 
with a half dozen of the top drag race engine builders and watch it all play out in 660 feet. The PDRA is home to these Flatout Gaskets Nitrous Wars that garnered much attention in the inaugural season as an official competition among engine builders and their respective teams.
Despite much parity among the top five in PDRA points representing four engine builders, Musi Racing Engines consistently proved to have an advantage during qualifying. Throughout the season, a Musi-powered car shot to the front of the qualifying field seven out of nine times this season. The 2016 Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous World Champion, Tommy Franklin, got his third pole and Flatout Gaskets Nitrous Wars victory of the season at the Sunshine State Shootout by virtue of his 3.708 at 202.70 effort. This gave Franklin an edge on the field as the only driver to score three Nitrous Wars victories. With one race to go, only Lizzy Musi had the opportunity to tie Franklin for the title.
