PDRA
PDRA to Open 2015 Season at Texas Motorplex
PITTSBORO, NC – The world champions of the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) will begin their title 
defenses Mar. 19-21, in the season-opening PDRA Texas Nationals at the famed Texas Motorplex in Ennis, just south of Dallas. This will be the first visit to the Lone Star state for the all-eighth-mile series that will hold 10 races this year after expanding from eight events in its inaugural 2014 season.
“To be honest I can’t wait to bring PDRA drag racing to the great fans in Texas because I know they’re going to love what they see,” said PDRA Race Director Bob Harris, who recently was inducted into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame. “We had a fantastic first year, but I already know this season is going to be even bigger and better. Kicking it off at such a prestigious track as the Texas Motorplex is perfect, too. It sends a message that professional eighth-mile drag racing deserves to be seen on the sport’s biggest and best stages.”
Professional Drag Racers Association Partners with Pilot Flying J to Curb Travel Costs in 2015
PITTSBORO, NC – The Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) is proud to announce a unique and valuable 
program with Pilot Flying J that will provide a fuel discount card valid at all Pilot Flying J owned and operated travel centers to PDRA teams.
The 250+ race teams that participate in the PDRA Series will travel through dozens of states, logging thousands of miles to reach the destinations of the 2015 schedule. The PDRA will issue each series driver a fuel discount card to be used at most Pilot Travel Centers or Flying J Travel Plazas across the country for fuel savings.
Stevie Fast Returns to Pro Nitrous Full Time in 2015
PITTSBORO, NC – The 2013 Pro Nitrous World Champion, Steve Jackson, is returning to competition in 2015 and is 
hungry to defend his 2013 title. After a wild ride to the 2013 Championship and a trip to race with the Arabian Drag Racing League during the offseason, Jackson was handed a rude awakening, when he, along with several other high-profile teams, were suddenly dropped from Al-Anabi sponsorship. This sidelined Jackson for much of the 2014 season, prohibiting him from defending his hard earned title.
“It killed me at first,” Jackson said of not being able to defend his title. “The whole 2013 season was kind of a blur. It was really thrown together. Even to be able to win that Championship was tough. I had all knowledge and thoughts that we were coming back to run in 2014. At the last minute our sponsorship and funding got pulled. So it took me a couple of months to even get started putting a new deal together. I was pretty fired up. Disappointed is not the word. Pissed off is. But it’s kinda the way of the world.”
The Split Racing ‘Fast Family’ Adding Another Driver
Heather Capano to Compete in PDRA Top Dragster in 2015
PITTSBORO, NC – Gerry Capano has steadily worked his way through the paces of doorslammer racing to reach the 
height, thus far, of his career in PDRA Pro Boost and NHRA Pro Mod. He began in 1995 in a local outlaw series in the Pro Street division. In 2010 he was crowned the NEOPM Rookie of the Year and in 2014 he earned a very respectable eighth place finish in PDRA Pro Boost.
Standing faithfully behind Gerry for many years was wife, Heather, who acts as Team Manager and takes care of duties that range from head chef to back up girl and car maintenance between rounds. Although Heather has become fairly well known herself for her various roles, she’s soon to make another name for herself as driver. This season she will make her debut in PDRA Top Dragster.
Heather, a hair stylist by trade, earned her competition Top Dragster license in August of 2014, during the same weekend her son Gianni earned his Junior Dragster license. Gianni began racing right away, finishing out the 2014 season. For 2015, all three Capanos are planning to be competitive drivers with the PDRA, truly living up to their Fast Family status.
Bob Harris Inducted into the NC Drag Racing Hall of Fame
PITTSBORO, NC – This past weekend the PDRA’s own Bob Harris joined an elite group of North Carolina Drag 
Racing persona. He was chosen for induction into the North Carolina Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Harris joined the likes of Roy Hill, Doug Herbert, Buddy Martin, Sox and Martin, Rickie Smith, Charles Carpenter and other NC Drag Racing Hall of Famers during a ceremony at the Greensboro Coliseum on Saturday, February 21.
A North Carolinian by birth, Harris was raised in Pittsboro, NC and began racing as soon as he was legally able at the age of 16. A testament to how times have changed, Harris states he got into it for the money. He worked his way through the ranks for the next 13 years, challenging competitors in IHRA Hot Rod, Quick Rod and Top Sportsman and NHRA Super Comp. The Harris name soon became one to be feared by the helmet in the other lane. In 1988 Harris participated in a Budweiser/Chevrolet Series at Maryland International Raceway. Winning an event in the series gave racers the opportunity to vie for a Corvette at the final event of the year. The young Harris qualified himself for the event and went on to take home that Corvette. A year later he sold the Corvette to make an addition onto his house, a room known as the ‘Corvette Room’ where a picture of his trophy car is still proudly displayed on the wall.
DiSomma Racing Engines Steps Up to Sponsor Pro Outlaw 10.5 for PDRA
PITTSBORO, NC – Following the recent announcement that Pro Outlaw 10.5 will be contested at two PDRA events in 
2015, DiSomma Racing Engines has committed to sponsoring the class at both the North-South Shootout in Maryland and PDRA Finals in Virginia. The experts at DiSomma Racing Engines (DRE) build engines for turbo, nitrous, blower and naturally aspirated applications. They also build custom engines for specific classes such as Outlaw 10.5 and X275 Drag Radial.
Anthony DiSomma, head mastermind at DRE, explains that sponsoring the Pro Outlaw 10.5 class was a no brainer for him. “The PDRA is a good sanctioning body. It’s going to go places. They have good people running it who are actually racers. So I think it’s good for publicity for the 10.5 class and for DRE. We’ve built a lot of record-setting 10.5 engines and radial engines and Pro Boost engines. We currently hold the record in Pro Boost for mile an hour, as well as records in Qatar, Bahrain and in Super Street.”
Mickey Thompson Tires Outlaw 10.5 Series Will Run with PDRA for Two Events in 2015
PITTSBORO, NC – The Professional Drag Racers Association is excited to announce that Pro Outlaw 10.5 will be 
contested at both the North-South Shootout at Maryland International Raceway, July 16-18, and at the PDRA Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park, October 22-24. These two events will also act as official points events for the Mickey Thompson Tires Outlaw 10.5 National Championship Series. The PDRA Finals at VMP will be the final event for the Outlaw 10.5 Series, where the Outlaw 10.5 National Champion will be crowned along with champions in all other PDRA categories.
“We’re very excited to have the Outlaw 10.5 Series join us at two events this year,” stated PDRA Race Director Bob Harris. “It’s a class that’s fun to watch and has gotten more competitive in recent years. Jerry Morgano [Outlaw 10.5 Series Director] and the guys at Cecil County Dragway, have done a good job of bringing credibility and organization to the class once again through the Mickey Thompson Tires Outlaw 10.5 Series. I’m glad to see the class gaining resurgence and happy to make them a part of the PDRA show at Maryland and Virginia.”
PDRA Secures Traction Twins for 2015 Season
PITTSBORO, NC – With Cody and Cale Crispe managing the 660 ft stage where PDRA racers come to do their own 
unique brand of volatile entertainment, competitors breathe a little easier. The “Traction Twins,” as they are better known, bring a level of comfort and confidence to PDRA drivers and teams. The Twins’ expert track prep and watchful eyes ensure that the 200+ MPH machines of the PDRA have the safest racing surface possible on which to compete. Not just for safety, tracks prepared by the Traction Twins are sure to withstand anything the cars and bikes can throw at them.
It was imperative to PDRA management to have the Traction Twins join the team in their inaugural season. The growing organization is proud to announce that the Crispe brothers will be back with the PDRA for the 2015 season, as well.
PDRA Welcomes Pro Line Racing Back For 2015
PITTSBORO, NC – The PDRA is proud to announce that Pro Line Racing will once again be supporting the sport of 
drag racing’s top-rated eighth-mile sanctioning body as a performance partner.
Located in Ball Ground, Georgia, Pro Line Racing has, since its inception in 2005, earned a worldwide reputation for building the most potent twin-turbo powerplants in all of drag racing. With PLR power under the hood numerous racers have shattered long-standing performance records and earned prestigious wins and championships.
Penske Racing Shocks Partners with PDRA in 2015
PITTSBORO, NC – Penske Racing Shocks has joined the growing list of PDRA contingency sponsors for the quickly-
approaching 2015 season. A world leader in suspension technology, Penske Racing Shocks has been a manufacturer of high-end suspension components for the drag racing industry for several years through their Precision Racing Suspension division.
Penske Racing Shocks Drag Racing Representative, Shane Sweigart, stated, “We are happy to be partnering with Precision Racing Suspension as a contingency sponsor of the PDRA. Penske Racing Shocks or Precision Racing Suspension will have representatives present at all events to assist with sales and technical inquiries. Together, we will be able to bring PDRA racers the best possible suspension components and technical support available.”
