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Cox, Leggett, Ray, Morton and Williford Claim East Coast Spring Nationals Victories
C
ompetitors from the Tar Heel
State nearly swept the Professional Drag
Racers Association (PDRA) East Coast
Spring Nationals as Jay Cox led a host
of fellow North Carolinians into the
winner’s circle at GALOT Motorsports Park in
Benson, North Carolina.
Cox, from nearby Smithfield, recorded a string
of 3.6-second passes to secure the season-opening
win in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented
by MoTeC over 2014 Pro Nitrous world cham-
pion Jason Harris. Joining Cox in victory were
Pinetown’s Terry Leggett in Bryant Industrial Pro
Extreme presented by Pro Line Racing, Jackson-
ville’s Elijah Morton in Liberty’s Gears Extreme
Pro Stock and Bahama’s Rodney Williford in
Drag 965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle. Lugoff, SC’s
Jeremy Ray was the winner in Moroso Pro Boost.
Second-generation drag racer Johnny Pluchi-
no scored the event victory in East Side Auto
Transport Pro Outlaw 632, while Canadian John
Carinci earned the Atomizer Injectors Outlaw
96 PDRA660.com
10.5 win.
The winners in the PDRA’s expansive offering
of sportsman classes were Donny Urban in Mag-
naFuel Elite Top Sportsman, John Prime in Top
Sportsman 32, Kevin Brannon in Lucas Oil Top
Dragster and Josh Duggins in Top Dragster 32.
In Coolshirt Pro Jr. Dragster, Anthony Suppers
used a superior reaction time and a 7.919 to de-
feat No. 1 qualifier Noah Cornatzer’s 7.905, both
on a 7.90 dial-in. The Gilbert Motorsports Top
Jr. Dragster final round was also decided on the
starting line, as Logan Westmoreland drove his
Half Scale dragster to a 9.109 on a 9.05 dial-in
to take down Chris Hancock and his 8.949 on
an 8.83 dial. Smithfield’s Jason Stowe won the
Edelbrock Bracket Bash competition in his ’92
Chevy S-10.
PRO NITROUS
Jay Cox and his Buck-powered “Pumpkin” ’69
Camaro made a strong opening statement in
the Flatout Gaskets Nitrous Wars when the local
favorite uncorked three of the quickest passes in
Pro Nitrous history to win the East Coast Spring
Nationals. In the final round against Jason Harris
and the “Party Time” ’69 Camaro, Cox left the
starting line first and maintained his lead through
the finish line, posting a 3.696 at 201.31 mph to
beat Harris’s 3.74 at 201.07.
“We’ve got a really good motor right now,” Cox
said. “Me and (engine builder) Charlie Buck
worked really hard on this piece. He thrashed day
and night last year to get it to me early so I could
put a few passes on it. We made some changes
over the winter, made some more changes after
the Mad Mule race here in March, and today you
see the results.”
Cox’s trip to the winner’s circle started from
the No. 2 spot. Through eliminations, he posted
By Nate Van Wagnen