Special Section
LONNIE GRIM JOINS PDRA
INDUSTRY VETERAN NAMED COMPETITION
& RACE DIRECTOR; PAUL CARTWRIGHT
PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT RACE DIRECTOR
BY NATE VAN WAGNEN
PHOTOS BY JAMES SISK & TARA BOWKER
THE PDRA CONTINUES TO DEVELOP ITS 2019 LEADERSHIP TEAM, AS
THE SERIES ANNOUNCED IN EARLY FEBRUARY THE ADDITION OF
LONNIE GRIM AS THE COMPETITION & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AND
PROMOTION OF PAUL CARTWRIGHT TO ASSISTANT EVENT DIRECTOR.
“I am extremely excited for the PDRA
series and its racers to have two
high-class professionals like Lonnie
and Paul involved in such a way for
2019 and beyond,” said Tyler Cross-
noe, race director, PDRA. “With their
work ethic and attention to detail,
it’s going to be a great year for the
PDRA and we look forward to debut-
ing even more news in the coming
days and weeks.”
Grim brings to the table his broad
knowledge base developed over years
as a drag racer and in various roles
that involve developing and enforcing
rules. He’s previously worked with
Street Outlaws No Prep Kings, Holley
LSFest, Outlaw Street Car Reunion,
HOT ROD Engine Masters Challenge
and NMCA/NMRA.
“I look forward to this next chapter
and becoming a part of the PDRA
family,” said Grim. “I feel very
blessed that companies call me to
be involved with their events,
whether it’s a once-a-year destina-
tion event or a traveling series. All
the information from those past
events, plus my experience as a
racer, gives me a solid foundation
44 PDRA660.com
and vast knowledge base across the
board. I’m looking forward to using
that knowledge to help the PDRA
continue to grow.”
Cartwright moves into the assistant
event director position after two
years as the PDRA’s staging director.
Before joining the PDRA, Cartwright
held leadership roles at dragstrips
across the eastern half of the U.S.,
including operations director at
Memphis International Raceway and
Heartland Park Topeka and track
manager at No Problem Raceway.
He will work with Crossnoe to run
the races from the tower, calling cars
to the staging lanes, keeping up with
track prep and keeping the race
moving in an orderly fashion.
“I’m really excited to move into this
new position,” Cartwright said.
“With my experience in running
racetracks for the last 25 years, I
feel this is where I belong.”
The eight-race 2019 PDRA Tour will
kick off at the PDRA East Coast Na-
tionals presented by FuelTech, April
4-6 at GALOT Motorsports Park in
Benson, N.C.
LONNIE GRIM
PAUL CARTWRIGHT