Special Section
THE PDRA TOP 3 LIST IS AN EVER-CHANGING LIST
OF THE BIGGEST NEWSMAKERS AND POWER PLAYERS
IN THE PDRA’S PROFESSIONAL CLASSES. THIS
MONTH’S EDITION, REPRESENTING PERFORMANCES
FROM THE SEASON-OPENING PDRA EAST COAST NA-
TIONALS PRESENTED BY FUELTECH AT GALOT MOTOR-
SPORTS PARK, MAY 28-31, DOES NOT REFLECT THE CURRENT POINTS STANDINGS, THOUGH MOST OF THE DRIVERS WHO
APPEAR ON THIS LIST CAN ALSO BE FOUND NEAR THE TOP OF THE POINTS STANDINGS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CLASSES. AS
DRIVERS BATTLE BACK AND FORTH FOR NO. 1 QUALIFYING SPOTS, EVENT WINS AND NATIONAL RECORDS OVER THE COURSE
OF THE 2020 SEASON, THIS LIST WILL CHANGE TO REFLECT THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TARA BOWKER
PRO NITROUS PRO BOOST
EXTREME PRO STOCK PRO OUTLAW 632 PRO NITROUS MOTORCYCLE
1. TOMMY FRANKLIN
2. JIM WIDENER
3. JIM HALSEY
1. MELANIE SALEMI
2. JOHN STRICKLAND
3. JASON HARRIS
1. JOHNNY PLUCHINO
2. ELIJAH MORTON
3. JR CARR
1. WALTER LANNIGAN JR.
2. WES DISTEFANO
3. CHRIS HOLDORF
1. TRAVIS DAVIS
2. PAUL GAST
3. CHRIS GARNER-JONES
After qualifying No. 2 with
a 3.71, the worst run Tommy
Franklin made in eliminations
was a 3.691 on a firstround
single. The two-time
world champion’s Musipowered
“Jungle Rat” ’69
Camaro was on a string,
eventually running 3.687 in
the final to drive around
PDRA newcomer Jim
Widener and his .002 light.
Widener shook on a single
in the semis after defending
world champion Jim Halsey
had a fuel leak, he consistently
clicked off 3.70s in his
BES-powered Corvette otherwise.
Halsey qualifed No.
1 and ran low E.T. off the
first two rounds in his Fulton-powered
“Daddy Shark”
’68 Camaro before the fuel
leak bit him.
Melanie Salemi used a holeshot
advantage and a pair of
low 3.70-second passes to
get past the first two rounds,
then caught a couple breaks
when Harris and John Strickland
went red in the next
two rounds. Her roots-blown
“Purple Reign” ’68 Firebird
wasn’t the quickest car, but
it went rounds, turning on
all four win lights – and isn’t
that what matters? Strickland,
the hometown favorite,
was on a tear in his Pro-
Charger-boosted GALOT
Motorsports ’69 Camaro,
laying down low E.T. of the
event, 3.654, in the semis on
his way to a runner-up finish.
Harris, a two-time Pro
Nitrous world champion,
qualified No. 2 in his new
ProCharged ’18 Camaro and
was ripping off 3.60s before
going red in the semis.
At the first race of his first
full Extreme Pro Stock
season, second-generation
Mountain Motor Pro Stock
driver Johnny Pluchino accomplished
his lifelong goal
of winning a Pro Stock race.
Driving the Kaase-powered
Strutmasters.com ’13
Mustang his father, John,
drove to victory at this race
in 2019, Pluchino steadily
improved to a 4.059 in the
final to defeat Elijah Morton.
Morton set low E.T. of the
race, a 4.058, in the prior
round in his Allen-powered
Morton Brothers Motorsports
’18 Mustang, before
shaking in the final. JR Carr,
wheeling a brand-new RJ
Race Cars-built ’20 Camaro,
was locked in the 4.0s all
weekend, qualifying No. 2
and bowing out to Morton
in the semis with a 4.066.
Walter Lannigan Jr. and his
Nelson-powered Black Flag
Motorsports ’53 Corvette absolutely
set the pace for the
Pro Outlaw 632 class at the
East Coast Nationals. He
qualified No. 1, set low E.T.
of the race with a 4.223 in
the first round, and sailed on
to a 4.275 victory over Wes
Distefano’s 4.298 in a sideby-side
final round. Distefano
was consistently quick
in his Musi-powered $hameless
Racing ’68 Camaro,
running a best of 4.288 in
the semis over Chris Holdorf.
Holdorf qualified No. 2
behind his teammate and
left first on Distefano, but
slowed from the 4.257 he ran
in the opening round.
The Pro Nitrous Motorcycle
class had an unusually small
field, with just four entries
on the grounds, but the final
round made up for it. Twotime
and defending world
champion Travis Davis
aboard his Timblin-built
Hayabusa took on No. 1
qualifier Paul Gast on his
Fast By Gast Hayabusa.
Davis’ .026 reaction time
and 4.03 at 176.14 pass held
off Gast’s quicker 4.013 at
175.78 to start the season
with another win. Chris Garner-Jones
qualified No. 2
and was second-quickest of
first round next to Davis’
4.053. Brunson Grothus gets
an honorable mention here
for loading up at the last
minute and making the haul
in from Iowa.
38 PDRA660.com