Dirt
WORLD STREET NATIONALS
With the victory in Orlando , Salemi was able to get wins in both cars this year , winning the first race of the PDRA Pro Boost season in May in her Pro Mod “ Purple Reign ” ’ 68 Firebird .
In Orlando , with her husband , Jon , and brother-in-law Jim tuning the screw-blown “ Sidepiece ” Camaro , things came together quickly . The team tested well and immediately jumped to the No . 1 position , a spot they wouldn ’ t relinquish , going as quick as 3.579 at 209.98 .
By then , the competition knew Salemi was a step ahead , something that became obvious when all three opponents in eliminations went red . That included Jackson in the semifinals and Reese in the finals , as Salemi ’ s stout runs put the pressure on the other lanes .
Salemi did her job , running 3.600 at 209.01 against Jackson before unleashing an impressive blast in the final round that likely would have stood up no matter what Reese brought to the table that night .
“ There wasn ’ t a driver or car or team at that race that didn ’ t have the potential to win ,” Salemi says . “ But it doesn ’ t matter to me who we ’ re racing . I ’ m focused on winning and doing my job . When you have a car that ’ s going rounds and going fast , you try not to worry about who ’ s in the other lane . Jon is always trying to make the best run he can every round .
“ It ’ s a good feeling being able to be in control of your destiny , but I try to race the same no matter who it is .”
Copson was his usual dominant self in Outlaw 10.5 , taking the No . 1 spot and adding another win to his spectacular 2020 campaign in the class . He qualified No . 1 with 3.81 and stayed in the 3.80s to roll to the final .
There , he had to dial it up in a thriller , beating Mo Hall ’ s 3.798 with a stout 3.736 at 209.30 to claim yet another impressive victory . It ’ s the latest in the season filled with wins and a 10.5 championship , but Copson simply continues to enjoy the ride .
“ To win is just a testament to my team ,” Copson says . “ It ’ s all very special and it ’ s all dreams just coming true . I love racing and I ’ ll do anything I can to get to the track . I ’ m a nervous guy , but that kind of helps me stay on point and not wanting to screw up . But I could have never dreamed it would go this way .”
You can read more about Copson , a former 30 Under 30 selection , in this issue as well .
Widener picked up the victory with a string of consistent performances , going 3.731 at 202.61 in his nitrous-fed ’ 17 Corvette to beat Jerico Balduf in the final round . Balduf qualified 11th and Widener took the eighth spot in a quality field , but both managed to find their way to the championship round . Widener reached the semifinals by knocking off No . 1 qualifier Marcus Birt with a run of 3.751 at 202.24 , advancing to the finals with a 3.818 at 200.95 against Tommy D ’ Aprile .
Dillard made his first Pro 275 start earlier this year and he continued to impress in the class , going 3.741 at 197.36 in qualifying to reset their world record in the class . From there , Dillard was nearly untouchable , going low 3.80s throughout eliminations before dialing up a 3.779 at 195.85 to cap off a spectacular weekend .
Other winners included Scott Husted in Xtreme Street , Matthew Buck in Top Sportsman , Brian Keep in Ultra Street , Chris Holdorf in Outlaw 632 and Rick Prospero in Heavy Street . DI
26 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 162