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First-Time Winners Butner, Quartuccio and Nicholl Join
Gillig, B. Davis, Kincaid and Denton as PDRA North vs.
South Shootout Winners |
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BUDDS CREEK, Md. (June 17, 2023) – Switzer Dynamics Pro
Nitrous young gun Marcus Butner defeated reigning world
champion Jim Halsey in the final round of the PDRA Fulton
Racing Engines North vs. South Shootout presented by
Penske Racing Shocks to claim his first career win in the
class Saturday night at Maryland International Raceway.
Ken Quartuccio (WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2
Contracting and Ty-Drive) and Doug Nicholl (M&M
Transmission Pro 632) also claimed their first career wins
in their respective classes.
Tony Gillig (Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock presented
by AED Competition), Brayden Davis (Drag 965 Pro Nitrous
Motorcycle), Scott Kincaid (Menscer Motorsports Pro Street
presented by Afco), and Blake Denton (Afco Super Street
presented by Menscer Motorsports) also added to their win
totals with North vs. South Shootout victories.
Wins in the sportsman categories went to Dan Ferguson in
MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing
Engines, Kyle Harris in Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite
Top Dragster, Al Davidowski in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman
presented by Corbin’s RV, and Tisha Wilson in Laris
Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster. Former Jr. Dragster
standout Nicole Zuccarelli raced to victory in Edelbrock
Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams, defeating Tommy
Muller in the final round.
The PDRA’s Jr. Dragster classes saw thrilling competition
from qualifying through eliminations, with victories going
to Brayden Davis in Coolshirt Systems Pro Jr. Dragster
presented by PRP and Ayden Tilghman in Classic Graphix Top
Jr. Dragster presented by PRP. Davis had to hurry back to
the starting line after winning in Pro Nitrous Motorcycle
to run the Pro Jr. Dragster final round against Ashley
Franklin, who went red by .003 seconds. In the other lane,
Davis broke out with a 7.884 on a 7.90 dial-in. In the Top
Jr. Dragster final, Tilghman and Victoria Beaner both
dialed 8.90, and while Beaner had a slight starting line
advantage, Tilghman ran a 9.003 to beat Beaner’s 9.017.
PRO NITROUS
Marcus Butner proved that his runner-up finish at the last
race on tour wasn’t a fluke, going one step further by
collecting his first career Pro Nitrous victory. The
29-year-old wheelman used consistent lights and strong
passes in his Jay Cox-tuned, Musi-powered “Heartbreaker”
’69 Camaro to reach the final round, where he met Jim
Halsey, the four-time and reigning world champion. Butner
left the line first with a .029 light to Halsey’s .040,
then he lit up the scoreboard first by just .001 seconds
with his 3.64-second pass at 206.64 MPH to Halsey’s 3.63
at 208.33.
“This means everything,” Butner said. “You know how hard
it is. You can't just buy this and hire him. You have to
put in the work. We've faced plenty of challenges and
we've done a lot of work and a lot of testing and we're
gonna keep doing it. We're not gonna let off here.”
That first Pro Nitrous win is a significant milestone, but
earning it over Halsey added another layer to the
accomplishment for Butner.
“Halsey's who we wanted,” Butner said. “He sets the bar.
He's the best in Pro Nitrous. That's who we wanted to
beat. Everybody out here is an A player, but he's the
best, and you feel like you actually did something when
you can bring home a win.”
Butner opened eliminations with a .001 reaction time and a
3.713 at 204.85 to defeat Cam Clark and his 5.217. He
drove around Ed Burnley’s starting line advantage, winning
with a 3.682 at 206.01 to Burnley’s 3.719. Butner was
first off the line again in the semis, then threw down a
3.655 at 205.94 to knock out Matt Deitsch and his 3.716,
advancing to his second consecutive final round.
For the third time this season, Halsey started
eliminations from the No. 1 spot in his Fulton-powered
“Daddy Shark” ’68 Camaro, then set low E.T. of every
round. That started with a 3.694 at 206.86 over Dane
Wood’s 4.792 in the first round. In the biggest matchup of
the race, Halsey paired up with two-time world champion
Tommy Franklin for a side-by-side, 3.60-second race.
Franklin grabbed a .002 head start, but Halsey was quicker
at the finish line to win with a 3.641 at 208.33 to
Franklin’s 3.667. Halsey then lined up against Pro
Modified legend “Tricky” Rickie Smith for a rematch of the
Mid-Atlantic Showdown final round in the semis. Halsey won
this one too, this time running a 3.64 at 208.20 next to
Smith’s 3.721.
PRO BOOST
Ken Quartuccio has secured trophies in numerous different
classes, including PDRA Pro 632 and Outlaw 10.5, but he
wasn’t able to add a Pro Boost win to that tally until
Saturday night at Maryland. The Connecticut-based outlaw
racing veteran outlasted an all-3.60-second field to line
up against defending event champion Kurt Steding in the
final round. Quartuccio’s holeshot advantage made a
difference at the finish line, as he won with a 3.613 at
208.52 in his Jamie Miller-tuned, ProCharger-boosted ’69
Camaro over Steding’s 3.612 at 209.39.
"I hate to say it – and I’ve probably won 100 races over
my career in different classes – but this win is at the
top,” Quartuccio said. “PDRA to me was the pinnacle. These
guys are the best. Every round is the hardest you ever
have to race. I had to dig deep all day today because I
was so afraid to let my guys down. We put a new motor in
it and we worked for the last 48 hours nonstop – Johnny
[Miller], Denny [Godbout], and me in the shop, just to get
everything ready and get it loaded. I had a good feeling
about it. I just had a good feeling this week.”
Quartuccio made the third-quickest pass of the opening
round, a 3.675 at 206.73, to beat Johnny Camp, who made
his return after a crash earlier this season. Even with a
strong .011 reaction time, he was second off the line
against Chuck Ulsch in the second round, but Quartuccio’s
3.642 at 207.69 was enough to get around Ulsch and his
3.804. The margin of victory was just .002 when Quartuccio
and his 3.641 beat Randy Weatherford and his 3.644 in the
semis.
In a rematch of the World Series of Pro Mod final round,
Steding set low E.T. of the first round with a 3.661 at
208.71 in his screw-blown P2 Contracting ’20 Camaro to
beat WSOPM winner Spencer Hyde and his 3.814. Steding had
a bye run when opponent Tommy Gray couldn’t make the call
in the second round, but Steding still ran low E.T. of the
round, a 3.626 at 209.14. He went even quicker in the
semis, leaving first and running a 3.616 at 209.20 to
finish ahead of Travis “The Carolina Kid” Harvey and his
3.622.
EXTREME PRO STOCK
Mountain Motor Pro Stock veteran Tony Gillig picked up his
first low qualifier award in over 20 years at the last
race on tour, then lost in the second round. He rebounded
at Maryland, though, when he qualified No. 2 in his Kaase-powered
Dayco/Gillig-Wagner Motorsports ’10 GXP and drove it to
victory over Jeremy Huffman, who appeared in his second
consecutive final. Gillig cut a .005 reaction time and ran
a 4.056 at 178.45 to reach the eighth-mile finish line
before Huffman and his 4.156 at 173.21.
“Sometimes you get down on yourself and you start second
guessing,” said Gillig, who thanked his crew and partners
like Dayco, Jon Kaase Racing Engines, Ram Clutches,
Liberty's Gears, Right Trailers, Race Star Wheels, and
Hoosier Tires. “You start thinking about stuff, and you
think, 'Can we still do this?' The answer is yeah. You
just have to dig deep. We prove that we can pull it off at
some points here and there, and some points you don't.
Norwalk was a classic example of we just messed up, and
here, things went our way. In any race you can win, take
it like it could be your last and enjoy it. My kids are
here, my family is here, and it's Father's Day weekend. I
couldn’t be more ecstatic.”
Gillig’s day started with a 4.107 at 177.79 on a single,
as opponent Robert Patrick wasn’t able to make the run. He
then left first and laid down a 4.076 at 178.21 to knock
out Dillon Voss, who lifted to an 8.733. A close race
followed in the semifinals, with Gillig pairing a quicker
light and a 4.072 at 178.47 to finish ahead of Matt
Giangrande and his 4.083.
Huffman in his 3V Performance-powered ’10 Cobalt threw
down a 4.074 at 176.21 to eliminate reigning world
champion and event champion Johnny Pluchino and his 4.12
in the opening round. He made gradual improvements in the
next two rounds, starting with a 4.072 at 176.40 over a
red-lighting John Montecalvo. He cut a .001 reaction time
and ran a 4.069 at 176.63 to knock out past world champion
Steven Boone and his 4.067 in the semifinals.
PRO 632
Doug Nicholl continues to experience a breakout season in
Pro 632, where he qualified No. 1 and won after reaching
the final round for the first time at the last race. The
Dearborn, Michigan-based driver paired up with first-time
finalist Mike Murphy, then used a .012 reaction time and a
4.128 at 172.47 in his Musi-powered ’68 Camaro to win in
decisive fashion. Murphy had to lift to a 9.774 at 43.95.
“This is my first big win in PDRA,” Nicholl said. “I did
not think I was going to win today. I was going into the
third round and I was like, 'Oh man, this is it.' I've
been struggling on the tree, and every round it's just
improved. I was on it in the final. I was really nervous
coming into this race because we had blown an engine
[before Maryland]. We didn't have our spare, so if
anything went wrong, we were screwed, but it all worked
out. This is really cool.”
Nicholl earned a first-round bye when he qualified No. 1,
and he used that free run into the next round to set low
E.T. of the round, a 4.17 at 170.00. He was unopposed
again in the second round, as points leader Jeff Melnick
hurt his engine in the first round and couldn’t make the
call. Nicholl ripped off a 4.127 at 171.64, earning lane
choice for the semis. His opponent there, Jason Ventura,
went red on a 4.174-second pass, while Nicholl charged to
a 4.134 at 172.30.
Murphy qualified No. 5 in the Voss family’s ’09 Cobalt,
then used a 4.256 at 170.02 to defeat fellow Floridian
Chris Holdorf and his 4.314 in the first round. His
biggest moment of the weekend followed in the second
round, where he cut a .003 light and ran a weekend-best
4.209 at 169.87 to win on a holeshot over defending world
champion Amber Franklin and her 4.173. That round win came
with a bye run in the semis, which saw Murphy post a 4.229
at 171.01.
PRO NITROUS MOTORCYCLE
Seventeen-year-old Brayden Davis made headlines at the
season-opening East Coast Nationals when he became the
first racer in PDRA history to double-up in a pro class
and a Jr. Dragster class. It was his Pro Nitrous
Motorcycle debut, and he warned the class that he’s there
to follow in the footsteps of his father, four-time world
champion Travis Davis. He sent a reminder at Maryland,
winning for the second time in three races. He also won in
Pro Jr. Dragster again, which expanded to a 32-car field
since his last win.
In the Pro Nitrous Motorcycle final round, Davis started
with a .009 reaction time advantage over past world
champion Chris Garner-Jones and followed through with a
3.976 at 176.37 to beat Garner-Jones’ 3.989 at 165.21.
“This is better than the first one,” said Davis, who
thanked parents Travis and Brandy Davis, Stuart Crane with
Warpspeed Racing, Timblin Chassis, Monster Race Products,
Fast By Gast, Worldwide Bearings, and Perry's Performance.
“The first one was really unbelievable for me, and then to
come out here and do it again, it's hard to do it out
here. The bike class is tough.
The Jr. Dragster class is tough. I got the best of the
best – my dad and my mom and the equipment we have. It's
all on me. It's never on them. It's usually me that screws
us up. We were fortunate enough to get it done here. It
was kind of smooth sailing this weekend.”
Davis started eliminations with a monster matchup against
multi-time world champion Eric McKinney, leaving first and
running a 4.022 at 175.68 to beat McKinney’s 4.05.
Second-round opponent Jay Fisher broke after leaving the
starting line, while Davis stepped up to a 3.982 at 176.07
to earn lane choice in the semis. A consistent 3.983 at
176.42 gave him the win light over points leader Meshal
Al-Saber and his 3.992.
Garner-Jones qualified No. 2 aboard his T.T. Jones Racing
Hayabusa and used a 4.047 at 175.68 to beat Terry Wynn’s
4.227 in the first round. He won a side-by-side race with
Tyron Lemons, leading with a 4.008 at 177.86 to a 4.031.
He used his semifinal bye run to record a 4.018 at 176.12.
PRO STREET
Small-tire racer Scott Kincaid snuck up on the Pro Street
field when he won in his debut at Norwalk last month. He
quietly pulled off another win at Maryland, qualifying No.
7 off just one pass and powering to another final round.
His opponent, Jesse Lambert, had a slight advantage off
the starting line, but Kincaid raced past in his
roots-blown ’69 Camaro to win with a 4.027 at 188.81.
Lambert was right there with a 4.042 at 198.99, losing by
just .008 seconds.
“This took a lot of luck, a couple lucky rounds,” Kincaid
said. “We didn't run too good. We just ran one round of
qualifying and started the race this morning. First round
was the first pass we actually made it down and it went
4.06, then we just kept going rounds. This tire is
challenging. I believe it'll be all right. We’re just
figuring the car out as we go, too. We aren’t where we
need to be yet, but we're getting there.”
Kincaid left on defending event champion Ty Kasper in
their opening round matchup and led to the finish line,
winning with a 4.068 at 186.46 to Kasper’s 4.07. He was
first off the line against Jerry Morgano too, then
improved to a 4.043 at 187.18 to beat Morgano’s 4.116.
Kincaid slowed in the semifinals, where he ran a 5.400 at
133.50 on a bye run.
Lambert and first-round opponent Mike Jones both struggled
to get down the track, but Lambert got to the finish line
first with a 4.605 at 124.12 to Jones’ 5.408. In a
Virginia vs. Maryland pairing in the second round, Lambert
recorded a 4.049 at 199.05 in his twin-turbocharged ’04
Mustang to win on a holeshot over the defending world
champion, home track hero Tim Essick, and his 4.02.
Lambert was set to face fellow Virginian Ron Green in the
semis, but Green’s car went silent before staging. Lambert
lifted to a 7.079 at 65.59.
SUPER STREET
Blake Denton’s hot streak in Super Street continued at
Maryland, where he qualified No. 1 and raced to victory
for the second consecutive race in PDRA competition and
the third consecutive race overall. The former Jr.
Dragster standout was first off the starting line in every
round including the final, where he fired off a
weekend-best 4.701 at 155.88 in his Musi-powered ’76
Camaro. The run was quick enough to set the track record
and defeat Paul Curry, who ran a 4.787 at 156.83.
“To come out today and have good lights all day and the
car just be deadly as always, it's just a good feeling,”
Denton said. “To do it on Father's Day weekend for my dad
[Wesley] and my dad to be here and help me on the car is
just even better. I just have to thank Pat Musi and Mark
Micke and Hoosier and God and Tommy and Judy [Franklin]
and Jeff [Pierce] and Austin and my girlfriend, Amber
[Franklin]. It's a family deal and a team deal. We’re
trying to do the best we can.”
Denton went progressively quicker as eliminations went on,
starting with a 4.735 at 155.67 next to Blake Molnar and
his 5.562. Second-round opponent Brad Cox made a big step
up to a 4.742, but Denton was ready with a 4.731 at
155.24. He used a semifinal bye run to post a 4.714 at
155.58.
Curry qualified No. 2 in his ProCharged Nova, then picked
up round wins over CJ Cave, Matt Schalow, and Dan
Whetstine to advance to his second final round of the
season. His best run of the weekend was his 4.706 at
159.25 to beat Whetstine’s 4.864 in the semis.
TOP SPORTSMAN
Past world champion Donny “Hollywood” Urban appeared to be
on a path to his third consecutive win in Elite Top
Sportsman until another past world champion, Dan Ferguson,
put a stop to that in the final round. Urban had the
starting line advantage in his Nesbitt-powered ’69 Camaro,
but he slowed to a 3.876 on a 3.79 dial-in. Driving Dean
Young’s Reher-Morrison-powered ’68 Camaro, Ferguson laid
down a 3.846 on a 3.84 dial-in to add another win to his
tally.
A strong turnout in Top Sportsman resulted in a 48-car
field behind the 16-car Elite field. Al Davidowski and
Derrick Barnes raced through five rounds to reach the
final round, where Barnes broke out with a 4.232 on a 4.24
dial-in in his Drayden, Maryland-based ’99 S10. That gave
the win to Davidowski, who went into the weekend second in
points. He posted a 4.209 on a 4.18 dial-in in his ’10 GXP
for the win.
TOP DRAGSTER
After failing to qualify for the Elite Top Dragster field
at the last race, Kyle Harris and Steve Furr bounced back
by reaching the final round. Harris in his supercharged
Altered used a .008 reaction time and a 3.829 on a 3.80
dial-in to defeat Furr, who won the first two races of the
season. Furr ran a 3.819 on a 3.81 dial-in in his
ProCharged Right Trailers ’13 American dragster in the
runner-up effort.
Two of the toughest competitors in Top Dragster, Tisha
Wilson and Nick Meloni, squared off in the Top Dragster 32
final round. Wilson, the reigning world champion, raced to
a 4.365 on a 4.36 dial-in in her Wilkins-powered ’18 Race
Tech dragster to get the win. Meloni left the line first
in his TT Motorsports ’16 Dan Page dragster before
breaking out with a 4.267 on a 4.27 dial-in.
The next championship points-earning race on the 2023 PDRA
schedule is the Northern Nationals presented by Talbert
Manufacturing, August 3-5, at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in
Martin, Michigan. But first, qualified drivers will
compete in the race-your-way-in Summit Racing Equipment
PDRA ProStars race during Virginia Motorsports Park’s
Night of Fire on July 22.
ABOUT THE PDRA
Celebrating its 10th season in 2023, the Professional Drag
Racers Association is the top sanctioning body in the
United States for the sport of eighth-mile drag racing.
The PDRA’s professional categories include Pro Boost, Pro
Nitrous, Extreme Pro Stock, Pro Nitrous Motorcycle, Pro
632, and Pro Street. The series also features sportsman
racing in Top Sportsman, Top Dragster, Pro Jr. Dragster
and Top Jr. Dragster. The 2023 PDRA schedule consists of
eight national events, plus the Summit Racing Equipment
PDRA ProStars. For more information on the PDRA, visit
www.PDRA660.com |
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