Last Updated on April 18, 2026 10:03 pm
Saturday Recap
Race 2 of the 2026 PDRA Tour at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, NC raced to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday with incredible final rounds across the board. In the Pro Nitrous final, Keith Haney grabbed a huge starting line advantage over Tommy Franklin but he had a huge nitrous backfire around halftrack allowing Franklin to cruise on by for the win with a 3.676 ET. Jason Harris and the Party Time team earned more hardware on Saturday night with the Pro Boost Final round victory over Melanie Salemi. Harris and Salemi were door to door until about 100′ before the finish line where something let go in Salemi’s car. Pro Street came down to a battle of the 69 Camaro Nitrous cars with Blake Denton taking the win over first time PDRA racer Andy Mac. Denton won the 3.94 to 4.05 decision after Mac did a great job with a quick backpedal early in the run. JC Beattie took the Pro 632 win over David Cook Jr., who turned it .004 Red in the Final. Austin Vincent scored the Super Street victory over Connor McGee in the all-Nitrous Fox Body Final that ended up in a 4.51 to 4.56 decision at the stripe. The Duggins Family made it a PAR Racing Engines sweep as Scott took the Elite Top Sportsman win & Josh earned the Elite Top Dragster trophy. The closest final round of the event was in Top Dragster where Stacy Hall was .014 Total (.011 Dead-On 3) to defeat Steven Boone’s .015 Total Package (.015 Dead-On 0) for a Margin of Victory totaling just one-thousandth of a second (.001). Other winners on the day include Seth Garrison (Top Sportsman), Katelyn Page (Pro Junior Dragster), Kole Paone (Top Junior Dragster) and Carson Brown (Bracket Bash).
PDRA East Coast Nationals
April 16-18, 2026
Darana Motorsports Park – Benson, NC
Pro Nitrous
Winner – Tommy Franklin
RU – Keith Haney
Semis – Buddy Perkinson
Semis – Tim Molnar
Final Round: Franklin .089, 3.676/206 def. Haney .007, 3.966/148
#1 Qualifier – Marcus Butner 3.636
Pro Boost
Winner – Jason Harris
RU – Melanie Salemi
Semis – Jay Cox
Semis – Johnny Camp
Final Round: Harris .021, 3.643/200 def. Salemi .043, 3.723/168
#1 Qualifier – Melanie Salemi 3.580
Pro Street
Winner – Blake Denton
RU – Andy Mac
Semis – Richard Reagan
Semis – Ron Green
Final Round: Denton .048, 3.943/201 def. Mac .031, 4.056/185
#1 Qualifier – Andy Mac 3.895
Pro 632
Winner – JC Beattie
RU – David Cook Jr.
Semis – Jeff Pittman
Final Round: Beattie .048, 4.170/170 def. Cook -.004, 4.163/168
#1 Qualifier – Jeff Pittman 4.147
Super Street
Winner – Austin Vincent
RU – Connor McGee
Semis – Ryan Altman
Semis – Dan Whetstine
Final Round: Vincent .055, 4.517/167 def. McGee .046, 4.569/156
#1 Qualifier – Connor McGee 4.467
Elite Top Sportsman
Winner – Scott Duggins
RU – Zach Houser
Semis – Dewayne Silance
Semis – Bruce Thrift
Final Round: Duggins .025, 3.805 (3.81) def. Houser .039, 3.874 (3.89)
#1 Qualifier – Jamie Folwer 3.772
Elite Top Dragster
Winner – Josh Duggins
RU – Will Creasman
Semis – Gray Kimble
Semis – Steve Furr
Final Round: Duggins .013, 3.751 (3.77) def. Creasman .012, 3.810 (3.83)
#1 Qualifier – Bruce Westfall 3.719
Top Sportsman
Winner – Seth Garrison
RU – Gary Pitts
Semis – David Weedon
Semis – Brian Weis
Final Round: Garrison .026, 4.396 (4.38) def. Pitts -.003, 4.352 (4.35)
Top Dragster
Winner – Stacy Hall
RU – Steven Boone
Semis – Ashley Franklin
Final Round: Hall .011, 4.353 (4.35) def. Boone .015, 4.270 (4.27)
Bracket Bash
Winner – Carson Brown
RU – Kristen Byrd
Semis – Kolby Helms
Semis – Chad Duke
Final Round: Brown .009, 4.442 (4.47) def. Byrd -.004, 4.615 (4.62)
Pro Junior Dragster
Winner – Katelyn Page
RU – CJ Jenkins
Semis – Kameron Helms
Semis – Alyssa Rabon
Final Round: Page .012, 7.885 (7.90) def. Jenkins -.006, 7.836 (7.90)
#1 Qualifier – McKenzee Hogan 7.900
Top Junior Dragster
Winner – Kole Paone
RU – Lukas Alexander
Semis – Mason Dudley
Semis – Carter Hayes
Final Round: Paone .071, 8.892 (8.90) def. Alexander .073, 12.029 (12.14)
#1 Qualifier – Jayden Hogan .000 RT
Friday Recap
The PDRA series never disappoints with yet another incredible day of racing during Qualifying for Race 2 of the Season at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, NC. Pro Nitrous came down to the Final Run of the night where Marcus Butner and the Jay Cox-tuned Camaro lit up the scoreboard 3.636 to take the Top Spot from Tim Paap’s 3.642 earlier in Q3. The Pro Boost final qualifying was a little different as Melanie Salemi ran early in the round and threw down a killer 3.580 ET to earn the #1 spot heading into Race Day. Pro Street was similar to Pro Nitrous as it came down to the final car in Q3 as Andy Mac, the new pilot of Fletcher Cox’s Camaro knocked down the scoreboard with a 3.895 ET to knock Richard Reagan from the top spot. Speaking of knocking the scoreboards down, Connor McGee did just that by setting the Super Street World Record with a 4.467 ET in his Nitrous-assisted Fox Body Mustang. Jeff Pittman leads the Pro 632 category into Eliminations on Saturday with a 4.147. Jamie Folwer (Elite Top Sportsman) and Bruce Westfall (Elite Top Dragster) lead their respective categories into Eliminations on Saturday while McKenzee Hogan (Pro Jr. Dragster) and Jayden Hogan (Top Jr. Dragster) lead their classes heading into Q3 Saturday morning. Follow along with the Live Stream of this event at www.FloRacing.com.
Pro Nitrous Q3 Final Top Qualifiers
1. Marcus Butner 3.636
2. Tim Paap 3.642
3. Mike Achenbach 3.644
4. Tommy Franklin 3.657
5. Amber Denton 3.658
Q3 Best Run – Butner 3.636
— E1 Pairings
1. Butner vs. 16. Shrader
8. Molnar vs. 9. Scriba
4. Franklin vs. 13. Rini
5. Denton vs. 12. R.Smith
2. Paap vs. 15. E.Wilson
7. Perkinson vs. 10. Vergotz
3. Achenbach vs. 14. Clark
6. Haney vs. 11. Albert
Pro Boost Q3 Final Top Qualifiers
1. Melanie Salemi 3.580
2. Jason Harris 3.586
3. Johnny Camp 3.594
4. Ty Tutterow 3.600
5. Jay Cox 3.612
Q3 Best Run – Salemi 3.580
— E1 Pairings
1. Salemi vs. Bye
8. Dunphy vs. 9. Harvey
4. Tutterow vs. 13. Matos
5. J.Cox vs. 12. Andino
2. Harris vs. 15. Wensley
7. E.Steding vs. 10. K.Steding
3. Camp vs. 14. Cline
6. King vs. 11. Weatherford
Pro Street Q3 Final Top Qualifiers
1. Andy Mac 3.895
2. Richard Reagan 3.927
3. Blake Denton 3.959
4. Ron Green 3.960
5. Jerry Morgano 3.999
Q3 Best Run – Mac 3.895
— E1 Pairings
1. Mac vs. Bye
7. Essick vs. 8. Kincaid
4. Green vs. 11. Scaffe
5. Morgano vs. 10. Webb
2. Reagan vs. 13. Manson
Bye-Bye
3. Denton vs. 12. Hayes
6. Wensley vs. 9. Tuten
Pro 632 / Super Street
Q3 Final Top Qualifiers
Pro 632
1. Jeff Pittman 4.147
2. JC Beattie 4.169
3. Carson Hoyle 4.178
Q3 Best Run – Pittman 4.147
— E1 Pairings
1. Pittman vs. 10. Hood
3. Hoyle vs. 8. Nicholl
4. Cook vs. 7. McLemore
2. Beattie vs. 9. McCurdy
5. Ventura vs. 6. Altman
Super Street
1. Connor McGee 4.467
2. Austin Vincent 4.548
3. Ryan Altman 4.657
Q3 Best Run – McGee 4.467
— E1 Pairings
1. McGee vs. 14. Robinson
4. Whetstine vs. 11. Saffelle
5. Hill vs. 10. Phillips
2. Vincent vs. 13. McBride
7. Fox vs. 8. Freeman
3. Altman vs. 12. Osteen
6. McMath vs. 9. Schalow
Thursday Recap
The 2026 PDRA Tour is back in action with Race 2 of the Series at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, NC. Thursday featured testing for all classes during the day with Q1 for both Top Sportsman and Top Dragster wrapping up the evening. Jamie Fowler and the Pee Dee Fleet team leads the Top Sportsman class with a 3.772. Jamie was joined by Glenn Butcher in the 3.7x-second zone with a 3.779. Top Dragster saw Scott Duggins steal the top spot away late in the session with a 3.725 ET. Defending World Champ Alan O’Brien, Bruce Westfall, Chaz Silance and Danielle Gonzalez round out the Top 5 in Top Dragster all in the 3.7x-second zone. Qualifying for all classes is on deck for Friday. Follow along with the Live Stream of this event at www.FloRacing.com.
Elite Top Sportsman Top 5
1. Jamie Folwer 3.772
2. Glenn Butcher 3.779
3. Scott Duggins 3.807
4. Bruce Thrift 3.811
5. Brian Tiffe 3.828
Elite Top Dragster Top 5
1. Josh Duggins 3.725
2. Alan O’Brien 3.762
3. Bruce Westfall 3.777
4. Chaz Silance 3.789
5. Danielle Gonzalez 3.795
Thursday Update – Continuation at Darana-Benson
Race 1 of the 2026 PDRA Tour is in the books after Eliminations were run to completion on Thursday afternoon during the tour’s next event at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, NC. “Mountain Man” Mike Achenbach started off the Pro Nitrous season strong with the first win of the season over Fredy Scriba in a great 3.706 to 3.741 final round. Pro Boost saw another close final as Johnny Camp took a 3.613 to 3.624 (014 to 025 RT) decision over defending Series Champion Ty Tutterow. Fletcher Cox scored a huge win in Pro Street as a send off to this category as he heads to Pro Boost competition in his new race car that was recently completed. Cox recorded a 3.967 ET to put his Nitrous-assisted Camaro in the Winners Circle over the Turbocharged Mustang of Jerry Morgano. JC Beattie (Pro 632) and Connor McGee (Super Street) rounded out the Professional category winners from this event. Defending Elite Top Sportsman World Champion Bryan LaFlam kept his momentum rolling into 2026 as he took the final round win when his opponent Jeff Melnick turned it .003 Red. Steve Furr came up just one round short of the Elite Top Dragster World Championship last season, but it appears that is motivation for his return to the top of the points sheet as he took the Race 1 victory of 2026 throwing down 017 total in the final (013 + Dead-On 4), while his opponent Josh Duggins was 001 Red. Other Sportsman class winners from this event were Donald Bean (Top Sportsman), Joe Gary (Top Dragster), Ashton Halas (Pro Junior Dragster) and Carter Hayes (Top Junior Dragster).
PDRA Carolina Nationals
March 26-28, 2026
Darlington Dragway – Hartsville, SC
(Continued at PDRA Darana-Benson April 16, 2026)
Pro Nitrous
Winner – Mike Achenbach
RU – Fredy Scriba
Semis – Marcus Butner
Semis – Tommy Franklin
Final Round: Achenbach .028, 3.706/NS def. Scriba .030, 3.741/202
#1 Qualifier – Tommy Franklin 3.634
Pro Boost
Winner – Johnny Camp
RU – Ty Tutterow
Semis – Lyle Barnett
Semis – Melanie Salemi
Final Round: Camp .014, 3.613/208 def. Tutterow .025, 3.624/208
#1 Qualifier – Randy Weatherford 3.543
Pro Street
Winner – Fletcher Cox
RU – Jerry Morgano
Semis – Joel Wensley Jr.
Semis – Blake Denton
Final Round: Cox .026, 3.967/188 def. Morgano .047, 3.955/NS
#1 Qualifier – Jerry Morgano 3.949
Pro 632
Winner – JC Beattie
RU – Jeff Pittman
Semis – Jeff Melnick
Final Round: Beattie .043, 4.117/172 def. Pittman .036, 4.136/171
#1 Qualifier – JC Beattie 4.127
Super Street
Winner – Connor McGee
RU – Dan Whetstine
Semis – Matt Schalow
Semis – Austin Vincent
Final Round: McGee .048, 4.516/158 def. Whetstine -.018, 4.680/158
#1 Qualifier – Matt Schalow 4.608
Elite Top Sportsman
Winner – Bryan LaFlam
RU – Jeff Melnick
Semis – Vernon Grizzle
Semis – Randy Perkinson
Final Round: LaFlam .033, 3.843 (3.80) def. Melnick -.003, 4.166 (4.16)
#1 Qualifier – Jamie Folwer 3.740
Elite Top Dragster
Winner – Steve Furr
RU – Josh Duggins
Semis – Gray Kimble
Semis – Chaz Silance
Final Round: Furr .013, 3.904 (3.90) def. Duggins -.001, 3.989 (3.78)
#1 Qualifier – Steve Furr 3.731
Top Sportsman
Winner – Donald Bean
RU – Joe Roubicek
Semis – Dave Mueller
Semis – Aaron Glaser
Final Round: Bean .018, 4.351 (4.35) def. Roubicek -.010, 4.225 (4.23)
Top Dragster
Winner – Joe Gary
RU – JB Donati
Semis – Steven Boone
Final Round: Gary .012, 4.385 (4.38) def. Donati .054, 4.223 (4.24)
Pro Junior Dragster
Winner – Ashton Halas
RU – Connor Hayes
Semis – Kylie Varner
Semis – James Beattie III
Final Round: Halas .026, 7.901 (7.90) def. Hayes .046, 7.916 (7.90)
Top Junior Dragster
Winner – Carter Hayes
RU – Noah Taylor
Semis – Connor Boyd
Semis – Cooper Cauthen
Final Round: Hayes .067, 12.288 (12.27) def. Taylor .097, 9.081 (9.05)
