MARTIN, Mich. (Aug. 2, 2025) – Pro Boost driver Randy Weatherford raced to victory for the first time since the 2021 season Saturday night at the Talbert Manufacturing PDRA Northern Nationals presented by Callies Performance at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. The WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive final round saw Ty Tutterow, the most recent winner on the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series tour, go red by .017 seconds, marking an early end to what would’ve been a side-by-side 3.57-second race. With his WS Construction ’21 Camaro sporting a new Harts Charger centrifugal supercharger, Weatherford recorded a 3.578 at 211.07 mph for the win. Tutterow posted a 3.576 at 209.40.
Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous rookie Amber Denton defeated her father, three-time world champion Tommy Franklin, in the final round to earn her first career win in the class. Additional pro class wins at the Northern Nationals went to Ethan Steding in Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports, Jeremy Huffman in AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Liberty’s Gears, and Jeff Melnick in Pro 632 presented by PTC.
Bryan LaFlam (MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines), Al Peavler (Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving), Gary Kintz (MagnaFuel Top Sportsman), and Chaz Silance (Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Derrick Wolfe Trucking) collected victories in the sportsman classes.
Alayna Thompson and Knox Schween were victorious in Paragon Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products and Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products, respectively. Thompson and final-round opponent Riley Sherbondy both cut .039 reaction times, but Sherbondy broke out with a 7.898, handing the win to Thompson and her 7.913, both on a 7.90 index. Schween and Jayden Hogan, who entered the race ranked No. 2 and 1 in the points standings, battled in the Top Jr. Dragster final round, with Hogan leaving .006 seconds too soon. Schween ran an 8.937 on an 8.93 dial-in to claim win No. 2 on the season. Both Thompson and Schween earned increased $2,000 prizes thanks to a Power Purse boost from Schween Motorsports.
- pro-boost-fd602f31-71d4-41cf-917f-86f872f7eec8.jpg (510.06 KiB) Viewed 46 times
PRO BOOST
Randy Weatherford completed a clean sweep of the Pro Boost category for the new Harts Charger centrifugal supercharger in its PDRA debut, as he qualified No. 1 on Friday and claimed his first win since 2021 on Saturday. Weatherford in his Steve Petty-tuned WS Construction ’21 Camaro recorded a 3.578 at 211.07 next to Ty Tutterow’s 3.576 at 209.40 in the final round, but Tutterow was disqualified on the starting line when he went red by .017.
“Dustin [Hart] told me he was working on a centrifugal supercharger and he got it right,” Weatherford said. “We're sitting here today in the winner's circle with this thing. No. 1 qualifier. No problems, no issues with it. Harts Charger to the front. He did exactly what he said he'd do. We came here to prove a point. We're not out, we're not dead. We're back. Now I know I can run with these guys. I can stay right there with them. That's huge. It makes you as a driver drive better because you know you’ve got something that can win.”
As the No. 1 qualifier, Weatherford earned a solo pass in the first round before meeting recent Maryland runner-up Steve King in an all-Virginia second-round race. King went .008 red and lifted, while Weatherford set low E.T. of the round with a 3.603 at 211.37. He was the quickest of the semifinals as well after cutting a .005 reaction time and running a 3.58 at 211.37 to defeat two-time and reigning world champion Jason Harris and his 3.594.
Tutterow, who appeared in his second straight final round after winning the North vs. South Shootout in Maryland, qualified third in Justin Smith’s screw-blown Quik Fuel ’69 Camaro tuned by his father, two-time Pro Boost world champion Todd “King Tut” Tutterow. He overcame the perfect .000 reaction time from Puerto Rico’s Raymond Matos in the first round, throwing down a 3.612 at 209.40. He also drove around Johnny Camp in round two with a 3.626 at 208.04 to Camp’s 3.659. Tutterow dipped into the 3.50s in the semifinals, using a 3.592 at 208.24 to beat Preston Tanner’s 3.62.
- pro-nitrous-7775bb79-04e7-0ba2-1c28-f46b8c2b7794.jpg (575.37 KiB) Viewed 46 times
PRO NITROUS
In what was likely the most unique final round in the history of Pro Nitrous, rookie Amber Denton collected her first career win in the class with her father, three-time world champion Tommy Franklin, in the other lane. After both drivers suffered engine issues earlier in the day, the teammates thrashed to prepare for the final round, with numerous other teams jumping in to help. With a wounded engine in Franklin’s car and a borrowed engine from fellow competitor Buddy Perkinson in Denton’s “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro, the two drivers fired up their hot rods for a special family moment. Without the nitrous oxide activated, both drivers were sluggish out of the gate and well off their usual pace. Still, it was a side-by-side competition, with Denton winning by .006 seconds with a 5.44 at 147.49 to Franklin’s 5.468 at 149.01.
“I've dreamed about getting to a final with my dad since I could remember, and it's definitely not the way we imagined it, but I got up here and I got strapped in and I took a second and just soaked it all in because it was awesome,” said Denton, who thanked God, parents Tommy and Judy, husband Blake, the TFM team, all the teams that helped with the thrash, and team partners like Pat Musi Racing Engines, Red Line Oil, and Menscer Motorsports. “I'm so grateful for my team. They worked their butts off all weekend. We had a really, really awesome car and honestly just got down to one round and didn't have enough parts to get it back together. We've run good, came into the weekend leading points, and we're taking the points lead out too, which was the plan.”
Denton qualified No. 2, setting her up with a first-round match against defending event winner and Michigan native Jackie Slone Jr. Denton overcame Slone’s starting line advantage and won with a 3.666 at 206.42 to Slone’s 3.772. On a second-round bye, she charged to a 3.692 at 205.76 to earn semifinal lane choice over Billy Albert by .002. Denton defeated Albert on a holeshot, claiming victory with a 3.661 at 195.23 to Albert’s 3.641 at 208.14.
Franklin in his Musi-powered “Jungle Rat 3.0” ’69 Camaro qualified fifth and got past the first round with a 3.713 at 187.50 solo shot. He caught a break in the next round when Marcus Butner went red by .007 on a 3.776 pass, while Franklin coasted to a 4.635. Even after semifinal opponent and No. 1 qualifier Tim Paap was shut off after his burnout, Franklin made a full run but wounded his engine on a 3.723 at 176.40 pass.
- pro-street-14307c2a-8d8b-997b-448f-a761e0080170.jpg (484.54 KiB) Viewed 46 times
PRO STREET
Two of the toughest young guns in Pro Street, Ethan Steding and Blake Denton, paired up in a supercharged versus nitrous oxide final round. Denton entered as the points leader with two wins in the last three races, while Steding went in as the defending world champion with one win this season, putting him No. 2 in points. Denton grabbed a slight starting line advantage, but Steding in his Ty and Todd Tutterow-tuned, roots-blown P2 Contracting “College Fund” ’24 Camaro fired off a career-best 3.888 at 194.55 to turn on the win light. In the other lane, Denton made his worst pass of the day, a 3.972 at 193.80.
“I give it all to these guys behind me – Ty Tutterow, Todd Tutterow, and their whole gang – Brad Schmidt and KB back in the shop and John Redfield on this car,” said Steding, who also thanked parents Kurt and Wendi and supporters like P2 Contracting, Wyo Motorsports, Noonan Race Engineering, Mark Beatty with Red Line Oil, Ty-Drive, and NGK Spark Plugs. “I'm super thankful for all of them. I know I’ve got a team that's got my back, but we were on the struggle bus a little bit this week and we finally got a handle on the car. Then on that pass [in the final], it just was riding and riding and I wasn't lifting. I was not lifting.”
Steding started race day with a 3.942 at 195.48 to eliminate Port Huron, Michigan’s Jake Blain and his 4.233. He stepped up to a 3.929 at 195.23 to defeat Nick Agostino, who slowed to a 4.608 in their second-round match. Steding dispatched Super Bowl champion turned Pro Street rookie Fletcher Cox in the semifinals, running a 3.913 at 195.57 next to Cox’s 3.961 at 165.93, which was off pace from the monster 3.82-second run Cox recorded to qualify No. 1 on Friday.
Denton, driver of the nitrous-fed, Musi-powered “Bonnie” ’69 Camaro Lizzy Musi tribute, qualified second and set low E.T. of the opening round with a 3.928 at 200.27 to beat Richard Reagan and his 3.962. Texan Adrian Herrera went red and lifted to a 4.32 while Denton sailed to a 3.932 at 196.94 when the two faced off in the second round. Improving upon his qualifying performance, Denton dipped back into the 3.80s in the semifinals with his 3.889 at 205.01 to knock out No. 3 qualifier Ron Green and his 3.982.
- pro-stock-e21afb86-44ba-b1e8-58d8-27962c42df87.jpg (530.1 KiB) Viewed 46 times
EXTREME PRO STOCK
Over a month after winning the most recent event on tour, the North vs. South Shootout at Maryland, 2023 Extreme Pro Stock world champion Alan Drinkwater scored his second consecutive event win to pad his points lead. In a final-round showdown against No. 1 qualifier and No. 2 in points driver Jeremy Huffman, Drinkwater in his Kaase-powered Flatout Gaskets ’08 Mustang left the starting line first and rolled to a 4.114 at 176.96 to turn on the win light. Huffman wasn’t far behind out of the gate, but he slowed to a 4.537 at 165.81.
“I think this puts us maybe two rounds ahead of Huffman. They've been a tough customer all year,” said Drinkwater, who thanked his team and sponsors. “I feel like on race day, we seem to put it together and make good runs and try not to kill ourselves. We're just trying to do the best we can do. We haven't had any Racepak data since our third test run, so we've kind of been shooting in the dark the last six runs. But we're making it happen. Consistency is key. We just try to make it up and down the racetrack every single time. We don't really learn anything when we abort runs. That's probably the No. 1 goal.”
Drinkwater qualified second and met up with two-time and defending world champion Chris Powers in the opening round. The race was over on the starting line as Powers went red, while Drinkwater ran a 4.082 at 177.65 to move on to the final.
Huffman in his Tom Vigue-tuned, 3V Performance-powered ’10 Cobalt got a first-round single when opponent Bill Neri couldn’t make the call. Huffman used the opportunity to post a 4.075 at 177.51, earning lane choice for the final round.
- pro-632-62cc84e8-e651-e983-43db-54ff1b7e4734.jpg (404.1 KiB) Viewed 46 times
PRO 632
Jeff Melnick, the 2023 Pro 632 world champion, continued his domination of the Northern Nationals when he raced to his third consecutive Michigan win and his second straight win on the season. Behind the wheel of Alan O’Brien’s Barry Allen-powered Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’20 Camaro, Melnick used a string of mid-4.10 second passes to get the win. Melnick and final-round opponent Lexi Tanner left the line together before Melnick pulled ahead with a winning 4.144 at 171.69 to Tanner’s 4.176 at 170.78. Incredibly, Melnick won all three Northern Nationals titles using three different engines – an AMC in 2023, a Chevy in 2024, and a Ford this year.
“We won with the AMC, we won with the Chevy, and now we won with the Ford,” said Melnick, who credited Alan and Kevin O’Brien, engine builder Barry Allen, tuner Patrick Barnhill, and the Greenbrier team. “It's special with all of them for different reasons. That's a feat, even just to win three years in a row with one motor and one combination, but we've had to endure penalties and changes to the car, and not our decision to change some stuff. The team is just awesome. They just take it in stride and they figure out a way to make this car fast no matter what.”
Melnick qualified No. 2 and went on to set low E.T. of every round, and ultimately, low E.T. of the event in the final round. He posted a 4.156 at 171.89 to drive around Joe Valerio and his 4.354 in the opening round, then a 4.173 at 171.10 to deny Michigan’s own Nicole Liberty and her 4.205 in the semis. With the win, Melnick collected the $8,000 Power Purse prize boosted by Talbert Manufacturing.
Tanner, who qualified No. 1 for the second time in her career, ended up with a free run in the first round when opponent Kyle Salminen couldn’t fire up. Tanner charged to a 4.165 at 171.10 before running a 4.181 at 170.58 to get around rookie Carson Hoyle and his perfect .000 reaction time and 4.22.
- elite-top-sportsman-568f841f-139f-9da5-4be0-4d6788d31562.jpg (477.36 KiB) Viewed 46 times
TOP SPORTSMAN
With an increased $8,000 Power Purse prize presented by Butcher & Son Demolition on the line in the Elite Top Sportsman final round, the pressure was on for Jeff Simons and Bryan LaFlam. Simons, who made the trip from Massachusetts with his ProCharged ’69 Camaro, went red by .023, tossing out a 3.892 on a 3.88 dial-in. Meanwhile, LaFlam in his supercharged BigStuff TPM ’67 Mustang posted a winning 3.791 on a 3.78 dial-in to collect the bonus from his friend and fellow competitor, reigning world champion Glenn Butcher.
As the No. 3 and No. 4 qualifiers, Gary Kintz and Jeff Talvacchio were two of the most evenly paired drivers in the Top Sportsman 32 field. They remained close on race day, too, as they met up in the final round, where a starting line advantage and a 4.186 on a 4.18 dial-in allowed Kintz in his ’07 GTO to get the win over Talvacchio in his ’69 Camaro. Talvacchio ran a 4.198 on a 4.19 dial-in in the runner-up effort.
- elite-top-dragster-55d64ab2-9e5e-a51c-9a99-022dd08b0857.jpg (467.55 KiB) Viewed 46 times
TOP DRAGSTER
The Elite Top Dragster final round was decided on the starting line when No. 2 qualifier KC Ingram went red by .025 in his supercharged ’20 Miller dragster. He then lifted off the throttle and coasted across the finish line, while No. 15 qualifier Al Peavler took the tree and backed his ProCharged ’25 American dragster off the starting line and into the FuelTech winner’s circle.
Chaz Silance, the 2018 Elite Top Dragster world champion, came out on top in an all-North Carolina Top Dragster 32 final round against Clayton Roberts, who broke out with a 4.215 on his 4.25 dial-in. Silance in his ’21 Race Tech dragster left the line first and ran a 4.481 on a 4.48 dial-in.
The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will be back in action later this month at the second annual Thunder Valley Throwdown presented by Larry Jeffers Race Cars, Aug. 21-23, at Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn.
Photos by Tara Bowker
