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DINWIDDIE, Va. (Sept. 29, 2025) – This weekend, the Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will wrap up its 2025 championship season with an action-packed trio of events all within one weekend, Oct. 2-5, at Virginia Motorsports Park. The Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars all-star race on Thursday will lead into the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger on Friday through Sunday. On Saturday, VMP’s Night of Fire thrill show will add fire and festivities to the lineup before the series crowns 2025 world champions on Sunday.
“This just might be the biggest weekend in the history of the series,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA, and vice president at VMP. “Traditionally, we’ve included ProStars in our Night of Fire during the summer months, but we decided to move it into the fall to stack it on top of the PDRA World Finals. Between the tense competition of ProStars and world championship battles and the thrill show aspect of the Night of Fire, there’s going to be a lot going on for both fans and racers.”
Thursday’s Summit Racing Equipment ProStars will kick off with driver intros at 5 p.m. before rolling into eliminations at 6 p.m. Drivers in the PDRA’s professional, sportsman, and Jr. Dragster classes have earned points since the 2024 ProStars race last summer for the right to compete in the eight-car fields.
“For the last few years, ProStars has been our way of rewarding the racers who support us at as many races as possible,” Crossnoe said. “It’s a unique points system that rewards both on-track accomplishments and consistent appearances on the Red Line Oil PDRA tour. It all wraps up at ProStars, where racers don’t pay an entry fee for this bonus all-star race with big checks up for grabs. It’s going to add another exciting element to what is already a big weekend in the World Finals.”
After ProStars, competitors will roll into World Finals qualifying on Friday and Saturday. A racer party is also set for Friday evening with live performances by Bombshell and the Jared Stout Band. The Night of Fire lineup on Saturday features four Nostalgia Funny Cars – Gary Pritchett in the “Bunny Burkett” Corvette, Robin Stambaugh in the “Generation X” Vega, Chris Massarella in the “Total Insanity” Monza, and Jon Wall in the “Cape Codder” Arrow – as well as the Larsen Motorsports jet dragsters, Rick Ream’s Hot Rod Fire Truck wheelstander, and the “Bone Shaker” jet truck.
“The Night of Fire is all about entertainment,” Crossnoe said. “We have a diehard fanbase in the area, plus this event will attract fans from outside the area as they come in to cheer on their favorite teams. We want to put on a show for fans of all ages and all interest levels, and a thrill show with Nostalgia Funny Cars, flame-throwing jet cars, and a wheelstander is exactly that.”
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In Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, three-time world champion Tommy Franklin is the points leader in his Musi-powered “Jungle Rat 3.0” ’69 Camaro. The drivers hoping to deny him a fourth title are Marcus Butner, who is both the most recent winner on tour and the most recent winner at VMP, as he won the Mid-Atlantic Showdown at VMP earlier this year before taking a home track win at GALOT Motorsports Park’s DragWars in early September. He sits just over two rounds behind Franklin. Rookie Amber Denton, one of Franklin’s two daughters, is mathematically eligible in third place, but she sits almost one event win’s worth of points behind her father as she seeks a second career win.
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Just under three rounds separate WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive points leader Ty Tutterow and the No. 2 driver in points, Melanie Salemi. Tutterow, driving Justin Smith’s Virginia-based, screw-blown Quik Fuel ’69 Camaro, didn’t qualify at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown and his father and tuner, Todd “King Tut” Tutterow, failed to qualify at the 2024 World Finals driving the same car. The father-son duo is poised to break that streak, though, as Ty has appeared in the last four final rounds on tour and won three of them. Salemi was the runner-up to Tutterow at the last two events after starting the season with a win, putting her as close as she’s ever been to her first Pro Boost world title.
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Perhaps the biggest championship shift in the series took place in Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports, where defending world champion Ethan Steding took big swings at Blake Denton’s season-long points lead at the last two races. Steding is now the points leader in his roots-blown P2 Contracting “College Fund” ’24 Camaro with three wins in four final-round appearances at the last five races. Denton, who picked up two wins in four straight final rounds to start the season, is now just under two rounds behind Steding.
The championship in AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock will be decided in qualifying, as 2023 world champion Alan Drinkwater holds a substantial lead over Jeremy Huffman. Drinkwater, who returned to PDRA competition this season in his Kaase-powered Flatout Gaskets ’08 Mustang following a one-year hiatus, picked up three wins in four finals. Virginia’s own Sonny’s Racing Engines is the presenting sponsor for Extreme Pro Stock this weekend.
Jeff Melnick, the 2023 world champion in PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters, secured another title at DragWars when he reached the final round against championship runner-up Walter Lannigan. Though Lannigan got the win there, Melnick in Alan O’Brien’s Barry Allen-powered Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’20 Camaro had already accumulated enough points to clinch the title. Melnick appeared in all but one final round this season and won three straight races, putting him eight rounds ahead of Lannigan.
Connor McGee holds a sizable points lead in PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling, as he won three times in his Fulton-powered ’90 Mustang. The only driver with a mathematical chance at catching him is fellow young gun Austin Vincent, who has two wins – at Virginia’s Mid-Atlantic Showdown and at the recent DragWars at GALOT.
Thrilling championship battles are raging in the sportsman classes. MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines has four contenders – points leader Bryan LaFlam, past champion Dewayne Silance, Tim Lawrence, and reigning world champion Glenn Butcher. Alan O’Brien is the points leader in Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, while defending world champion Kyle Harris leads a list of challengers that includes past world champions Larry Roberts and Steve Furr and many-time No. 1 qualifier Jody Stroud. Past world champion Nick Meloni took over the points lead in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman at the last race, putting him less than a round ahead of Jeff Talvacchio, while past champ Joe Roubicek is also eligible. Meloni has the chance to double up, as he’s mere qualifying points behind points leader Clayton Roberts in Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Derrick Wolfe Trucking, where Meloni is the defending champion.
As always, the PDRA’s Jr. Dragster categories are coming down to the wire in their championship battles. Alyssa Rabon recently moved into the points lead in Paragon Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products, leading Makenzie Alexander and Carter Jackson by just over two rounds and ahead of Donald O’Meara III by around five rounds. Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products phenom Knox Schween is closing in on his first world championship, as he just needs to qualify to eliminate Jayden Hogan from contention.
Though a world championship isn’t on the line in Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams, the class will feature intense bracket racing competition for area sportsman racers.
The World Finals schedule begins with Thursday testing from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. ProStars driver introductions and pre-race ceremonies will lead into ProStars eliminations at 6 p.m. World Finals qualifying begins Friday starting with Jr. Dragster and sportsman classes at 8:30 a.m. and pro sessions at noon and 5:45 p.m. The racer party featuring live music will close out the night, with Bombshell taking the stage at 8 p.m. and the Jared Stout Band performing at 9 p.m. Jr. Dragster and sportsman qualifying will continue Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Pro classes will wrap up qualifying with sessions at 12:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. The first Night of Fire thrill show is set for 6 p.m., followed by the first round of eliminations in the pro classes. A final thrill show session will run at 9 p.m. The Jr. Dragsters are back on track for Sunday eliminations at 10:30 a.m., while pro eliminations continue at 12:45 p.m. God Speed Ministry will offer church services Saturday at 7:45 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
Tickets are available for $20 for Thursday, $25 for Friday, $30 for Saturday, and $25 for Sunday. Kids and Junior tickets are also available. Purchase tickets at www.PDRA660.com or at the gate.
PDRA fans around the world can catch all the action live on the official event live stream through www.FloRacing.com.
Photos by Tara Bowker.
