TOP SPORTSMAN

Top Sportsman driver Aaron Glaser made a career-first 3-second pass at the previous PDRA race a month earlier in Richmond, VA, but stepped it up at Tulsa with a new elapsed time record of 3.981 seconds in qualifying first for the PDRA Under the Lights event. Glaser made it official with an impressive 3.99 back-up pass in the heat of the day during the third and final round of qualifying on Aug. 16, before elimination rounds began that evening.

Glaser lost to a near-perfect run by Bob Gulitti in round two, however, while Dylan Stott of Columbus, NC, survived from the 13th and last place on the qualifying list to win his second PDRA trophy of the year.

Stott caught a break in round one when Barry Daniluk went red by -.007 after Stott dialed in at 4.32, but broke out with a 4.29 in his '67 Mustang. He stuck with that 4.29 as his dial in for the next three rounds, however, and beat Bruce Thrift and Darrell Reid before taking on number-six starter Billy Albert and his '69 Camaro in the final.

After leaving with a .029 holeshot, Stott ran 4.307 at 163.18 on a 4.29 dial in to beat Albert's 4.088 at 176.81 against a 4.07 dial.

"I knew I was out front so I let off a little at the end, not much," Stott said. "It's been a tough year so far, so I really didn't want to give this one away."

TOP DRAGSTER


In Top Dragster, local racer Cody Moore from Collinsville, OK, also lasted from the final qualifying spot to beat Laramie Reid of Iowa Park, TX, for the Under the Lights trophy. Moore and Reid left with identical .016 lights in the final, but Moore's 4.287 at 163.08-mph combo on a 4.27 dial in got the job done while Reid broke out with a 4.115 against a 4.15 dial in. (Joe McHugh photo)


Ronnie Davis  (Joe McHugh photo)

Ronnie Davis of Suwanee, GA, won the IGetFixed.com Ultimate Shootout for the top four Top Sportsman qualifiers, with top qualifier Phil Esz of Amelia, OH, taking similar honors in the Ultrasonic Ultimate Shootout for Top Dragster.

With its inaugural eight-race schedule winding down, the PDRA returns to action Sept. 4-7 when it visits North Carolina's historic Rockingham Dragway for the second time this year, then makes a return visit to Virginia Motorsports Park Oct. 10-11, for its season ender.