PRO OPEN OUTLAW

Phil Esz, the points leader and number-one qualifier for Pro Open Outlaw at the PDRA North-South Shootout, saved the best for last as he posted low ET and top speed for the class with a 3.62-seconds win at 202.76 mph over second-place starter Jody Stroud, who also ran a stout 3.67 at 198.38 in the final round.

"We knew Jody can go fast and he just won at the last race up in Martin (MI), but I've been fast, too, so we loaded it up a little there for the final," Esz said. "And I think we probably left a little on the table, but I won't know for sure until I can look at the run on the computer." Esz, from Amelia, OH, powered his '06 Spitzer dragster to the top spot with a 3.64 at 198.85, with Stroud second at 3.78 and 162.53 and Eddie Lykins third in the eight-car field after a 3.81 at 196.02 qualifying run.

"We're just excited to do this," Esz stated after the win. "This is an awesome deal for us with the PDRA. We love to run heads up."

OUTLAW 10.5

After four qualifying sessions for the first of two appearances by the Outlaw 10.5 class with the PDRA this year, eventual race winner Jerry Mitrovic put his sinister-looking, deep-black, low-slung, nitrous-boosted '68 Camaro into the eighth starting position for the 16-car race day field at Maryland International Raceway with a 4.23-seconds run at 185.87 mph.

Separated by just a thousandth of a second from ninth-place qualifier Dale Collins Jr., Mitrovic won a closely matched opening round with another 4.23 at 186.10 while Collins threw away a 4.24 at 184.40 with a -.056 red-light start. In round two, Mitrovic stepped up with a 4.20 at 182.97 to beat fellow Canadian Wade Stevens, then went even quicker in the semis with a 4.17 win at 181.42 over a traction-challenged John Bartunek.

Waiting for him in the final was Maryland's own Mike Decker Jr., who qualified his supercharged '02 Camaro second with a 4.14 at 187.44, behind only the new, screw-blown '14 Corvette of Chuck Ulsch, who ran 4.13 at 190.43 mph in Friday night's qualifying session. Decker beat Michael Martin in round one, Jerry Morgano in round two, and another Maryland driver in Mo Hall in the semis with a 4.16 at 185.95 that earned lane choice for the event-deciding showdown with Mitrovic.

When the light flashed green, Mitrovic was late off the start with a .106 light, but Decker was even worse with a .271 reaction time. Once more, though, Mitrovic showed tremendous improvement with an outstanding 4.11 run at 187.16 to beat a very consistent 4.16 at 185.38 by Decker. Mitrovic's final-round blast also took low ET for the meet away from Ulsch, who was upset in round one after losing traction against Stevens.

"We don't have many passes with this new combination at all," the Toronto-based driver said in victory lane. "It's a 900-plus Musi motor with a Bruno/Liberty transmission. This is our third race with it and we've won two of them and went to round two the first time so we're very happy with it; can't complain at all."

SPORTSMAN CLASSES

With the only three-second run of the weekend in Top Sportsman, John Benoit of Montpelier, VT, put his nitrous-boosted '68 Camaro on the pole with a potential record 3.92 at 192.14 mph, but was unable to back it up within the required one percent to make it official. He was followed on the 16-car qualifying list by Don Klooster in a '63 Corvette and eventual race winner Randy Perkinson with his '08 Pontiac GXP.

In the fastest door-car bracket class in the world, Perkinson won his opening round against Billy Albert, then ran a dead-on 4.03 in round two to narrowly defeat cousin Mark "Buddy" Perkinson before taking down Brett Nesbitt in another close battle in the semis. The final saw Perkinson leave with a .014 light, then run 4.07 against a 4.02 dial in to beat the .037/4.06 combo against a 4.01 dial in by Aaron Glaser.

In a Top Sportsman consolation race for the eight non-qualifiers at the PDRA North-South Shootout, Jordan Wood from Virginia Beach, VA, took his uniquely beautiful '57 Ford to the win in a close double-breakout final against Glen Teets Jr.

The final-round Top Dragster win in Maryland went to number-six qualifier Justin Melton of Gleason, TN, who ran 4.12 at 171.14 against a 4.11 dial in to beat number-one qualifier Craig Sullivan, who broke out by a hundredth below his 3.95 dial.

The PDRA Huddleston Performance Pro Jr. Dragster win went to number-14 qualifier Tia Tutterow, daughter of PDRA Pro Extreme star Todd Tutterow, who won a double-breakout final against Isaac Evans, with the Huddleston Top Jr. Dragster title going to Tyler Colbert, who survived all the way from the 16th qualifying position to post a near-perfect 8.07 pass against an 8.07 dial in against Alexis Tanner in the final round.