On the heels of its 10th anniversary season of all-eighth-mile drag racing action, the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) announced today its eight-race 2024 schedule. The series will head to Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tenn., for the first time, while also returning to five familiar racetracks throughout the East Coast and Midwest. Along with eight points-earning races, drivers will compete for the opportunity to take part in the fourth annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars.
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Simple, right?” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. “One of the hardest parts of the entire series is finding the right track partners and facilities to host events that can hold 3-second, 200-plus-MPH runs for Pro Mods, park over 300 85-plus-feet-long motorhomes and stackers, and have the right amenities for fans to enjoy a day or weekend at the races. The concept sounds very simple, but it is one of the hardest things we face each season.
“Not only are there racer logistics to keep in mind, but staying in the same market year after year is extremely important to building a fan base, something that we are beginning to take very seriously here at the PDRA,” Crossnoe continued. “We’ve given the racers a great racer-based platform for years. It’s now time to continue to tweak, get better, and begin to showcase the insane amount of talent to motorsports fans of all ages. Moving into 2024, we are honored to return to familiar stops like GALOT, Virginia, Norwalk, Maryland, and U.S. 131, along with adding a new world-class facility in Bristol Dragway.”
The 2024 PDRA season will kick off at the traditional host of the season opener, GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, N.C., on April 3-6. Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie will host its first of two points-earning events on April 18-20. In what has become a Memorial Day Weekend tradition, the PDRA will head to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, on May 23-25. The first half of the season will wrap up June 13-15 at Maryland International Raceway.
The Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars race, held in conjunction with VMP’s Night of Fire on July 13, will bring together some of the most consistent PDRA drivers in winner-take-all, chip-drawn shootouts. The one-day event also features concerts, exhibition cars, and a family-friendly festival atmosphere.
The second half of the season begins Aug. 1-3 at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Mich. A few weeks later, the series will take on “Thunder Valley” at Bristol Dragway on Aug. 22-24.
Bristol Dragway (Van Abernethy photo)
Originally built in 1965, Bristol Dragway is located in Bristol, Tenn., near NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway. Though known for its history, Bristol Dragway is also a state-of-the-art facility within the Speedway Motorsports portfolio of racetracks. Under the leadership of the late Bruton Smith, Bristol Dragway became one of the marquee tracks in the Southeast.
“For years, Tommy [Franklin, PDRA owner] and I have said, ‘We need to be in Bristol. We need to fill that spot on the map,’” Crossnoe said. “In 2023, the facility invested into their racing surface right before the national event, which yielded some of the best racing in years at the historic facility. After a site visit a few weeks ago, meeting with Brandon, Trey, Jack, and the team, both sides were excited. We knew that this needed to happen for 2024 and conversations began to ramp up.
“We’re excited to bring the PDRA’s talent pool to a new market and one that I believe will thrive in the fact that there has not been an eighth-mile Pro Modified series at the facility in over 10 years,” Crossnoe added. “Inaugural events in a new market and facility are always tough – there are always things that are not going to go as planned. Our team is known for adjusting on the fly, and I’m sure we will continue to do just that to ensure the best show and race possible. After all, it’s Bristol, baby!”
After taking the month of September off, the season will wind down back at GALOT on Oct. 3-5 and VMP on Oct. 17-20.
2024 PDRA Schedule
April 3-6 – East Coast Nationals – GALOT Motorsports Park – Benson, NC
April 18-20 – Mid-Atlantic Showdown – Virginia Motorsports Park – Dinwiddie, VA
May 23-25 – American Doorslammer Challenge – Summit Motorsports Park – Norwalk, OH
June 13-15 – North vs. South Shootout – Maryland International Raceway – Budds Creek, MD
July 12-13 – Summit Racing PDRA ProStars – Virginia Motorsports Park – Dinwiddie, VA
Aug. 1-3 – PDRA/US 131 Northern Nationals – US 131 Motorsports Park – Martin, MI
Aug. 22-24 – Thunder Valley Throwdown – Bristol Dragway – Bristol, TN
Oct. 3-5 – DragWars – GALOT Motorsports Park – Benson, NC
Oct. 17-20 – Brian Olson Memorial World Finals – Virginia Motorsports Park – Dinwiddie, VA
PDRA will make additional announcements regarding its 2024 season during the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Show, Dec. 7-9, in Indianapolis.
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