Racing in his Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous debut, former Elite Top Sportsman racer Tim Paap claimed a Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series season-opening win at the Summit Racing Equipment East Coast Nationals Saturday night at GALOT Motorsports Park. Paap lined up against three-time world champion Tommy Franklin in the final round and led wire-to-wire, using a 3.651-second pass at 205.26 mph to hold off Franklin’s 3.652 at 205.66. With Pat Musi Racing Engines doubling the winner’s purse through the PDRA’s new Power Purse program, Paap collected a $20,000 check for his victory.
Joining Paap as professional class winners at the East Coast Nationals were Melanie Salemi in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive, Blake Denton in Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports, Chris Powers in AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Jon Kaase Racing Engines, Walter Lannigan in PTC Converters Pro 632, and Connor McGee in PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling.
Sportsman class victories went to Jeremy Creasman in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines, Steve Furr in Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, Ken Langlois in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman 48, and Chad Traylor in Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster 48 presented by Derrick Wolfe Trucking.
Jr. Dragster program graduate Nicole Zuccarelli picked up the win in Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams. She ran a 4.365 on a 4.36 dial-in to defeat Brandon Lane and his 4.797 on a 4.79 dial-in for a .006 margin of victory.
Makenzie Alexander 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. Alexander in her Mechanicsville, Virginia-based ’17 Halfscale ran an 8.04 on the 7.90 index in the final round, while Brylan Biondo broke out with a 7.892. Schween left second behind final-round opponent Acelynn Christian, but a 9.234 on a 9.20 dial-in in the “Schween Machine” ’04 Halfscale was enough to get the win over Christian’s 12.042 on an 11.97 dial-in.
PRO NITROUS
After making the move from Elite Top Sportsman over the winter, Tim Paap quickly became the latest first-time Pro Nitrous winner as he raced to victory in his debut. With a team led by past NHRA Top Sportsman world champion Jeffrey Barker and past PDRA Elite Top Sportsman world champion Donny “Hollywood” Urban, Paap qualified No. 1 and marched through eliminations to meet three-time world champion Tommy Franklin in the final round. Paap moved first in his Musi-powered Paap Auto Body ’16 Corvette and never looked back, setting low E.T. of the event with his winning 3.651 at 205.26. Franklin posted a 3.652 at 205.66 in the runner-up effort.
“It’s just surreal right now. Absolutely surreal,” said Paap, who thanked his team and supporters like Killin’ Time Racing, Larry Hodge Racing Tire, Holley, Switzer Dynamics, and RK Racecraft. “There’s so many people to thank. It hasn’t sunk in yet. We’ll be up all night until our flight in the morning. You can’t top this. You can’t even script this – qualifying No. 1 and then winning the race. We were 0 for 7 in testing, then to come out and do this, it’s unbelievable.”
Paap was a killer on the starting line throughout eliminations, starting with a .017 reaction time paired with a 3.699 at 203.95 in the first round to take out Edward Wilson, who slowed to a 10.55. Paap was .005 out of the gate in a second-round battle with another Elite Top Sportsman racer who stepped up to Pro Nitrous this season, past world champion Tim Molnar. Paap led the whole way, posting a 3.679 at 201.67 over Molnar’s 3.732. He left second against North Carolina’s own Tony Wilson in the semifinals, but his 3.688 at 203.80 was enough to get around Wilson’s 3.736.
Franklin in his Musi-powered “Jungle Rat 3.0” ’69 Camaro was on his game all day, using a 3.695 at 204.51 to take out Pro Mod veteran Tommy Mauney and his 5.625 in the opening round. Franklin and second-round opponent Marcus Butner left with nearly identical reaction times, then Franklin edged ahead to win with a 3.678 at 205.07 to Butner’s 3.698 at 206.29. Franklin and semifinal opponent Jackie Slone Jr. also left together before Franklin charged to a 3.666 at 205.26 to earn lane choice for the final.
PRO BOOST
In a rematch of the Pro Boost final round at the 2023 East Coast Nationals, Melanie Salemi and johnny Camp squared off for the 2025 event title. This one went Salemi’s way also as she cut a .001 reaction time in Eddie Whelan’s screw-blown Al-Lee Installations “Purple Reign” ’68 Firebird and fired off a 3.622 at 206.29 to defeat Camp, who was right there with a .018 reaction time and a 3.628 at 205.13. Tuned by husband Jon Salemi and brother-in-law Jim Salemi, Melanie is now a three-time East Coast Nationals winner. She had a .015 reaction time average on race day.
“We’ve struggled with this car a lot and we came here and tested late last week,” Salemi said, thanking Al-Lee Installations and a long list of marketing partners. “I finally have my race car back and it feels so good because when I have a good race car under me, I know that I can be good on the tree.”
Starting the season as the points leader, Salemi is motivated to pursue her first world championship in the class.
“We’ve been in this situation before and you have to win the first one to win them all,” Salemi said. “It’s a very tall task to win them all, but like in years past, I am going to vie for the championship and I hope to God this is my year because we’ve had a lot of times where we were really close, but things didn’t go our way. We’re going to keep grinding and working and put everything we have into this race car this year and hopefully that will pay off in the end.”
Starting with a 3.639 at 205.41 to knock out Pro Boost newcomer Lyle Barnett in the opening round, Salemi steadily improved on race day. The No. 1 qualifier drove past young gun Preston Tanner in the second round, laying down a 3.625 at 206.29 to Tanner’s 3.651 at 205.41. Salemi then set low E.T. of race day with her 3.617 at 206.61 to knock out newly crowned World Series of Pro Mod winner Steve King and his 3.64 in the semifinals.
Camp in his Brandon Stroud-tuned, ProCharged “Hells Bells” ’69 Camaro won his first-round matchup with Randy Weatherford on the starting line when Weatherford threw away his 3.655 with a .001 red light, while Camp powered to a 3.653 at 204.51. He stepped up in round two against Scott Lang, posting a 3.644 at 205.04 to drive around Lang and his 3.708 at 204.73. Another improvement followed in the semifinals, where his 3.631 at 205.04 defeated second-generation driver Ty Tutterow and his 3.683.
PRO STREET
Blake Denton, the 2023 Super Street world champion, made his Pro Street debut late in the 2024 season with the goal of paying tribute to the late Lizzy Musi behind the wheel of the Musi-powered “Bonnie” ’69 Camaro previously driven by Musi in Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings competition. With Lizzy’s parents, Pat and Liz, supporting the Tommy Franklin Motorsports team all weekend, Denton swept the event, qualifying No. 1 and racing to victory. In the final round, opponent Chris Tuten suffered fiery catastrophic engine failure and came to a stop before the finish line, while Denton charged to low E.T. of the event, a 3.951 at 194.83.
“It’s a big deal. This is a serious class and the competition is tough,” said Denton, who thanked Tommy and Judy Franklin, Pat and Liz Musi, wife Amber, the Tommy Franklin Motorsports team, and partners like Red Line Oil, Pat Musi Racing Engines, and Menscer Motorsports. “These guys make you come up here and put in the work and that’s what I’m here to do. I had the confidence in the car before the weekend. Struggling and not being able to get down the track early in the weekend really got me behind the eight-ball. Being able to come out and go No. 1 [in the final qualifying session] gave me all the confidence going into today that I could do this and the car could do this and I was going to win this race.”
Denton faced John Carinci in the opening round of eliminations and used a 4.059 at 192.03 to defeat Carinci’s 5.897. Second-round opponent Marty Merillat went red on a 4.063 pass, while Denton was second-quickest of the round with his 4.011 at 193.38. Denton got a slight advantage on the starting line in the semifinals against Richard Reagan, then ran a 3.967 at 194.04 to get the win over Reagan and his 3.99.
Tuten qualified No. 6 in his turbocharged ’87 Mustang before running a 4.103 at 200.11 to take out Bill Devine and his 4.137 in an all-turbo first-round pairing. He improved to a 4.035 at 201.94 in the second round to stop Joel Wensley Jr., who ran a 4.259. The Pelion, South Carolina-based racer then scored a holeshot win over two-time world champion Tim Essick in the semifinals, posting a 4.000 at 202.76 to Essick’s 3.977 at 189.84.
EXTREME PRO STOCK
As a three-time winner of the East Coast Nationals, two-time and reigning Extreme Pro Stock world champion Chris Powers is no stranger to winning at GALOT Motorsports Park in his Sonny’s Racing Engines ’21 Camaro. It’s where he earned his first win in the class and where he won in an emotional tribute to engine builder and friend Sonny Leonard following his passing. Powers added another East Coast Nationals “660 Man” to his trophy case when he got the final-round win over 2023 world champion Alan Drinkwater, who went red by .003 seconds. Powers was ready for him, though, as he laid down low E.T. of the event, 4.066 at 177.42.
“This is a great start to get the season going,” said Powers, who thanked his Chuck Samuel-led team and partners like Sonny’s Racing Engines and ATI Performance. “On the pole, fastest car every single run – we couldn’t ask for a better start to this season than what we’ve just shown. We just like this track. They have good prep and I feel real comfortable here. This is the track I won at the first time in a Mountain Motor car with no seat time, so I love this place.”
Powers, who qualified No. 1, lined up with young gun Jordan Ensslin in the first round, where Ensslin went red by .009 seconds, while Powers set low E.T. of the round with his 4.086 at 176.84. Powers grabbed a holeshot advantage in the semifinals against Elijah Morton and charged to a 4.098 at 176.49 to get the win over Morton and his 4.122, earning lane choice for the final round in the process.
Drinkwater, who qualified third in his Kaase-powered Flatout Gaskets ’08 Mustang, outran 2023 East Coast Nationals winner Dwayne Rice and his 4.14 in the first round with a 4.104 at 175.27. Drinkwater was then quicker than Jeremy Huffman at both ends of the track in the semifinals, running a consistent 4.109 at 176.21 to advance to the final round.
PRO 632
Walter Lannigan, last year’s Pro 632 championship runner-up, kick-started his 2025 season behind the wheel of Chris Holdorf’s Nelson-powered Freedom Grow ’10 GTO with a big win at the East Coast Nationals. Lannigan, the No. 2 qualifier, faced first-time No. 1 qualifier Lexi Tanner in the final round. The two drivers left the line with identical .054 reaction times, but the incremental numbers showed Lannigan gradually pulling ahead. He lit up the boards with the quickest pass of the event, a 4.166 at 168.16, to hold off Tanner’s 4.185 at 169.23.
“It feels great to start the season off as the points leader,” Lannigan said. “I wasn’t expecting to be here, but I’m glad to be here. It was a great final. The .054 was my worst light of the weekend, so I’ll take it. Lexi was a great competitor. I just wanted to see if I could come out on top. The car is for sale, but as long as we keep winning, we’re going to keep racing.”
Lannigan qualified second to pair up with defending event winner Andy House in the opening round. Lannigan left first and held the lead through the finish line with his 4.236 at 166.81 to House’s 4.358. The red-light bug bit second-round opponent Jason Ventura on a 4.257 pass, while Lannigan improved slightly to a 4.223 at 167.18. Lannigan was slightly quicker than Pro Nitrous driver Chris Rini in his Pro 632 debut in the semis, recording a 4.177 at 167.57 to Rini’s 4.212 at 167.24 to reach the final round.
Tanner in her Musi-powered “Thunder” ’16 Camaro cut a perfect reaction time in the opening round of eliminations and ran a 4.223 at 168.22, but she won on the starting line when Gary Hood went red. She then set low E.T. of the second round on a bye run, earning lane choice for the semifinals with a 4.208 at 168.83. Tanner’s semifinal opponent was 2023 world champion Jeff Melnick, who went red by just .001 on a 4.242 pass. Tanner posted a 4.21 at 168.45 to move on.
SUPER STREET
Two-time Super Street winner Connor McGee didn’t have the quickest car in qualifying or eliminations, but his family-based team stepped up when it mattered on race day. Qualified No. 2, McGee made it through three rounds to meet No. 3 qualifier Matt Schalow in an all-nitrous final round. Schalow picked up a starting line advantage, though it wasn’t enough of a lead to hold off McGee’s 4.629 at 149.83 in his Fulton-powered Brian’s Heating & Cooling ’90 Mustang. Schalow wasn’t far off with his 4.663 at 157.52.
“This definitely sets the standard,” McGee said. “We missed a race last year and we weren’t sure if we were really going to be competitive. We proved that to ourselves last year. This year, we’re definitely here to win and stay competitive. This win definitely puts that fire in the whole team. We set the bar and can’t go much higher, but we’ll keep chipping at it to hopefully end up with the championship.”
McGee paired up with newcomer Carson Perry in the opening round and posted a 4.753 at 146.15 to get around the quicker-leaving Perry and his 5.862. McGee left first ahead of Michael Webb in the next round and stepped up to a 4.713 at 152.80 over Webb’s 5.038. He then had a bye run in the semis, where he coasted to a 6.499 at 73.25.
Schalow in his Knieriem-powered ’00 Camaro was quicker than McGee all day until the final. He set low E.T. of the opening round with a 4.725 at 156.23 to get past World Finals winner Brad McBride. Schalow then dipped in the 4.60s with a 4.686 at 157.12 to knock out defending world champion Dan Whetstine and his 4.714. Finally, he upset No. 1 qualifier Austin Vincent in the semifinals, stepping up to a 4.663 at 156.70 while Vincent slowed to a 4.906 at 152.21.
TOP SPORTSMAN
Two heavy hitters met up in the Elite Top Sportsman final round, with Jeremy Creasman in his ProCharged PAR Racing Engines Camaro taking on Tim Lawrence in his nitrous-fed, Albert-powered Bell Trucking ’13 Camaro. Lawrence had the starting line advantage, but he broke out with a 3.888 on a 3.89 dial-in. Creasman lit up the win light with his 3.979 on a 3.91 dial-in.
In Top Sportsman 48, one of the slowest cars in the field lined up against one of the quickest in the final round. No. 43 qualifier Ken Langlois proved that it’s still a bracket race, after all, as he moved through five rounds to reach the final, where he left first and ran a 4.521 on a 4.49 dial-in to get the win in his Milan, Michigan-based ’92 Cutlass. No. 2 qualifier Mark Payne posted a 4.112 on a 4.10 dial-in in his turbocharged, small-block House of Payne ’06 Cavalier. Langlois pocketed a $6,000 payday, double the usual winner’s prize, thanks to Power Purse sponsor House of Payne.
TOP DRAGSTER
The Elite Top Dragster final round was out of control with two-time world champion Steve Furr and reigning world champion Kyle Harris both running off their usual paces. Harris had the quicker reaction time in his supercharged KHR ’32 Bantam Altered, but the short wheelbase machine crossed the center line. That disqualified Harris and handed the win to Furr, who coasted to a 7.383 in his ProCharged ’13 American dragster. Furr also won the 2023 East Coast Nationals and was the runner-up in 2024.
Perfect .000 reaction times are rare, but past Top Sportsman world champion Chad Traylor was perfect twice in a row to pick up the win in Top Dragster 48. The first one happened on a semifinal bye run, then he did it again against Cameron Manuel in the final. He then ran a 4.264 on a 4.26 dial-in in his ’22 Maddox dragster to deny Manuel and his 4.291 on a 4.29 dial-in in his ’18 Elite dragster.
The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will be back in action in one month at the Travis Mills Foundation Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Red Line Shirt Club, May 1-3, at Virginia Motorsports Park in Dinwiddie, Virginia.
This story was originally published on April 6, 2025. 
The post Paap, Salemi, Denton, Powers, Lannigan and McGee Race to Victory at PDRA East Coast Nationals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.