John Vergotz Jr. had modest expectations for his PDRA Pro Nitrous debut at this past weekend’s Brian Olson Memorial PDRA World Finals at Virginia Motorsports Park. In fact, it was really an opportunity to test and get ready for 2027, but the team led by class veteran John Vergotz Sr. put Vergotz Jr. and his ’41 Willys in a position to win. Vergotz Jr. defeated a pair of world champions to reach the semifinals, providing a season-ending morale boost for the Erie, Pennsylvania-based Vergotz Racing team.
Vergotz Jr., a 2025 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 honoree, spent years crewing on his father’s car before getting the chance to tune and ultimately start making passes in the “Dark Knight” ’69 Camaro. Earlier this season, the younger Vergotz took delivery of his Musi-powered ’41 Willys from its builder and previous driver, 2017 DI 30 Under 30 honoree Blake Housley. Vergotz campaigned it in some IHRA events and local outings, but his Pro Nitrous debut was what Vergotz really anticipated.
“Pro Nitrous is so special – it is one of the most loved classes in the drag racing world,” Vergotz says. “Just to be able to roll down the lanes, suit up, and fire up against the best nitrous racers in the world was an experience I’ll never forget. You dream of that day your whole racing career wondering if that dream will ever come true, and this past weekend, it did. Racing alongside people I’ve watched my whole life was very surreal.”
After three qualifying sessions, Vergotz Jr. sat No. 15 on the 16-car ladder with a 3.854 E.T. at 174.96 mph, while Vergotz Sr. was No. 13 with a 3.757 at 198.79. Incredibly, that paired Vergotz Jr. with two-time PDRA Pro 632 world champion Amber Denton and Vergotz Sr. with Denton’s father, three-time Pro Nitrous world champion Tommy Franklin in a pair of Saturday night first-round matchups that exemplify the family-based nature of the series.
While Franklin unloaded low E.T. of eliminations, a 3.628, to defeat Vergotz Sr. and his 3.730, Vergotz Jr. earned his first career round win over Denton in a wild race that started with the two young guns leaving the starting line together and ended with Vergotz Jr. winning with a 4.349 to Denton’s 4.526 after she experienced mechanical issues.
“The round 1 win against Amber was like a scene from a movie,” Vergotz said. “I drove up into a wheelie and it pushed my car to the centerline. When I noticed her car went quiet as well, I couldn’t push that gas pedal hard enough. It’s unfortunate the parts failure she endured and that’s how the win came. But I’d rather be lucky than good any day.”
Another champion, 2024 Pro Nitrous world champion Fredy Scriba, was waiting for Vergotz Jr. in the second round on Sunday morning. Vergotz moved first with a .005 reaction time and turned on the win light with a 3.812 at 196.04, while Scriba pedaled to a 4.008 at 193.38.
“I knew after round 1, going into championship Sunday, my ‘beginner’s luck’ was used up,” Vergotz said. “With the new car, new-to-us engine, and me being a new driver, we were taking things slow – only running on limited power just to start things slow. We turned it up some against Fredy second round. I also knew as a driver, I couldn’t give Freddy any slack at the drop of the button. I knew when it dropped green as I was going by the tree we were in good shape. That was really a huge confidence boost for all of us. My best light in the car and the car’s PB since we’ve owned it. All ends clicked.”
That “beginner’s luck” officially expired in the semifinals, where Vergotz Jr. grabbed a huge starting line advantage over Billy Albert before slowing to a 4.036 at 185.87. Albert, who ran a 3.706 at 205.41, went on to earn his first career Pro Nitrous victory in the next round.
“Reaching the semifinals in my very first Pro Nitrous race was a huge accomplishment,” Vergotz said. “Never could we have expected that to be the outcome. We were honestly counting the weekend as a win going into round 1 because the car had not aborted one run due to tire shake. I went 5/5 in testing and qualifying. The weekend was a win.
“Making it to the semis lights this fire inside of you as a team,” he continued. “That it is possible. All the late nights, money, time – all of that wasn’t for nothing. It was exactly what we needed as a team. Now we’re going to dig deeper than ever before – figure out how we can step up yet another level and become even more competitive in the Pro Nitrous ranks with both cars.”
The Vergotz Racing team plans to spend the winter continuing to make upgrades to their cars and get their engines, transmissions, and other equipment fresh and ready for 2027.
Vergotz Jr. has been blown away by the response to his semifinal finish and the support he’s received not just in the last week, but over the course of his racing career.
“The list of people to thank is miles long,” Vergotz said. “My dad and mom for their constant support, helping me every way possible to live out my dreams even if they are sacrificing their own in the meantime. My girlfriend, Ashley. She has my back through the ups and downs. She has no quit in her. She believes in me when I don’t believe in myself. Her love for this sport coincides perfectly with mine and it helps more than you could imagine. Especially a huge shoutout to my brother Shane. He is the glue that holds this team together. No matter the time, no matter the day, he is there to help make this racing team better and motivate me to be a tuner and now a driver.
“Keith Kelling and Kelling Equipment Repair for all his help and support for this team. He’s been a really important part of what we do,” Vergotz continued. “Jalen Burbage with JBR Solutions has been a huge stepping stone for us. He stands behind us no matter what, through all my crazy ideas and things we want to trial-and-error. His knowledge about race cars has been huge for us. Jeff Melnick with Exotic Fab got this car fixed up for us and completely 180’d the car for us. We were struggling bad. He did lots of fab work and the car hasn’t aborted a run from tire shake since then. Thanks also to Chris Bell for supplying us with the baddest shocks and struts in the world.”
This story was originally published on September 22, 2026. 
The post Second-Generation Driver John Vergotz Jr. Reaches Semifinals in PDRA Pro Nitrous Debut first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
