{"id":104790,"date":"2026-09-14T20:44:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T20:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/pdra-to-decide-2026-world-champions-at-brian-olson-memorial-world-finals\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T20:44:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T20:44:06","slug":"pdra-to-decide-2026-world-champions-at-brian-olson-memorial-world-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/drag-racing\/uncategorized\/pdra-to-decide-2026-world-champions-at-brian-olson-memorial-world-finals\/","title":{"rendered":"PDRA to Decide 2026 World Champions at Brian Olson Memorial World Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The biggest weekend on the 2026 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series schedule is set to take over Virginia Motorsports Park as the series looks to crown world champions at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger on Sept. 17-20. On top of that, the weekend festivities include the sixth annual Summit Racing Equipment PDRA ProStars presented by Laris Motorsports Insurance as well as VMP\u2019s Night of Fire, adding up to four days of nonstop action.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re closing out the season in a big way at the Brian Olson Memorial World Finals,\u201d said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. \u201cFrom the big bonuses up for grabs in the Summit Racing PDRA ProStars all-star race on Thursday through to the world championship battles that will come down to the wire late in the rounds on Sunday, it\u2019s going to be an action-packed weekend at VMP. It\u2019s an important race for the competitors who\u2019ve been fighting for world championships all season, and it\u2019s also one of our most fan-focused events ever with free admission on Thursday for ProStars, the new Fast Pass that gets you into the rest of the weekend for just $30, and Night of Fire with nostalgia Funny Cars, a wheelstander, and jet cars on Saturday. We\u2019re really going all-out this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Friday qualifying wraps up, local band LadySmyth will perform live at the Racer Party as a season finale celebration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thursday\u2019s Summit Racing PDRA ProStars is an all-star specialty event that offers up free entry fees, big prize money, and bragging rights for the driver who race their way into the Quick 8-style shootouts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the Night Of Fire will feature a handful of Nostalgia Funny Cars, a pair of jet dragsters, Rick Ream\u2019s Firetruck wheelstander, and a one-of-a-kind fireworks display never before seen at VMP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When championship Sunday rolls around, racers across the PDRA\u2019s professional, sportsman, and Jr. Dragster categories will square off to determine the 2026 world champions. Between the condensed season and the cutthroat competition, this year\u2019s championship battles are some of the closest in series history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe brag all the time that the best drag racers in the world race in the PDRA, and this season has backed that up,\u201d Crossnoe said. \u201cFrom Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost to the Jr. Dragster ranks, the championship scenarios are incredible. In some cases, mere qualifying points will decide the champion. Depending on how qualifying goes, we might not crown a world champion until the final round in the closest categories. That makes things exciting for everyone involved.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The championship contenders in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous presented by Jerry Bickel Race Cars are no strangers to pressure-packed moments. Reigning world champion Marcus Butner leads the way after winning the last two races on tour in his Jay Cox-tuned, Musi-powered \u201cHeartbreaker\u201d \u201969 Camaro. Three-time world champion Tommy Franklin, who has a win and a runner-up finish in his Jeff Pierce-tuned, Musi-powered \u201cJungle Rat 3.0\u201d \u201969 Camaro, sits second by just over two rounds. Fredy Scriba, the 2024 world champion, is also mathematically eligible in third with his Musi-powered \u201cSorcerer\u201d \u201969 Camaro thanks to a win and a runner-up finish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnny Camp, who set a new WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive class E.T. record on his way to victory at the season opener, is the points leader pursuing his first career world championship in his ProCharged \u201cHells Bells\u201d \u201969 Camaro. Tuned by Brandon Stroud, Camp also won the most recent race on tour to give himself a 10-point lead going into the World Finals. His closest challenger, Jason Harris, is looking to become the first driver in series history to win five world championships. Harris, driver of the Harts Charger-boosted \u201cParty Time\u201d \u201969 Camaro also tuned by Stroud, owns a pair of titles in both Pro Nitrous and Pro Boost. Reigning world champion Ty Tutterow is still in the hunt as well with a runner-up finish and three consecutive No. 1 qualifier awards in Justin Smith\u2019s screw-blown Quik Fuel \u201968 Camaro.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Liberty\u2019s Gears Pro Street presented by KTR Drag Racing will crown a first-time world champion, and six drivers are in the running. With a win and two semifinal finishes in the nitrous-assisted \u201cBonnie\u201d Lizzy Musi tribute \u201969 Camaro, 2023 Super Street world champion Blake Denton is the points leader by just over one round. Richard Reagan, who also has a win and two semifinal exits in his screw-blown \u201991 Mustang, is second. Joel Wensley Jr., who won for the first time earlier this season, is third in his ProCharged \u201914 Camaro. The latest first-time winner in the class, Ron Green, is just outside the top three along with Scott Kincaid just a few points behind him. Sixth-ranked Jerry Morgano also has a mathematical shot at the title.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Two drivers, J.C. Beattie Jr. and Jeff Pittman, have dominated PDRA Pro 632 presented my Mark Williams Enterprises this season. Beattie won the first two races of the season in his Reher-Morrison-powered ATI Performance Products \u201918 Camaro and added a third win at the last race on tour to hold a strong points lead. With a first career win and a runner-up finish in his Barry Allen-powered Hickory Enclosed Trailer Sales \u201968 Chevelle, Pittman has a shot at the championship, but if Beattie out-qualifies him by two or more spots, the hunt is over. David Cook Jr. sits third, but isn\u2019t championship eligible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s been a season-long battle between young guns Austin Vincent and Connor McGee in 1320 Fabrication Super Street presented by Brian\u2019s Heating & Cooling. Vincent, who finished second to McGee in the 2025 championship points, won the last two races to give him three wins in four straight final rounds behind the wheel of his Vincent Performance \u201988 Mustang. McGee, driver of the Fulton-powered Brian\u2019s Heating & Cooling \u201990 Mustang, will need Vincent to fall early to maintain his chances at a second consecutive title. Though he has two wins, two No. 1 qualifier awards, and he set a new class E.T. record at the last race, McGee sits 347 points behind Vincent. Dan Whetstine, the 2024 world champion, is looking to solidify a third-place finish in his ProCharged \u201cRed Velvet\u201d \u201990 Mustang.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines, defending world champion Bryan LaFlam is the points leader with two wins, including one at the most recent race. Zach Houser, Scott Duggins, and Jamie Fowler are also in the hunt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Less than a round separates the two title contenders in Greenbrier Excavating & Paving Elite Top Dragster presented by American Race Cars, two-time world champion Steve Furr and young gun Josh Duggins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Past MagnaFuel Top Sportsman world champion Joe Roubicek has a commanding lead as he pursues another title, but Dave Muller, 2020 world champion Stacy Hall, and Ronnie Proctor are all mathematically eligible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joe Gary holds the points lead in ATI Performance Products Top Dragster presented by TBM Brakes going into Virginia, though a big performance could result in a title for 2023 Top Sportsman world champion Chad Traylor, Steven Boone, and Taylor Holland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An incredible 11 different drivers are mathematically eligible for the Pro Jr. Dragster world championship, with Katelyn Page leading that group. Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster is also competitive with five championship contenders chasing points leader Mason Dudley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Though not a championship category, Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by Philadelphia Racing Products will also take part in the World Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The jam-packed World Finals schedule begins on Thursday with pre-race testing at 9 a.m. Summit Racing PDRA ProStars driver intros start at 4:30 p.m. followed by pre-race ceremonies and eliminations starting at 6 p.m. Friday qualifying, which kicks off with Jr. Dragsters at 9 a.m., includes two pro qualifying sessions. Saturday featuring the Night of Fire will include one final qualifying session as well as first round of eliminations. Eliminations will conclude on Sunday until winners are crowned in the FuelTech Winner\u2019s Circle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Admission for the Summit Racing PDRA ProStars on Thursday is completely free. The World Finals marks the debut of the new PDRA Fast Pass program, which covers admission for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all for just $30. Discounted Junior and Kids Fast Passes are also available. Kids 5 and under get in free. Saturday and Sunday public suite tickets are also available. Purchase tickets at\u00a0www.PDRA660.com<\/a>\u00a0or at the gate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PDRA fans around the world can catch all the action live on the official event live stream through\u00a0www.FloRacing.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published on September 14, 2026. \"Drag<\/p>\n

The post PDRA to Decide 2026 World Champions at Brian Olson Memorial World Finals<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The biggest weekend on the 2026 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series schedule is set to take over Virginia Motorsports Park as the series looks to crown world champions at the Pro Line Racing Brian Olson Memorial World Finals presented by ProCharger on Sept. 17-20. On top of that, the weekend festivities include the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104790\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}