The Professional Drag Racers Association Top Sportsman (TS) category was a hit with racers and fans alike in the series’ inaugural season. The appeal of the class comes from the challenge it takes to qualify for the 16 car field and then bracket race a doorslammer at speeds close to 200 MPH. Top Sportsman is top of the line for sportsman racing, the fastest class available before moving to professional categories.
To add even greater draw to the class, the PDRA instituted a race within a race with the Top Sportsman Fast Four. Each PDRA National Event the four fastest qualifiers have the opportunity to match race for $500 winner-take-all additional prize money.
For 2015, Chassis Engineering has come on board to sponsor the Top Sportsman Fast Four program. Chassis Engineering owner, Clayton Murphy, has been involved with the category in the past, and knows the value of supporting the racer.
“We’ve been involved in sportsman racing for over 30 years,” Murphy explained of his company. “The PDRA is a good fit for us. I just like the people, and I just like being involved in it. I was impressed with the Top Sportsman program last year. I raced Top Sportsman for five or six years, running NHRA divisional and national events with Matt Buck, a top tier driver in the southeast. Top Sportsman seems to be growing much faster and has better quality cars [in the PDRA] than with divisional programs I’ve seen. It’s an exciting class to watch and we’re happy to support it with the Chassis Engineering Fast Four.”
Murphy is involved in racing on multiple levels, working closely with longtime friend and Pro Nitrous racer John Hall. The team plans to debut a new Pat Musi engine for the 2015 season and is recently went testing to prepare for the upcoming Texas Nationals, March 19-21.
Chassis Engineering manufacturers a complete line of drag racing chassis, suspension and driveline components, serving racers for over 30 years. The company is located in Riviera Beach, Florida and boasts being one of the first companies on the east coast to supply racers and high performance enthusiasts with these components. Previously, racers would have to have these parts shipped from west coast companies. In 2015, Chassis Engineering is restructuring their company to better serve their customer base and is also working on new products to debut later this year.
“We’re working on a lot of new products that aren’t ready to release yet,” Murphy added. “We’re doing a new housing. We’ve got a couple of things we’re adding to our XTR series, which is our Extreme Duty series, as well as a lighter and stronger line of parts.”
Chassis Engineering is always looking for ways to improve their products and give back to the racer. This was the main motivation behind sponsoring the Chassis Engineering Fast Four. “We did it just to support the racer,” Murphy reiterated. “The PDRA is moving forward and trying to do things for their current racers and trying to get more racers involved in the series. We want to support that and help get more racers involved. Top Sportsman is a great springboard for the Pro Mods, as well as an exciting class for racers and fans alike. It’s a great thing to be involved in.”
To qualify for the Chassis Engineering Fast Four program Top Sportsman racers must run the Chassis Engineering decal. For more information on Chassis Engineering visit them at http://chassisengineering.com/.
This story was originally published on March 9, 2015. 
