The Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) continues to develop its 2019 leadership team, as the series announced today the addition of Lonnie Grim as the competition & technical director and promotion of Paul Cartwright to assistant event director.
“I am extremely excited for the PDRA series and its racers to have two high-class professionals like Lonnie and Paul involved in such a way for 2019 and beyond,” said Tyler Crossnoe, race director, PDRA. “With their work ethic and attention to detail, it’s going to be a great year for the PDRA and we look forward to debuting even more news in the coming days and weeks.”
Grim brings to the table his broad knowledge base developed over years as a drag racer and in various roles that involve developing and enforcing rules. He’s previously worked with Street Outlaws No Prep Kings, Holley LSFest, Outlaw Street Car Reunion, HOT ROD Engine Masters Challenge and NMCA/NMRA.
“I look forward to this next chapter and becoming a part of the PDRA family,” said Grim. “I feel very blessed that companies call me to be involved with their events, whether it’s a once-a-year destination event or a traveling series. All the information from those past events, plus my experience as a racer, gives me a solid foundation and vast knowledge base across the board. I’m looking forward to using that knowledge to help the PDRA continue to grow.”
Cartwright moves into the assistant event director position after two years as the PDRA’s staging director. Before joining the PDRA, Cartwright held leadership roles at dragstrips across the eastern half of the U.S., including operations director at Memphis International Raceway and Heartland Park Topeka and track manager at No Problem Raceway. He will work with Crossnoe to run the races from the tower, calling cars to the staging lanes, keeping up with track prep and keeping the race moving in an orderly fashion.
“I’m really excited to move into this new position,” Cartwright said. “With my experience in running racetracks for the last 25 years, I feel this is where I belong.”
The eight-race 2019 PDRA Tour will kick off at the PDRA East Coast Nationals presented by FuelTech, April 4-6 at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, N.C.
Paul Cartwright photo by Tara Bowker
This story was originally published on February 8, 2019. 
