Jeff Melnick’s grip on the PDRA Northern Nationals is officially legendary. The 2023 Pro 632 world champion drove Alan O’Brien’s Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’20 Camaro to his third consecutive Northern Nationals victory – and his second win of the 2025 season – in a display of consistency and versatility that’s hard to match.
Melnick’s latest triumph came with a Barry Allen-built Ford engine, completing an incredible feat: winning the event three years in a row with three different powerplants.
“We won with the AMC, we won with the Chevy, and now we won with the Ford,” Melnick said. “It’s special with all of them for different reasons. That’s a feat, even just to win three years in a row with one motor and one combination, but we’ve had to endure penalties and changes to the car – things that weren’t even our choice. This team is just awesome. They take it in stride and figure out a way to make this car fast no matter what.”
Dominant Performance
Melnick qualified No. 2 and then went on a tear, posting the low E.T. of every round and ultimately the low E.T. of the entire event in the final. His run to victory looked like this:
- Round 1: 4.156 at 171.89 to drive around Joe Valerio (4.354)
- Semifinals: 4.173 at 171.10 to defeat hometown favorite Nicole Liberty (4.205)
- Final: 4.144 at 171.69 to edge out Lexi Tanner’s 4.176 at 170.78
The win also came with the $8,000 Power Purse prize, boosted by Talbert Manufacturing.
A Strong Weekend for Tanner
Final-round opponent Lexi Tanner showed her own strength at Martin, qualifying No. 1 for the second time in her career. She caught a break in the opening round when Kyle Salminen couldn’t fire, posting a 4.165 at 171.10 on the solo pass. In the semifinals, she overcame a perfect .000 reaction time from rookie Carson Hoyle, advancing with a 4.181 at 170.58.
Tanner left nearly even with Melnick in the final, but the defending champ’s mid-4.10 consistency proved untouchable.
A Rare and Historic Achievement
Winning three Northern Nationals in a row is impressive enough – but doing it with three different engines sets Melnick apart in Pro 632 history. He credited Alan and Kevin O’Brien, engine builder Barry Allen, tuner Patrick Barnhill, and the entire Greenbrier team for the relentless effort that’s kept their Camaro in the winner’s circle despite constant changes.
Melnick now heads into the second half of the PDRA season with serious momentum and another piece of hardware for the Greenbrier trophy case.
This story was originally published on August 4, 2025. 
