After a number of long discussions with state and local government officials, the Professional Drag Racers Association (PDRA) and Darlington Dragway officials announced today the series will be able to welcome spectators to the Carolina Showdown presented by ProCharger, June 11-13. It’s the all-eighth-mile series’ second race of the season after making its 2020 start without spectators at the East Coast Nationals in late May.
“It was huge to kick off the season at the East Coast Nationals, but we were missing a key component: fans,” said Tyler Crossnoe, series director, PDRA. “For all of our loyal fans in the Carolinas, we’re excited to announce that we’ve been granted a limited number of spectator tickets for the Carolina Showdown presented by ProCharger.”
Fans interested in attending the Carolina Showdown are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online at PDRA660.com. Tickets are available for $20 for Friday or Saturday. Kids 10 and under get in for free with a paid adult ticket.
Especially with additional people in attendance, the series will continue to practice social distancing at the Carolina Showdown.
“We ask that you all observe and remember to social distance your ‘group’ as much as possible from others and keep things as professional as possible,” Crossnoe said. “You will not be able to stand on the starting line as a spectator, but you will still be able to access the pits. Please respect the racers and their equipment, and pay attention to cars going to the staging lanes and coming back from runs.”
The PDRA is also trying to limit hand-to-hand contact between racers and series officials by moving most paperwork to online formats. Time slips are available via the free “PDRA Slips” app. Qualifying sheets and round-by-round results are posted to the PDRA website. Racers are required to pre-register for events on the PDRA site to streamline the gate entry process, as well as to ensure class entry limits are maintained.
“Our team is doing everything we can to abide by the restrictions and guidelines put in place by the officials in the communities we race in,” Crossnoe said. “We appreciate our racers being patient with us as we all adjust to these new policies.”
Carolina Showdown entries for Coolshirt Pro Jr. Dragster are sold out, but a limited number of entries in the PDRA’s other sportsman classes – MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by Tejas Borja, MagnaFuel Top Sportsman, Lucas Oil Elite Top Dragster, Lucas Oil Top Dragster, Gilbert Motorsports Top Jr. Dragster and Edelbrock Bracket Bash – are still available.
Leading the PDRA’s professional classes into the Carolina Showdown are the East Coast Nationals winners: Tommy Franklin in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, Melanie Salemi in Penske Racing Shocks/Precision Racing Suspension Pro Boost presented by WS Construction, Johnny Pluchino in Liberty’s Gears Extreme Pro Stock, Walter Lannigan Jr. in $hameless Racing Pro Outlaw 632 and Travis Davis in Drag 965 Pro Nitrous Motorcycle.
The Carolina Showdown presented by ProCharger will begin with testing from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Competition will begin Friday, with three pro class qualifying sessions, followed by eliminations on Saturday.
This story was originally published on June 8, 2020. 
