Kurt Steding and his son, Ethan, shared the winner’s circle for the second time in their careers Saturday night at the Travis Mills Foundation PDRA Mid-Atlantic Showdown presented by Red Line Shirt Club. Kurt won in WS Construction Pro Boost presented by P2 Contracting and Ty-Drive and Ethan was victorious in Liberty’s Gears Pro Street presented by Menscer Motorsports at Virginia Motorsports Park, the second of eight races on the 2025 Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series schedule.
The Stedings were joined in the FuelTech Winner’s Circle by Marcus Butner in Switzer Dynamics Pro Nitrous, as well as first-time winners Jeremy Huffman in AED Competition Fuel Systems Extreme Pro Stock presented by Boone Motorsports, Kyle Salminen in PDRA Pro 632 presented by PTC Torque Converters, and Austin Vincent in PDRA Super Street presented by Brian’s Heating & Cooling.
PDRA’s sportsman categories reduced substantial fields down to five winners: Glenn Butcher in MagnaFuel Elite Top Sportsman presented by PAR Racing Engines, Linzie Coleman in Laris Motorsports Insurance Elite Top Dragster presented by Greenbrier Excavating & Paving, Keith Castle in MagnaFuel Top Sportsman, and Nick Meloni in Laris Motorsports Insurance Top Dragster presented by Derrick Wolfe Trucking. Nathan Tanner in his ’08 dragster was victorious in Edelbrock Bracket Bash presented by COMP Cams, defeating Rick Raasch and his ’86 Camaro in the final round.
Winners in the Jr. Dragster classes were Shane Dailey in Paragon Pro Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products and Jayden Hogan in Classic Graphix Top Jr. Dragster presented by Philadelphia Racing Products. Dailey made it into the 32-car field in the No. 29 spot and met No. 32 qualifier Makinze Alexander in the final round. Dailey was slightly quicker on the starting line and ran a 7.908 on the 7.90 index to get the win. Alexander, who won the season opener, posted a 7.952. In the Top Jr. Dragster final, Will O’Brien was quicker off the line, but Hogan was closer to his 8.91 dial-in with an 8.927 to turn on the win light. O’Brien slowed to a 9.062 on an 8.98 dial-in.
Pro Boost
Kurt Steding, last year’s Pro Boost championship runner-up, bounced back from a first-round exit at the season-opening East Coast Nationals by racing to victory at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown. Steding in his Todd Tutterow-tuned, screw-blown P2 Contracting ’69 Camaro lit up the final win light when Harris went red by .123 seconds, though Steding was ready for a race with his .007 reaction time and 3.615-second pass at 208.97 mph. That performance set low E.T. of the event and set into motion a P2 Racing double-up, which was completed moments later when Steding’s son, Ethan, won in Pro Street. It’s the second time the father-son duo won together at the same event.
“You have no idea how much this means,” Steding said. “We race together, we’re hard on each other while we’re racing together, but there’s nothing better than doubling up with your boy. I’m proud of him. Todd tuned it right in there. My crew is awesome and my lights were good and we pulled the win off.”
Steding qualified No. 10 and fired off a 3.685 at 205.88 to defeat No. 7 qualifier James Beadling and his 3.728 in the first round. Steding’s perfect .000 reaction time and consistent 3.687 at 206.54 over Gabriel Andino’s 3.717 sent him to the semifinals. With conditions improving, Steding stepped up to a 3.653 at 206.86 in the semis to drive around rookie John Doc, who cut a .001 reaction time and posted a 3.724.
“I just did my thing,” Steding said. “I had triple zeros in the second round. That’s a little too close for comfort. I tried to lay off the tree and then you see an .059 pop up [in the semifinals]. You can’t race like that, so I just did my thing and stayed calm, cool, and collected and just ran it out.”
Harris in his Brandon Stroud-tuned, ProCharged, Southern Diamond Company “Party Time” ’69 Camaro set low E.T. of the opening round of eliminations, a 3.654 at 206.80, alongside a red-lighting Scott Lang, who threw away a 3.679. Harris also had the quickest winning E.T. in the second round, where his 3.661 at 206.35 beat Virginian Randy Weatherford and his 3.67. He caught a break in the semifinals, where newcomer Ed Marx threw down a 3.636 after going red by .009 seconds. Harris recorded a 3.64 at 206.92 to earn lane choice in the final.
Pro Nitrous
Pro Nitrous young gun Marcus Butner denied rookie Amber Denton her first career win when he defeated the two-time Pro 632 world champion in the final round. It was a fitting end to a strong outing for Butner and tuner Jay Cox, as they qualified second and steadily improved through eliminations to meet Denton in the final. Butner moved first in his Musi-powered Butner Construction “Heartbreaker” ’69 Camaro and led the race through the finish line, posting a winning 3.639 at 208.55. Denton encountered issues and slowed to a 3.772 at 189.95 to take runner-up honors in her second Pro Nitrous start.
“We’ve been searching for this,” said Butner, who earned his first Pro Nitrous win at Maryland in 2023. “It’s not for a lack of effort. It’s very sweet to get back. My guys have worked their butts off. We’ve done a lot of testing to get here and we’re going to keep testing. I couldn’t have a better crew. Jay Cox takes care of the car and keeps us going in the right direction. Pat Musi gave us all the horsepower. I just thank God for being here. This just continues our drive. We’ll probably test next week before Norwalk. We’re gonna try to keep this going.”
Butner kicked off eliminations with a 3.706 at 205.79 to move past Cam Clark and his 3.75. He laid down the second-quickest pass of the second round, a 3.689 at 207.78, to stop Brian Shrader’s 3.707. In the semifinals, past Elite Top Sportsman world champion Buddy Perkinson left on Butner, but Butner answered with low E.T. of the event, a 3.637 at 208.62, to drive around Perkinson’s 3.681.
Denton qualified fourth in her Musi-powered “OG Jungle Rat” ’69 Camaro and made it through a first-round match with Jim Widener that saw both drivers lose traction. Denton recovered quicker with a 4.379 at 136.97 to Widener’s 5.081. She bounced back with a 3.675 at 198.70 to set low E.T. of the second round while also getting past Corey Smith, who went red by .005. Denton then matched her qualifying effort, a 3.659 at 206.92, to defeat John Vergotz and his 4.173 in the semifinals.
Pro Street
A pair of young guns squared off for the Pro Street event title, as reigning world champion Ethan Steding met up with Blake Denton, who earned his first career win in the class at the season opener. Though Denton qualified No. 1, Steding’s Ty Tutterow-tuned, roots-blown P2 Contracting “College Fund” ’24 Camaro was the quicker car on race day. That held true in the final round, where Steding left the line first and fired off a 3.948 at 192.77 to hold off Denton’s 3.958 at 195.96 to secure the win.
“To be doing this again with my dad, meeting him in the winner’s circle, it’s unbelievable,” said Steding, who thanked his team, parents Kurt and Wendi, partners like Ty-Drive, Wyo Motorsports, P2 Contracting, and Red Line Oil, as well as Elite Top Sportsman racer Bryan LaFlam for loaning the team a supercharger after theirs locked up in testing. “This just brought all my confidence back for a championship fight. At GALOT we had a bad start. Lost first round. This weekend, qualifying at the top of the board, No. 3, and winning the race, it just made me feel back in the spot to chase another championship this year. That’s exactly what we’re going to do and we’re going to get us one.”
Steding’s march through eliminations began with a 4.045 at 190.19 to get past Joe Thomas and his .002 light and 4.511. Second-round opponent Ron Green moved first and ran a 4.018, but Steding fired off low E.T. of the event to that point, a 3.989 at 192.33, to get the win. His semifinal match with two-time world champion Tim Essick was going to be a side-by-side race, but Essick negated his 3.998 with a .019 red light, while Steding laid down a 3.98 at 192.41.
Denton in the nitrous-assisted Lizzy Musi tribute “Bonnie” ’69 Camaro was on his game on the starting line all day, starting with a .001 paired with a 4.06 at 194.63 to beat Bill Devine and his 4.285 in the first round. He followed that with a .007 light and a 4.044 at 194.97 to get the holeshot win over World Finals winner Richard Reagan, who ran a 4.021. All eyes were on the starting line for Denton’s semifinal race against recently retired Philadelphia Eagles star Fletcher Cox, who made his Pro Street debut after years of owning championship-level cars. Denton grabbed another holeshot win with his 3.978 at 196.36 to Cox’s 3.951 at 191.73 in an all-nitrous matchup.
Extreme Pro Stock
Former Pro 632 winner Jeremy Huffman rolled to his first career win in Extreme Pro Stock when he defeated 2018 world champion Steven Boone in the final round. Huffman, who reached the semifinals at the season opener, made it into the eight-car field on the bump spot before using quick reaction times to reach the final round. Huffman in his 3V Performance-powered ’10 Cobalt left first ahead of Boone and made his best pass of the weekend, a 4.085 at 175.41, to get the win over Boone and his 4.125 at 169.44.
“I can’t describe how big of a deal this is,” said Huffman, who plans to run the rest of the season in pursuit of a PDRA world championship. “It’s so hard for me not to get emotional. I was talking to my guys down at the end of the track getting all teary. Just like everybody, we’ve worked so hard for this. We’ve been to five or six finals now. I started to kind of wonder if the good Lord ever had one planned for us, but I had faith and even put it on my dash: ‘Have faith in God,’ and just wait on Him to bless us with one. I can’t thank my guys enough. We’re so blessed. It’s just awesome. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Huffman made a major move in the first round of eliminations, using a .017 reaction time and a 4.196 at 172.89 to win on a holeshot over two-time and reigning world champion and No. 1 qualifier Chris Powers, who was the second-quickest driver of the round with his 4.139 at 176.79. Huffman cut a .018 light in the semifinals and followed it up with a 4.11 at 176.05 to defeat young gun Jordan Ensslin and his 4.123 at 176.21.
Boone, whose Boone Motorsports was the class presenting sponsor for the weekend, qualified No. 6 in his Allen-powered Boone Motorsports ’07 Cobalt. He was slightly quicker than Kurt Neighbor on the starting line in their first-round race and ran a 4.14 at 171.77 to beat Neighbor’s 4.171. His semifinal match with 2023 world champion Alan Drinkwater ended on the starting line when Drinkwater went .040 red, throwing away a 4.113, while Boone posted a 4.128 at 171.53.
Pro 632
Kyle Salminen became the latest first-time winner in Pro 632 after he laid down low E.T. of race day in the final round against 2023 world champion Jeff Melnick. Salminen in his Marine City, Michigan-based, Musi-powered ’03 Cavalier left just a few ticks ahead of Melnick and posted a 4.185 at 171.40 to get the win. Melnick, who qualified No. 1 and set low E.T. of the first two rounds, shook the tires and coasted to a 7.343 at 61.51 in the runner-up effort.
“It’s kind of hard to believe, but I’m just grateful to be here,” Salminen said. “This win is for my mom. She’s in the hospital right now, and because of her strength, we’re here. This is all hers.
“Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking who I was racing,” Salminen continued. “I was just going up there and doing my thing and it was working. I wasn’t getting in my head and I was treating it as a qualifier or test run or whatever it was. I just wanted to win this race, and that’s what I did.”
Salminen qualified third before facing George Coleman in the first round. Coleman left too soon with a .170 red light, while Salminen charged to a 4.22 at 169.93. He improved slightly to a 4.21 at 176.33 in the second round to get the win over newcomer Jeff Pittman, who posted a 4.285 at 168.70. Another improvement came in the semifinals, where he ran a 4.193 at 170.71 next to a red-lighting Walter Lannigan.
Melnick was the picture of consistency on race day in Alan O’Brien’s Barry Allen-powered Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’20 Camaro, as he used a 4.194 at 174.84 to get past Jason Ventura and his 4.546 in the first round and a 4.192 at 178.66 to deny rookie Carson Hoyle and his 4.209 at 166.95 in the second round. That put Melnick in the semifinals, where he took the tree on a bye run.
Super Street
Second-generation small-tire racer Austin Vincent has excelled in Super Street qualifying since he made his debut in the class last summer, but a win escaped him until Saturday evening. Qualified No. 1 for the second time in as many races, Vincent made his way through eliminations to meet rookie Carson Perry in the final round. There, he left on Perry and kept it rolling with a 4.625 at 158.63 in his nitrous-fed Vincent Performance ’88 Mustang to turn on the win light, while Perry slowed to a 5.035 at 110.94.
“This is very meaningful,” said Vincent, who thanked his parents and partners like Vincent Performance, VDRD, Davis Technology, Nitrous Express, Diamond Pistons, Jesel, Ron G Afterworks. “I get to drive my dad’s old car that got me into racing. I’ve got my best friend, Cody, out here, and my mom watching at home. It’s all really nice. I hope to win a whole lot more. I want to win a couple more and hopefully put a No. 1 on the thing at the end of the year and take a small-block nitrous car to the winner’s circle every race if I can.”
As the No. 1 qualifier, Vincent got a first-round bye run, which he used to run a 4.643 at 159.32. He went even quicker in the second round, recording a 4.626 at 159.42 to defeat World Finals winner Brad McBride and his 5.872. Vincent then earned his keep on the starting line in the semifinals, as he grabbed a holeshot advantage and ran a 4.612 at 159.68 to stop season opener winner Connor McGee, who was quicker with his 4.593 at 155.36. The margin of victory was .0001 seconds.
In just his second Super Street start, Perry qualified third in his nitrous-fed Greenbrier Excavating & Paving ’00 Camaro and won first round with a 4.723 at 152.71 over Michael Webb and his 5.599. He led wire-to-wire in his second-round match with J.C. Beattie Jr., posting a 4.854 at 127.27 to Beattie’s 4.902. Perry then ended up with a semifinal single, as opponent Matt Schalow damaged his car in a crash on his second-round bye run. Perry recorded a 4.808 at 126.47 to get ready for the final round.
Top Sportsman
For the second year in a row, reigning Elite Top Sportsman world champion Glenn Butcher raced to victory at the Mid-Atlantic Showdown. Paired up with Ron Whitlock in the final round, Butcher left first in his nitrous-fed, Albert-powered Butcher & Son Demolition ’69 Camaro on his way to a 3.781 on a 3.77 dial-in. Whitlock broke out in his Advance, North Carolina-based GXP with a 4.003 on a 4.02 dial-in.
After five rounds of Top Sportsman 48 competition, Ohioans Keith Castle and Jeff Melnick were the last two drivers standing. Castle took a slight starting line advantage in his ’07 Stratus, then he ran a 4.237 on a 4.23 dial-in to defeat Melnick, who broke out with a 4.153 on a 4.16 dial-in in his ProCharged Exotic Fabrication ’02 Avenger.
Top Dragster
It was a battle between Virginia and West Virginia in the Elite Top Dragster final round, which pitted Gloucester, Virginia’s Linzie Coleman against Ronceverte, West Virginia’s Alan O’Brien. Coleman’s starting line prowess in her ProCharged ’17 American dragster helped her get the win with a 3.919 on a 3.86 dial-in. O’Brien, one of four Greenbrier Excavating & Paving entries in the final rounds, ran a 3.749 on a 3.73 dial-in in his turbocharged Race Tech dragster.
Top Dragster 48 featured a doubled winner’s prize through PDRA’s new Power Purse program, with Jeff Pierce Race Car Tuning boosting the payout to $6,000 to win. Multi-time NHRA Top Dragster world champion Anthony Bertozzi met up with reigning PDRA Top Dragster world champion Nick Meloni in the final round. It was over on the starting line, though, as Bertozzi went red by .006. Meloni then cut a .006 light and posted a victorious 4.29 on a 4.26 dial-in.
The Red Line Oil PDRA Drag Racing Series will now head north to Norwalk, Ohio, for the fifth annual American Doorslammer Challenge presented by Callies, May 22-24, at Summit Motorsports Park.
