04-02-2025
How to Watch PRO Superstar Shootout Drag Racing Spectacular at Bradenton
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A blend of ground-pounding, side-by-side drag racing and a casual, festival-like feel marks the second edition of racer-organized, non-NHRA-sanctioned event
A concert, more autograph sessions set as Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock drivers shake off-season cobwebs before Gatornationals
Tony Stewart says chip draw 'adds another level of excitement to it'
With social-media-savvy Garrett Mitchell (a.k.a. Cleetus McFarland) purchasing 50% of Florida's Bradenton Motorsports Park in late December, a bunch of elite drag racers cooped up all winter, and a concert at the end of the race Saturday featuring alternative/indie rock-pop artist and American Rebel CEO Andy Ross, the SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout Feb. 6-8 promises to be one big full-throttle entertainment experience.
This second edition of the non-NHRA-sanctioned event organized by Professional Racers Owners Organization will showcase the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series' top drivers in the uniquely formatted event that starts with one round of qualifying Thursday night.
Three rounds of qualifying follow Friday, with the non-traditional chip draw for Saturday's first round of eliminations. Saturday's action will feature three rounds of nitro eliminations for the quickest eight qualifiers and four rounds of Pro Stock (which fields 16 qualifiers), as well as the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car exhibitions for drivers outside the Top 8.
Reigning NHRA champions Antron Brown (Top Fuel) and Austin Prock (Funny Car) are among the competitors. Prock won this event last year.
Scheduled to race in the Top Fuel class also are Justin Ashley, Doug Foley, Brittany Force, Josh Hart, Doug Kalitta, Shawn Langdon, Shawn Reed, and Tony Stewart. Mike Salinas will make his first appearance since last March as he gets back in the groove after undergoing heart surgery. And he'll do it with a twist: possibly racing against daughter Jasmine Salinas for the first time.
Funny Car racers who are treating this race as a warm-up for the NHRA season-opening Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway are Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, Chad Green, Matt Hagan, Paul Lee, Dave Richards, Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd, and Dan Wilkerson. Tasca was the talk of last year's event for—unofficially, as far as the NHRA was concerned—breaking the 340-mph barrier.
'We have a new crew chief and a new guy working on the bottom end of the race car coming into Bradenton. We'll view the event as one big test session to get back into the groove of things and make sure the guys are a well-oiled machine. Everything is about routine, so it'll be good to get that down,' Hagan said.
Six-time champions Greg Anderson and Erica Enders will lead the Pro Stock class that's full of family feuders—the three Cuadra brothers (Fernando, Cristian, and David), father-son duo Chris and Mason McGaha, and uncle-nephew tandem Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Troy Coughlin Jr. Dallas Glenn, Eric Latino, Cory Reed, and Aaron Stanfield are entered.
Tony Stewart, driver of the Johnson's Horsepowered Garage Dragster and PRO board member, said the event is 'exciting because you have teams and drivers that got together and decided to hold their own race and you know all the work that everyone has done. There's a real core group of about three people that have been really digging in and handling all the details of the event for PRO. It's great for all of us to be able to go down [to Florida] and get our season started off with some testing and then have an event at the same time and place.
'The event had such a great feel last year. I'm really excited about going back. The atmosphere was extremely laid back. It's a great opportunity to get the rust knocked off from the off-season and get back in the car and do what we love the most,' he said.
PRO spokesman Elon Werner said, 'Customer service is key. We went into last year wanting to have an event with a different feel than a national event, and we succeeded. We wanted to give fans more access and provide new access for the broadcast (streamed on FloRacing). There will be a few more autograph sessions, and everyone is focused on making the fan experience even better both in person and for the viewing audience on FloRacing.
'The fans love the Top Fuel vs. Funny Car, and they love the access to the drivers. It is more relaxed than a national event. Drivers and crew chiefs are in the staging lanes. Also, the show on Saturday is pretty compact and exciting,' Werner said. He said PRO will highlight some Sick Week (the popular drag-and-drive event) competitors throughout the event.
It's too early to tell what impact influencer Mitchell's (McFarland's) presence, with his four million-plus followers on social media, might have on the event or the sport in general, but Werner said, 'PRO is dedicated to growing the sport. We aren't really worried about who gets the credit. All the teams have been actively promoting the event and reaching out to fans of all ages.'
After qualifying reveals who will advance to Saturday's eight-car field for eliminations, those drivers will participate in a random chip draw to determine who they'll line up against in Round 1. And Stewart said, 'I've never been part of a chip draw like that, especially in drag racing, so I think it adds just a different element to it. Instead of having the No. 1 qualifier go up against No. 8 on Saturday, you don't know who you will get. It could be 1 versus 2, and it could be 7 versus 8.
'But that's the exciting part about the chip draw—it's a wild-card factor,' he said. 'It can really change the complexion of a race day. It's not something that I think we want to do all the time, but for a special event like the PRO Superstar Shootout, I think it's an awesome element that just adds another level of excitement to it.'
PRO invites its members and full-time professional teams to participate.
Thursday, February 6 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on
Nitro qualifying session (Q1): 7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, February 7 (Nitro Qualifying, streamed live on
Nitro qualifying session (Q2): 12:30 p.m. ET
Nitro qualifying session (Q3): 4 p.m. ET
Nitro qualifying session (Q4): 7:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, February 8 (Nitro Eliminations, streamed live on
Round 1: 1:45 p.m. ET
Round 2: 4 p.m. ET
Finals: 7 p.m. ET
