Feedback , Friendly Notes , & Hate Mail

The Hottest 2017

Very honored to be featured in this years hottest female issue along side so many other talented females in the sport ! Thank you Nate Van Wagnen , Wes Buck , and everyone at Drag Illustrated .

Cassie Simonton , via the Internet

There may no one more deserving – man or woman – for a feature story in Drag Illustrated than Megan Meyer . Congratulations on getting it right , and putting someone on the cover your magazine , specifically the female-dominant issue , who is a shining example of what it should mean to be a young woman in drag racing . Megan is naturally beautiful , but doesn ’ t flaunt it , yet also doesn ’ t dismiss her femininity . It ’ s a special thing , in my humble opinion , and I am thrilled to see a young lady such as her rewarded for making the tough choices that she has and put herself in a position to be very successful in the sport of drag racing without sacrificing her integrity .

Jim Flores , via the Internet

While I ’ m sure it would have been hard to stick Leah Pritchett on the cover of yet another issue of Drag Illustrated , I simply had to shoot over a message and let you know that I think she deserves the honor . She ’ s had a couple of considerable breakout moments in both Pro Mod and Top Fuel , and I suppose Nostalgia Funny Car before that , but I believe she has cemented herself as the “ next big thing ” in nitro racing , and it feels like the sport of drag racing needs to push this notion . Setting records , winning races ( back-to-back to start the season ), securing major nonautomotive sponsors and introducing the global rally racing audience to drag racing by way of a partnership with Internet super-brand Hoonigan Industries , amongst

A / Fuel Dragster ’ s Girl Next Door Can ’ t Be Stopped

many other notable achievements in recent months , Pritchett is the “ realest deal ” in top-tier drag racing right now . She has the passion , dedication and charisma to carry this sport into the future and , again , everyone needs to get on board . As a sport , we simply cannot continue to expect John Force to carry our collective water . Papa John ’ s sees it . Dodge gets it . The rest of us need to start pushing this agenda , too .

Sean Crabill , via the Internet

[ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WES BUCK REPLIES : Wow ! I love when we get these in-depth letters . Thank you ! To be honest , I ’ ve got little-to-no argument for you . We thought long and hard about sticking Leah out front yet again , but it ’ d have been a third time , and second in right about a year ’ s time . Just couldn ’ t do it , especially when we have young ladies like Megan Meyer who deserve their

dragillustrated . com

THE HOTTEST

DRAG RACING ’ S FAST , FIERCE AND FORWARD- THINKING FEMALES

Leah Pritchett Mia Tedesco Alex Taylor Val Clements Jennifer Brooke Amanda Busick Cassie Simonton

AND MORE

moment in the sun as much as anyone – Leah included . Believe me when I say it , though , we ’ re 100-percent behind Leah Pritchett , and we ’ re 100-percent confident that she ’ s exactly what the sport of drag racing needs right now . Stay tuned for more !]

Erica Enders is the best race car driver alive . Wes Buck touched on it in his column in DI # 118 , but I don ’ t believe he went quite far enough . NHRA Pro Stock tuners in 2017 ask a lot of drivers , oftentimes expecting them to hit shift points within 100 or less RPM , and from what I understand – Erica Enders is one of the few people who deliver on those demands , and do it consistently . She has a winning percentage ( 60.2 ) that is on par with anyone in the class , and she ’ s only had a legit top-tier car the last few years . Her ability on the starting line to knock down the Christmas Tree , even when the stakes are incredibly high , is massively above average . Props to Drag Illustrated for recognizing real talent and not getting lost in the fact her and the Elite Motorsports team had an off year in 2016 . For what it ’ s worth , Enders may be the best pure driver in professional drag racing right now ( she ’ s definitely in the mix ), and it ’ s probably not a stretch to label her the best female race car driver of all time .

Bradley Hawthorne , via the Internet

[ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF WES BUCK REPLIES : Thanks for checking out my column , Bradley ! Still stunned to hear that people read it , even after all these years ! Anyone who speaks with me regularly knows that I ’ m of the opinion that Erica Enders is the best driver in professional drag racing . Thanks for echoing the sentiment of everyone here at DI . Nice to feel our opinions validated !]

Speechless . I ’ m not sure that I ’ ve seen the team at Drag Illustrated hit a bigger home run than you have with your Hottest 2017 . This is the most wide-ranging , interesting , and accomplished group of young ladies that I believe you could have possibly assembled on the pages of your magazine and it ’ s nice to see that it ’ s not entirely eye-candy . Thank you from the bottom of my heart for not making this as trashy as it more than likely could easily be . It ’ s appreciated , and it ’ s even more so respected – especially as a father .

Robert Aviles , via the Internet

Contact Us

LETTERS to Drag Illustrated , 902 Kings Rd ., Kirksville , MO , 63501 . Letters become the property of Drag Illustrated and may be edited for publication .

E-MAIL letters @ dragillustrated . com

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Go to dragillustrated . com

• Subscribe • Renew • Cancel

• Missing Issues

• Give a Gift • Pay Bill • Change of Address

12 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 119