Drag Illustrated Issue 129, January / February 2018 | Page 6

DI129 “All the Track Will Hold” FEATURES 30 Back in the Saddle After being out of the driver’s seat for a large part of two years, 2017 was Matt Giangrande’s comeback year. Suitably, it was also a comeback year, of sorts, for the class he chose to run, Extreme Pro Stock. By Lisa Collier 42 Q&A: John Force As the proud father of NHRA Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force and the team owner of NHRA Funny Car world champion Robert Hight, John Force couldn’t be happier with this year’s championship outcomes. By Sara Slaughter 57 Double Threat While horses and cheerleading initially captured Hailey and Camryn Hawkins’s attention, the sisters are now enthralled with drag racing, with Hailey stepping up to PDRA Bracket Bash in 2018 and Camryn remaining a threat in Pro Ju- nior Dragster. By Van Abernethy SPE CIAL SE C TION Crowning the Champions Each year we seek to highlight the winning efforts of champions across numerous series and sanctioning bodies, from Ohio’s small Asphalt Wars series to the national NHRA Mello Yello Series and PDRA organization. Page 67 42 52 57 D I RT 22 Boesch’s New Car Young fast-bracket phenom Darian Boesch recently unveiled a brand-new supercharged ’17 Camaro destined for NHRA Top Sportsman competition. By Tyler Crossnoe CAU G H T 50 Outlaw Inferno Photographer Cole Rokosky captured a stunning image of Jerry Martino’s nitrous backfire during an Outlaw 660 event at the new Dragway 42 in Ohio earlier this summer. CO LU MN 52 On the Road After several years of crisscrossing the nation’s highways and backroads in search of drag racing adventures, the iconic Drag Illustrated Sprinter Van is being retired for a newer model. ON THE COVER PDRA Pro Nitrous world champion and GALOT Motorsports Park Mad Mule champion Tommy Franklin as photographed by Rick Belden at Pat Musi Racing Engines in Mooresville, North Carolina. 6 | Drag I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com Issue 129 DRAGSTER DEPARTMENTS