DI133
FEATURES
34 WSOPM Field
Expands to 32
“All the Track
Will Hold”
92
Drag Illustrated World Series of
Pro Mod founder Wes Buck talks
about this year’s event format, includ-
ing an expanded 32-car field for the
$100,000-to-win main event featuring
the stars of legal Pro Modified racing.
By Nate Van Wagnen
62 Mountain Man
Scotty Richardson never really
imagined he would someday own and
operate a racetrack, but the ultra-
successful sportsman racer now finds
himself in that situation at eastern
Kentucky’s Mountain Park Dragway.
By Van Abernethy
86 Power Broker
After a series of Super Stock national
championships and a successful run
in NHRA Pro Stock, Greg Stanfield is
enjoying the next chapter in his career:
building engines for his son, Aaron,
and other race-winning entries in the
blossoming Factory Stock Showdown
program. By Kelly Wade
62
40
92 For Better or Worse
DEPARTMENTS
D I RT
40 Spring Fling Million
Former Pro Extreme driver Randall Reid
rolled the dice in Las Vegas and left with
the big payout at the K&N Spring Fling
Million, a race past winners Jeff Verdi
and Luke Bogacki have described as “life-
changing”. By John DiBartolomeo
Q &A
42 Cruz Pedregon
The longtime NHRA Funny Car pilot
talks about the challenges of campaign-
ing and independent nitro team and
weights in on the recent NHRA track
prep changes that challenged numerous
teams. By Josh Hachat
DI CO LU MNIST
59 The Real Deal
Tommy D’Aprile’s beloved column
returns this month with the PDRA Pro
Boost star’s thoughts on what makes a
good leader and what leads to effective
leadership, especially in drag racing.
ON THE COVER Three-time NHRA world champion Dan Fletcher as
photographed by Rick Belden at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.
6 | Drag
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 133
ABERNETHY
A series of on-track and off-track chal-
lenges last year tested the patience of
Super-class racer Michelle Furr and her
husband, Ricky, but the Virginia-based
team is back on track with a string of
event wins. By Lisa Collier