Finesse is Fine

Steve Matusek

Clay Millican

Mark Luton

Doug Foley

Preston

Tanner

Jr . Dragster Phenom

Graduates to MX235

EXCLUSIVE

Michael Biehle on Wheeling a Turbo Pro Mod

THE INTERVIEW ISSUEBo

Butner

The People ’ s Champ

I ’ d be lying if I wrote in and told you that I didn ’ t at least kinda miss the days of wall-to-wall madness and routine chaos in NHRA Pro Mod , I have to admit that the level of side-by-side competition we ’ re seeing in 2018 is almost unbelievable . I first started watching NHRA Pro Mod a little under 18-years ago ( I think it started in 2000 ) and I remember watching cars hit each other ( or damn near it ) during their burnouts . It seemed like there was a point not too terribly long ago when there was a significant crash or oil down at every event . Now , it ’ s as if the Pro Mod category is the star of the show at every national event . They ’ ve come a long way and I ’ m thrilled with the competition , but I love to read about the cowboy characters in the class like Michael Biehle , and I ’ m sure there are others . Drag racing needs more of this !

Robert Gibson , via the Internet

WSOPM 2K18

“ If you want a split , go to Dairy Queen ,” has to be the quote of the year . Shout out to Steve Matusek for saying what everyone else wants to . Wish him the best of luck at WSOPM 2018 .

Allan Odell , via the Internet

Sign Me Up

Writing to see if there is a chance at being adopted by Preston Tanner ’ s parents , or if there is anyone that could put me in touch with them . A roots-blown radial-tire car seems way cooler than the $ 1,000 I was able to round up from about 37 different cards I got when I was done with high school . Of course , I ’ m just playing , but I do think it ’ s fantastic to see someone climb the ranks from Jr . Dragsters to Top Dragster to big time small-tire racing . Being out of the Midwest , looking forward to seeing what Preston can do in 235 / 275 competition . Good kid !

Jerry D . Moyers , via the Internet

Rising Expectations

Is there a potential downside to the wave of “ big money ” heads up races that seem to be popping up ? I ’ ll admit , I was genuinely excited when I read the $ 100,000-towin World Series of Pro Mod announcement last February and felt

the class was more than ready for a big event like that – especially with the caliber of racers involved and the fact that it was a once-a-year deal . Since then we ’ ve seen Street Outlaws do a $ 100k deal , Donald “ The Duck ” Long put on a massive $ 101,000 race and will likely follow it up with another even bigger purse for Radial vs . World cars and is also doing a $ 50k race for X275 racers . Keith Haney just announced a $ 50,000-to-win deal for outlaw Pro Mods . There ’ s also supposedly a $ 200,000 race coming up for No Prep Kings , which I ’ m not sure really counts because it ’ s made-for-TV , but still … is this what it takes to register a reading on the Richter scale these days ? I ’ ve read stories on these very pages about how the $ 50,000-towin Outlaw Nationals at Huntsville Dragway for Outlaw 10.5 racers was the beginning of the end . Does that also apply to Pro Mod , Radial vs . World , and X275 ?

William Fisher , via the Internet

[ FOUNDER AND EDITORIAL DIRECTOR WES BUCK REPLIES : Wow , William ! Great and fair question . I think you ’ re right on the money – it ’ s about timing , and where the eliminator is evolution-wise . For what it ’ s worth , we believed that quartermile , “ legal ” Pro Mod drag racing was more than ready for a “ King of the Hill ” type event that would deliver big money , pomp and circumstance and do so on a grand stage when we announced WSOPM . The racers spoke in 2017 , and they spoke louder in 2018 – pushing us to

expand the field and include more racers for our second-annual event . Historically , big money , heads up drag racing events have almost always reduced in size and scale ( especially in terms of racer participation ) in the years to follow an event that pays considerably more than a typical race . The challenge is always going to be maintaining enthusiasm and excitement in any event , especially after the inaugural , and many promoters lean on purse money to do so . For what it ’ s worth , I feel , depending on the class , these big money races have the ability to do one of two things – serve as a launch pad , or serve as a death sentence . I look at categories like Limited Drag Radial , largely organized by promoters Jason Rueckert and Tyler Crossnoe , and their promise not to pay over a certain amount ( I think it ’ s $ 5,000-to-win ) and I see something that can really help keep things from going completely insane – for better or for worse . It ’ s a matter we ’ re sure to discuss more in the future on these very pages . Thank you for writing !]

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