FOUNDER ’ S LETTER
This issue of Drag Illustrated is slam-packed , per usual , with incredible reading and breathtaking photography , whether it ’ s a quick hit of fun and unending optimism ( 20 Reasons to Be Excited About Drag Racing in 2018 ); a deep , hard-hitting look at the success that can come from taking chances and sticking to your guns ( Pat Musi ’ s rise to the top ); nostalgia Funny Cars at Santa Pod ; the world ’ s fastest street cars in Joliet – we have what you seek . With every issue we ship to the printer , we try to pull together the best , most spectacular , interesting and deserving people , cars , sanctions and venues , and tell their respective stories .
Beyond doing our best to tell good stories , we ’ re also here to spread the good word that is drag racing – to preach the gospel of the eighth- and quartermile , and everything in between . While I certainly believe in the value of critical analysis ( I ’ m amongst the harshest critics on any-and-everything we do here – parties , races , publications , etc .), I also believe that our collective efforts here at Drag Illustrated are best spent championing the sport of drag racing . Let ’ s be honest , in this Internet age there are more than enough people moaning and groaning about everything under the sun , including drag racing . I can hardly handle any more outrage than what exists on my Facebook news feed at any given time . That ’ s why I ’ ve always taken great pride in our rosy outlook and aforementioned unending optimism toward the sport we know and love when it comes to filling the pages of this magazine . Sure , there ’ s always room for improvement , but you don ’ t have to look too hard to find a wealth of reasons for optimism when it comes to straight-line motorsports in 2018 . Truth be told , we stopped our list of reasons to be excited at 20 simply because we ’ d run out of time to write stories and compile photography for the other 15 or so that we scribbled on a legal pad during our first editorial meeting
Wesley R . Buck Founder & Editorial Director
regarding the subject .
I take a good bit of ribbing ( hopefully , it ’ s all kindhearted and fun ) for my rose-colored glasses , but it ’ s my opinion that a positive outlook is almost a requirement for success in this day and age . Over the course of the last 12 years , this team has faced innumerable challenges and roadblocks – economic strife , an ever-changing publishing world , bad sales months , blown deadlines and extremely-out-ofthe-ordinary ideas – and if wasn ’ t for our positive perspective , I believe we would have thrown in the towel at some point along the way . The fuel for the success and growth of this company since the start has been a collective belief that things are good and only getting better .
Alan Kay , a well-known computer scientist , once famously said that “ point of view is worth 80 IQ points .” Apparently , this was a notion he made public in the early 1980s . I heard it for the first time a few months ago , and I was bummed that I hadn ’ t come across it sooner . I was reading a book on Jeff Bezos and his success with Amazon . com and found that Bezos subscribed to the notion – believing that a positive outlook was critical amongst the characteristics he looked for in key team members . Not surprisingly , most breakthroughs come from a shift in perspective . Where people had previously seen the same problems , the same opportunities and the same solutions – creators of change shift their perspective to discover new solutions , new opportunities and new problems . Taking a look at the bright side never hurts .
Like a bridge , we exist to lift people up . We understand there are issues facing our sport – our world – and we ’ re not afraid to talk about them openly and honestly , but we know our role – and that ’ s to shine as bright of a light as possible on all the amazing things happening at drag strips around the world , and the impossibly awesome people that are making them happen .
I invite you to email me at wes @ dragillustrated . com and follow me at facebook . com / wbuck and wesbuckinc on Instagram .
Wes Buck Founder & Editorial Director 660.988.2313 wes @ dragillustrated . com
Scott Dorman Publisher 615.478.5275 scott @ dragillustrated . com
Mike Carpenter Design & Production Director 704.737.2299 mike @ dragillustrated . com
Nate Van Wagnen Editor-in-Chief 440.986.1480 nate @ dragillustrated . com
Nancy Koeppen Chief Operating Officer 573.552.5551 nancy @ dragillustrated . com
Will Mandell Senior Sales Executive 615.426.0465 will @ dragillustrated . com
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Robert Jaramillo Director of Business Development 626.253.6428 robert @ dragillustrated . com
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS : Ian Tocher , Ainsley Jacobs , Tyler Crossnoe , Bobby Bennett , Lisa Collier , Brandon W . Mudd , Tommy D ’ Aprile , Will Hanna , Sadie Glenn
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Copyright © 2018 by Drag Illustrated Media , LLC . All rights reserved . Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited . Drag Illustrated is a registered trademark of Drag Illustrated Media , LLC . Printed and mailed by Publication Printers in Denver , CO .
All statements , including product claims , are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim . The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own , and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher .
PHOTO : RICK BELDEN
8 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated . com Issue 136