Dirt
Power
Player
Todd Hoerner parlays return to
racing into victories in NHRA, PDRA
By Jeremy Patterson
in the drag racing universe.
Hoerner admits that of all the cars he has driv-
en, which include such classes as Super Comp,
Top Sportsman and even NHRA-legal Pro Stock-
ers, the Mountain Motor Pro Stock cars are the
hardest to drive.
“It’s really similar to the 500-inch [NHRA-
legal Pro Stock] cars, but this thing never stops
pull-ing,” Hoerner said. “You definitely have to
have your act together because they’re animals,
but Jerry Bickel builds a badass Pro Stock chassis.
Once we got the shocks dialed in, we were low ET
of each round of qualifying and in eliminations.”
Hoerner, who is a full-time sales manager for
Sonny’s Racing Engines and also does tech sup-
port and is the company’s EFI specialist, says
as a company, Sonny’s is just as proud as he is
personally. Showing his true character, Hoerner
shared the love for the other companies who have
a presence in the class.
“It’s great for Sonny’s, it’s really good for all the
engine builders, the chassis builders, and eve-
rybody that’s been a part of building the class,”
Hoerner said. “We’re really excited at Sonny’s to
have this opportunity, for sure.”
In taking the win in Bristol, Hoerner became
just the third Mountain Motor Pro Stock driver
to claim a coveted Wally, joining fellow class vet-
erans John DeFlorian, who won the debut event
at the 2018 U.S. Nationals in Indy and this year’s
NHRA SpringNationals in Houston, and Chris
Powers, who won the Four-Wide Nationals in
Charlotte. Picking up his first win in the class
at the national level was a “bucket list” moment
for Hoerner, and one he ranks at the top of his
accomplishments thus far in his career.
Now, while the NHRA and the Mountain
Motor Pro Stock teams have yet to release a
schedule for next season, Hoerner’s is looking
forward to 2020.
“We love the PDRA. Tommy and Judy Franklin
have given us a place to race for years and we
definitely owe them a big thank-you,” Hoerner
said. “NHRA said they wouldn’t step on their
toes, so that hopefully gives us a chance to race
both series. Obviously the NHRA is the pinna-
cle in quarter-mile drag racing, so it’s exciting
to race on that stage and be a part of their show
going forward, and to be able to still compete in
the PDRA, which is the pinnacle of eighth-mile
racing. This arrangement is great for everybody.”
Hoerner thanked those around him who have
helped him, including the Zarella family, and
the previously mentioned pair of ace tuners,
Self and Neville. Hoerner also offered thanks
to spon-sors Jerry Bickel Race Cars, Big Stuff
3, PSI Springs, JEGS, Wiseco Pistons, Dean’s
Casing Ser-vice, Maxima Oil, Buxton Engineer-
ing, Total Seal Rings, and GRP, as well as a
thank-you “to my amazing wife, Nicole, and my
daughter, Kassidy, for their help and support,”
Hoerner added.
DI DI DI
DI DI DI DI
DI DI DI
34 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
Issue 147
M
ountain Motor Pro Stock
made a triumphant impression
on the big stage in Bristol, laying
down solid numbers and putting
on a great show for those in attendance at the
NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in June.
Thirteen MMPS teams made the trek to Thun-
der Valley, but it was Todd Hoerner and his TT
Motorsports ZL1 Camaro that laid down the
quickest runs of the second, third and fourth
quali-fying sessions to go into race day from the
No. 2 spot. From there, Hoerner raced to the win
and hoisted the coveted Wally trophy.
Hoerner, a veteran wheelman with 37 years of
experience in the sport, was quick to defer cred-it
to those around him when asked about putting
the Sonny’s Racing Engines-sponsored Cama-ro
in the winner’s circle at the historic facility.
“I couldn’t do any of this without TT Motor-
sports,” said Hoerner, who also won the PDRA
North-South Shootout in Maryland. “Tommy,
Paula and Tiana Zarella have given me this amaz-
ing opportunity to drive their car, my crew chief,
Brian ‘Lump’ Self and Dewayne Neville, who does
my clutch, all those guys and of course, TT Mo-
torsports relies on Sonny’s to provide the power
to get it done.”
Having competed at almost every level short
of Top Alcohol and nitro, Hoerner knows what it
takes to win races. While he downplays his driving
as little more than an afterthought, wheel-ing a
quick-revving, naturally aspirated car that clocks
in at 825ci and requires the driver to re-lease the
clutch with his left foot and manually shift gears
four times over the course of a run, all while hav-
ing minimal downforce to eliminate ET-robbing
drag, requires a level of skill that is unmatched