Drag Illustrated Issue 148, September 2019 | Page 43
Special Section
all kinds of different classes and
combinations. Tony can drive any-
thing – doesn’t matter what it’s
powered by or how he’s gotta shift
it. When it seemed that my father-
in-law didn’t mind parting with his
whole retirement fund to put a team
together, we started looking at what
we could do.”
After considering several options, the
team decided to build an entry for
the burgeoning Pro Outlaw 632 class.
It was one of the few places where
their ideal combination – a naturally
aspirated, clutch-equipped, manually
shifted doorslammer – could be com-
petitive and affordable. Plus, the
PDRA’s eight-race schedule and
family atmosphere matched up with
the group’s lifestyle.
“I’m just fortunate that we’re racing
with family,” Wagner says. “They
make me feel as much a part of the
family as if I was born into the
family. To go out and race PDRA,
which is such a family-oriented
group with a lot of other family-
based teams, we’re just having so
much fun being together, being on
the road, being able to do what we
want to do and still have a life away
from racing.”
The Gillig-Wagner team made their
PDRA debut at the 2018 Firecracker
Nationals at Virginia Motorsports
Park, where Gillig drove the Madcap
Racing Engines-powered Cutlass to
its first final-round appearance. It
was victorious in its next final round
at the 2019 North-South Shootout
at Maryland, then added another
runner-up finish in the Pro Outlaw
632 Shootout presented by $hame-
less Racing during the Northern Na-
tionals in July. A couple weeks later,
Gillig added a Nitrous Pro Street
victory at an NMCA race near
Chicago. That success is merely icing
on the cake for the team, though.
“We don’t have any expectations
but to be out with family doing what
we love,” Wagner says.
Wagner and the Gilligs also took on
the challenge of adding an Extreme
Pro Stock entry to their work load
at the PDRA races this season. When
DRAG ILLUSTRATED founder and
editorial director Wes Buck’s father,
Eddie, and uncle, WR, decided to
bring out their 2004 Chevy Cavalier,
they enlisted Gillig and Wagner to
help get it competitive. The car has
raced at the last three PDRA races,
with Gillig wheeling both the family
car and the Buck Bros. entry. It didn’t
have a single lap on it since it was
built in 2004, so the collaborative
group is still trying to figure out what
the car wants to get down the track
on the same performance level as
the leading teams in the ultra-com-
petitive class.
“We’ll pretty much do anything to
run Pro Stock,” Wagner says. “[The
Bucks] presented us with the oppor-
tunity and Tony jumped at it. What
we want to do is provide the Bucks
with the results they want for the
effort and the money they’re invest-
ing. They’re some of the nicest guys
I’ve ever met. The best part is being
able to pit side by side with them
because the laughs are endless.”
With his days of racing under pressure
from corporate sponsors and profes-
sional race teams behind him,
Wagner is clearly enjoying the op-
portunity to race with family and
friends for nothing more than the
satisfaction of succeeding together
and having fun in the process. But
the pressure-packed situations early
in his career paved the way for his
current lifestyle.
“I’m very grateful for all the people
that my racing career allowed me
to meet because it actually helped
me to have a very awesome per-
sonal life,” Wagner says. “Drag rac-
ing’s done everything for me: my
best friends and my biggest mentors
all came from the racetrack. When
I think back on what I’ve learned
and where I learned it, I’ve gotten
a lot out of everyone I worked for.
Monte, Morgan and Benza all gave
me a chance and their trust to do
my best, and some life lessons along
the way.
“But always there for me the whole
time with sound advice and a point
in the right direction even when
we faced each other as competi-
tors was Bob Gillig,” Wagner adds.
“I really don’t think there’s much
I know about cars or life that I
didn’t learn from him. He’s given
me so much over the last 20 years,
including his only daughter to be
my wife.”
PDRA660.com 43